Yeah, but I bet it took him years of therapy to get that image out of his brain.
Nunchaku is the MOST effective blunt force trauma type weapon. when folded up it is easily concealed in a coat pocket, in the small of your back, etc. yet when fully extended during a strike it is the same length as a full sized baton. the striking end of the Nunchaku travels much faster than the striking end of a baton because it has to travel a larger distance in the same amount of time during a swing, much like a whip, making the nunchaku a much more devastating weapon. national geographics fight science did analyze the effectiveness of the nunchaku but their test is are VERY misguided and VERY misleading. they tested the weapon on a target that was made of rubber and bolted down. this target that was used to test the weapon doesnt move and doesnt give. the rubber target DEFLECTS all the energy causing the end of the nunchaku to rebound on the user. flesh and bone, on the other hand, ABSORBS the energy. if you smash an opponent over the head with nunchaku, it WILL NOT REBOUND. instead, the opponents flesh and bone WILL GIVE, will break, massive trauma!! it is not designed to strike wood, metal, rubber, concrete, etc. it is meant to be swung through your opponent smashing bone and causing massive trauma. it is not a dueling weapon. it is primarily an offensive weapon. the trained user is always changing positions and incorporates a series of feints and constant movement to beguile the opponent and find an opening to strike. in the hands of a trained user the nunchaku is the most devastating blunt force trauma type weapon.
Nunchaku work using the same velocity multiplying mechanism as mideval flails (though they’re much lighter) and can bring a lot more kinetic energy (translation: wallop) to a target than it looks like they can. With a pair you can swing figure eights or similar very quickly and set up a perimiter in front of yourself that nobody without a gun or a pike could get through without being beaten very profusely.
Nunchaku with chains (as opposed to rope) are also very good for catching knife strikes, binding opponent’s arms/legs/necks, and all sorts of other things. But at its core, a pair of nunchaku is simply a portable beating stick that’s hard to top.
Nunchaku are one of the most useful and powerful hand held primitive weapons available. They generate many times over, 100’s of percent beyond what is required to crack bone. In addition they are useful in many control techniques. Chokes, sensitive area strikes, leverage for locks, fingers, wrist, elbows, kness, collarbone, spine. . . They allow far more room for escalation of force in a combative scenario than say, a knife, or sword, and can do far more ultimate damage with less effort than simple spray mace or a short staff.
When traveling abroad I often manufactured a pair from sawed broom handles, eye screws, and rope. Though simple, when hung on a belt and carried in ghetto’s and jungle they are great, and disassembled are easily transported through various checkpoints without hassle.
They are fast, and simple. Flashy drills are for familiarity, it seems like you guys have been spending too much time on YOUTUBE. Against a knife, anyone with even moderate training would likely prefer a pair of these tools. They can change directions in attack deceptively and quickly.
Only an arrogant and foolish man with little experience would so harshly critique this good tool, that’s what it is, a tool.
As for practice, yes you may get hurt. I have chronic bursitis of the elbow from too many impacts. Now I can’t afford to even be hit there once with hardwood. I wear elbow pads for simple training these days, I would have started long ago had I known better.
Concealable, easily maunfactured from available materials, powerful, fast, and often underestimated. . . all components of a good weapon.
I’m convinced. You had me at: Blunt force trauma.
Where do I send my $19.99 + shipping & handling?
How is Paul Anderson’s mother giving her son a gold medal relevant to this trainwreck thread on Nunchuks? Also, was it chocolate inside?
I didn’t know Paul Anderson’s mom was a swinger.
If I’m gonna give myself chronic bursitis of the elbow, I want to do it from the comfort of my own bed.
Again my personal favorite weapon for SD is the $10 SA police issue plastic 42" CS sjambok. Length, speed, possible pain levels are unmatched. Hard to conceal though.
I can’t find it on youtube, but in Sharkey’s Machine with Burt Reynolds. Danny Inosanto shows how nunchaku should be wielded. I haven’t seen it since the move came out IIRC 1979, but dayhaaaaam, you want to see someone doing nunchucks, check that shit out.
