nunchucks the fantastic moves

Nunchucks are the type of hand weapons depending totally upon the skills of the user instead of the capability of the weapon itself. Usually two sticks of same length are joined with the help of metal chain, the metal chain is few inches long, whereas the size of stick is not justified. It varies in different nunchucks. 

Most of the times, these sticks are made of wood, though metal rods are also used instead of wooden ones, but mostly it’s stick are wooden. Instead of the metal chain the rope is used too for joining the sticks. Nunchucks are used in martial arts. They are widely used in karate. It is not a user-friendly weapon; one can simply not buy it and practice it from user manual. It is different among all weapons; its use is complicated. It demands practice and more and more practice. 

This practice cannot be done by own self; a skilled trainer is required to teach it. It is usually operated with one hand, but different tricks may involve the use of other hand too. When showing tricks, one stick is usually gripped with one hand and other stick is set free, it is moved in a way that the one which was gripped, gets free and other stick comes in hand. The overall tricks shown by it are much difficult ones. 

Other weapons can be operated more easily and can be learned quickly than nunchucks. The sword is said to be operated with most difficulty but these nunchucks have even left sword behind, as their movement is more complex. 


One has to be real quick in hand movement and one must have accurate and perfect concentration towards it, while using it.


Origin and Construction of Nunchucks:

The purpose behind the invention of nunchucks is considered to be quite different than their today’s use. It is believed that they were introduced for the thrashing purpose, this thrashing was of the rice fields. The exact time when they were introduced cannot be traced. As their origin is difficult to figure out. The designs of nunchucks have changed with time but any prominent change in terms of shape is still not observed. 

Though any exact length of stick is not defined but it is preferred that the length should be at least of the size that can cover the forearm. The rods used nowadays are of aluminum, plastic and of fiber glass as well. 


nunchucks internal


Sometimes the sticks are covered with foam, usually of the nunchucks which are used for practice. During practice one can hurt himself as the use of them is really complex, so the ones covered with foam are used, it lessens the risk of getting hurt. 

Some of the sticks are round in shape from the free end. Free end is the end which is not connected with the chain. Some are straight too, usually the aluminum ones. It is important for the user to distribute the weight on rods equally, this is key when showing tricks, the nunchucks should be properly balanced. By proper balance it is meant that the nunchucks should be balanced in terms of weight. The user usually holds the nunchucks from the area near the end of the stick, this area is usually made prominent and is known as grip. 

The grip of hand maybe loses or tight depending up on the nature of trick being shown. While showing tricks, the grip is continuously changed. There are different styles for carrying them. The front carry and the back carry are the famous ones.


Movement of Nunchucks:

The nunchucks as modern weapon is totally a decoration piece unless one knows the different movements of them. All these movements involve speedy skills and great practice.


Figure Eight move:

The most common movement of nunchucks is the figure eight move. One stick of the nunchucks is held tight in the hand, while the other one is set free. The wider a person will stand, the easier it will be for him to make this move. 


The numeric eight is made in the air at front or sideways of body. It is moved in such a way that it resembles the infinity symbol or eight number, for this reason it got its name as figure eight movement. 


The ones who got firm control over this technique can try it closer to the body, else it’s better to keep it as far as possible to avoid hitting his own self. Once you feel confident about this move, it can be further practiced with both hands. This move actually creates a shield around the mover. Hence it is a good self-defense technique.


Arm Switch:

To execute this move, as it involves the shoulder, it should be practiced very carefully. The one stick is flipped over the shoulder in backward direction and with the other hand should be at front of body, so that the flipping stick can be gripped. 


The hand movement should be carefully observed. If gripping the stick from right hand, the other stick should be flipped over the right shoulder with left hand at front. For left shoulder, same should be repeated with the change of hand. This move can cause serious injury if one gets hit by the stick, so it is better to practice it with the foam covered nunchucks first and then the wooden ones.



Helicopter Spin:

This move involves more of the wrist movement. The stick should be gripped from near the chain instead of lower end, the grip has to be strong and then raising it high, the other stick can be whirled. It should be whirled above the height of the head. It resembles the movement of fans of the helicopter, for this reason this movement is named as helicopter spin. One should take care that he do not loses the control over it else it can spank anyone’s head.


Hand Roll:

In this type of movement of nunchucks, the grip of hand on stick is changed from one stick to another. The stick is held in a way that when flipped, the other stick comes at the back of the hand and quickly the other stick is grasped. It is a single-handed trick. After this, it can be reversed in a way that the original grip is again at the starting position.


Eye Strike:

Each stick is held in one hand, the center chain is at front of the eye. the grip has to be near the chain and then the hands are rotated and pushed outward, the fixed ends of stick comes at front of the user’s face and the other free ends are in pointed position towards the opponent. As a result, the attack of other person is blocked.


Best Nunchuck Users:

The nunchucks were used in ninja fights but never achieve the fame. The other ninja weapons were more famous in past. Then a person was introduced in the martial arts, who changed not only the history of nunchucks but also the history of martial arts.
 
Nunchucks and martial arts both received the highest possible eminence. The man behind it was Bruce Lee. He is considered as stardom of this art. He was nothing less than perfection in this art. He made nunchucks to be known by everyone. The nunchucks are now considered as the supreme of all ninja weapons and this is only due to Bruce Lee. He was so skilled in this art that hardly anyone can stand in front of him. His moves were fast and so good that there is still no one who can outmatch him. 

He used nunchucks in his movies and from there, everyone started to know about them. Hardly there is any move that he was not able to do. In fact many of the moves are his invention. Before him, they were not famous across the world, they were known only in Japan but after this man every kid, everyone around the world start knowing about nunchucks. Almost every of his movie involved the use of them, apart from nunchucks many other ninja weapons got fame due to his movies. Even taekwondo itself got famous because of him. Many training institutes are there where this art can be learned. 

Nunchucks are widely sold and available in many of the countries, though in some countries the use of nunchucks is banned as well. Military officers use nunchucks too. They use it to snatch the weapon or to handcuff the other person.

Read Also: How to Make Wooden Nunchucks in The Right Way!