I was digging around in my brother’s old junk, and I found a set of nunchaku (by a set, I mean the two sticks and the chain). When I was little, I would emulate Bruce Lee with my foam covered set, (I was pretty decent) but these are the real ones. I went out to Chinatown to buy another set, but when I asked the guy at the store, he said they were illegal.
One of my two questions is: why are these illegal (not just to kids) while at the same time, we have knives and boxcutters, which I think are more easily concealable than two 12-inch clubs and a chain.
So, I ended up buying online (it’s true, you can get anything on the internet). I saw a set of octagonal ones. My other question is: is the octagonal shape beneficial to their use?
Thanks
I’m ready to meet Him
‘Cause where I’m livin’ ain’t right
Black hate white
White hate black
It’s right back to the same fight…
Yeah, the thing was, I never really appreciated Michelangelo until I saw Bruce Lee whipping them around. The thing is, though, I don’t get that cool crazy whipping sound he makes with his. I sorta get this baseball bat sound. It’s not that I wanna have these to beat people down with, it’s kinda like something to do, like a yo-yo (which I’m sorta skilled with too).
I’m ready to meet Him
‘Cause where I’m livin’ ain’t right
Black hate white
White hate black
It’s right back to the same fight…
Well first of all, in a few states they are illegal because once ypu get those suckers moving you can crack skulls pretty easily.
Alsy the octagonal ones are just basically a choice. The onlye benefit might be easier to grip.
One interesting fact is all ancient Japanese weapons (including Nunchaku) were once farming implements. After they were invaded by China, they weren’t allowed to have any weapons so they made due with farming implements (which are also dangerous and you would think the Chinese were smarter than that, but live and learn).
Also, many of the fighting styles of japan have what are called Katas or coreographed combinations of moves performed in a specific sequence. These were often performed as dances to practice while all martial pratices and arts were outlawed.
To deal with men by force is as impractical as to deal with nature by persuasion.
BurnMeUp - You are quite right about marshal arts weopons being adapted from farm implements. However, it isn’t Japan or the Japanese that were invaded by the Chinese and hence developed these techniques, but the indiginous people of Okinawa.
Nunkachus are considered weapons in the state of Illinois. Whether you actually use them on somebody, or the police just find them on your person. I dunno what the penalties for carrying are. I think you’d have a hard time banning knives, and you can get arrested for carrying them, too. -
Store-bought nunkachus aren’t really meant for cracking people in the head. They tend to come apart at the cord/chain joining them, and the wood (often Cocobolo) is decorative, but not very strong - it cracks and breaks rather easily. If you think you’ll ever really need to use them on someone, you need to roll your own. Use metal: electrical conduit and aircraft cable. -And don’t make those silly short things. They have several disadvantages over the regular sizes, and nothing in their favor.
On the other hand, if you can learn to beat people down with a yo-yo, you will be The Man. - MC
I do not know much about the legalities, I always thought that was more of a myth than anything else.
I do own a pair myself, they are store bought and are actually quite strong, despite MC’s experience.
I think the octagonal ones are probably easier to grip. Mine are round and can be hard to hold if your hand begins to sweat. My former instructors were octagonal and he preferred them to mine.
Actually he had shortened his (cut the excess length off) and then drilled the ends out and filled them with .45 cal slugs. This gave them the weight they were before but less wind resistance. Lets just say, I would not mess with him.
I think the cool sounds that you hear in movies is just a sound effect. I do not think most of Bruce Lee’s blows sounded like that in real life.
BTW: How did Bruce Lee die? I know this is off-topic, but I can’t find an answer anywhere and this seems like the appropriate thread to ask in. After Brandon Lee died, I heard that his death had something to do with the Chinese Mafia. Is this true? I have no idea if this claim is reasonable or not, because I didn’t even know that Bruce Lee was dead until his son died.
“I had a feeling that in Hell there would be mushrooms.” -The Secret of Monkey Island
BTW: How did Bruce Lee die? I know this is off-topic, but I can’t find an answer anywhere and this seems like the appropriate thread to ask in. After Brandon Lee died, I heard that his death had something to do with the Chinese Mafia. Is this true? I have no idea if this claim is reasonable or not, because I didn’t even know that Bruce Lee was dead until his son died.
Bruce Lee died in July 1973. There were reports at the time of many reasons for his death, one of which was the idea of hte Chinese Mafia. His seems to be much like other stars that died suddenly and at a young age (i.e. Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, etc.) People are suprised and they look for more than is really there.
BTW Brandon died from an accident not from the same Mafia that supposedly killed his father. For a better explanation of Brandon’s death see www.snopes.com and search for brandon lee.
According to this weeks Time Magazine, Bruce Lee “died of a brain edema, which the autopsy said was caused by a strange reaction to a prescription painkiller called Equagesic”
I on the other hand, have just about killed myself with the ole grain beaters, snapped my own ass with a bull whip, stuck a katana in the livingroom ceiling, and fractured a toe kicking the top of a eight foot door sill on a bet… (I think the bet was, I would be stupid enought to try it)
Obviously, martial arts is NOT for everyone…
There are a thousand rumors on Bruce’s death, including a blood clot due to him getting struck by nunchaku, wiped out by the Ancient Chinese martial art masters to punish him for giving martial arts to the “enemy” (translation us) and even one that said he literally exercised himself to death (look at the lats in Enter the Dragon…I have yet to see a Asian with that kind of build…awsome.)
What is known is that Bruce fell into a coma weeks before his passing during shooting of his last movie. He came out of it and his doctor told him to take it easy bt he went back to his regimen anyway and collapsed again this time for the last time. It was believed he had a huge allergic reaction to the painkillers he was taking.
But, from what I hear, he has been seen as much as Elvis. Supposedly the body in the coffin was not Bruce either.
I haven’t had lessons myself, but different people have told me that you want them longer and made of metal because there’s only two good ways to use them: striking with the butt, and trapping limbs. The problem with wood ones is that there’s no wood that is heavy and durable enough for butt-striking and no wood is strong enough for limb trapping. Whipping them around in an actual fight is a sign of someone who has had more lessons than experience. - MC
Actually MC, there are a variety of uses for them.
The swinging motion, in many cases overly theatric does serve a purpose, would you rush headlong into someone with wooden sticks flashing about his body?
The swinging strike can be an effective blow simply because of the speed and force invovled in the swing.
trapping things (limbs or other weapons) is definately a use but they do not need to be exceedingly long. Most og the time when you buy them you should check to see that the wood portion is the lenthe of your forearm wrist to elbow.
To deal with men by force is as impractical as to deal with nature by persuasion.