It’s not the typical whirling chucks. And be just beats the everlasting fuck outta Burt. And I still remember this from 35 years ago give or take and haven’t seen it since (so I hope my memory is correct)
Sez China Guy, who can still claim mad nuchuchu skilz…
Wikipedia has a nice article on the estimable nunchaku.
“Used by Okinawan farmers,[citation needed] it was not a historically popular weapon because it was ineffective against the most widely used weapons of that time, and because few techniques for its use existed.”
“Nunchaku is often the first weapon wielded by a student, to teach self-restraint and posture, as the weapon is liable to hit the wielder more than the opponent if not used properly.” [Yes, I suppose it does teach self restraint, sort of like banging your thumb with a hammer. - mfm]
“Freestyle nunchaku is a modern style of performance art using nunchaku as a visual tool, rather than as a weapon.”
Joe internet has a decent article: “The nunchaku wasn’t a very popular weapon. We deduce this because no traditional nunchaku kata is known today. By contrast, we currently know more than a dozen traditional staff katas. The lack of popularity for the nunchaku probably came from its low effectiveness when used against the staff or other long-reach weapons, not to mention the sword. On the other hand, one who was skilled in nunchaku usage was easily able to defeat a few opponents who were armed with knives or who were unarmed. The nunchaku was also an easy to conceal weapon, suitable for carrying everyday. So, in Okinawa, the nunchaku was mainly used as a tool for street self-defense against hooligans and robbers.”
Today it has wider applications: Nunchaku today - Alex Levitas' NUNCHAKU and NUNCHAKU-DO site
Hey now…no need for that kind of threat. We’re all friends here.
The only weapons you need on SD is surprise, fear, ruthless wit and an almost fanatical devotion to citing sources. Now, where’s that comfy chair?
Hey, is that a sjambok in your pants, or are you just happy to see us?
Ah, yes, the 1954 Paul’s Mom’s Swing Room Summer Olympics. Although some people, who don’t have proper training, mispronounce it as “the Melbourne games”.
The childish, idiotic comments regarding a legend, like Paul Anderson are as stupid as they are disrespectful. I assure you at 5’9", 360lbs the internet is the only place you cowards would say such mean things.
[Matthew Broderick] The only way to win at Nunchaku games is not to play with them. [/Matthew Broderick]
Okay. I’ll call bullshit on that one.
Bro, I teach all manner of impact weapons: single and double sticks, single and double Ssahng Jeol Bong (Korean name for nunchaku), mid-range and long-range staff, cane, etc. The most effective blunt force trauma weapon is the single stick.
The SJB is a great training tool for self-control, discipline, patience and perseverance. But frankly, as a weapon, it sucks. It is much easier to disarm someone with an SJB than it is to disarm someone with a single stick. The stick has the advantage of leverage which the SJB doesn’t have.
Bruce Lee was good with them, I’ll grant you that. But he took a second-rate weapon and turned it into a first-rate flashy movie prop and now people think it is a weapon of the ghods. It ain’t. Deal with it.
We all have our favourite childhood heroes. As adults, most of us have people (living or dead) we continue to admire. What you’ve read here is some good natured ribbing about some people you clearly admire, as well as some disagreement about your own personal favourite martial arts weapon.
I can’t speak for specific individuals but not everyone here is a 390lb internet tough guy. Many people here, myself included, have extensive experience with martial arts and have used some/all of the weapons you’ve mentioned. We all have our opinions on the effectiveness of such weapons, and with all due respect, many of us happen to disagree with you. So yeah, some teasing ensued along with the disagreement. Probably because you appear to be taking this way too seriously. Consider lightening up and sticking around to contribute on other, less than life threat critical topics. Or don’t. Your choice.
What is 5’9", 360lbs? And shouldn’t you work on improving your communication skills rather than get riled up by jocularities about other people?
I assumed it’s what he considers the average height/weight of an message board denizen to be.
That’s just how he rolls…
You’d pretty much have to.