Is a nunchuck just a pair of wooden sticks linked together by a chain or rope and used as a weapon? No, not only that. It represents an art, a passion and a story!
Nunchakus can be quickly passed between the hands, between the legs, under the arms, and behind the head, in multiple attack/defense moves. Locks onto target with high speed due to increased lever arm.
If you see Lee Barden showing off the changes and rotations of nunchucks with finesse and ease, you might be immediately fascinated by nunchucks. You can really get an idea of how passionate a nunchuck can be, that Nokia created their ad that shows a guy who looks like Bruce Lee, playing ping pong with nunchucks.
Nunchakus would have remained almost unknown to the world if some great masters like Bruce Lee had not shown their fascinating use in martial arts movies like feast of fury, entrance of the dragon, etc. Nunchucks are widely believed to have originated in Okinawa, in the farmers’ struggle to protect themselves from oppressive Japanese government officials and local robberies and robberies. Nunchakus are believed to be the modified version of fails used to crush rice seeds to separate the rice from the husk.
I practice karate myself and found nunchucks to be quite easy to learn and practice. As with most hand weapons used in martial arts, they integrate easily with the body, allowing for a fluid dance that makes it more sensual.
What gives it an advantage is that the nunchucks’ rope or chain attachment makes them flexible to strike from unexpected angles, and their quick and ambiguous movement easily distracts the opponent. It is quite effective in close range fights. But it is very difficult to control. Give him a knife/sword/stick etc. who has not touched him before, but he will be able to lethally strike an unarmed person with this love. Give him nunchucks and the person is more likely to get hurt!
There are different varieties of nun-chucks like wooden nunchucks, steel nunchucks, foam nunchucks, shiny nunchucks. Foam nunchucks are intended for beginners, because during training one can even hit the skull, joints and sensitive organs, which could prove fatal if it were wooden or steel nunchucks.
Practicing nunchaku will increase the speed of the hands, the coordination of the movement of the body with the mind, and concentration. For the enthusiasts, I am putting down some basic nunchaku steps:
-Shoulder pass back and forth
-Pass back straight and diagonal
-Neck pass, forearm pass, leg pass
-Waist stops, leg stops and shoulder stops
-Turns, somersaults and roll.
Some recent trends in martial arts are mixing nunchuck moves with other striking and blocking moves. The easiest way to learn is to get a foam nunchaku and start with the free video tutorials available on YouTube, ExpertVillage, etc. At least that’s how I learned, and I suppose it was quite easy and quick to learn and quite interesting to practice.
Due to its ease of construction and use, the nunchaku has become one of the most popular martial arts weapons in use today. But few countries have banned their possession. So just check your local government policies before you can opt for a steel or wooden nunchaku. You can always link up with some nunchaku associations like World Nunchaku Association (WNA), ITNA, etc., for more information and involvement.