more nunchaku stuff...

[tommarker]

That's the funny thing about nunchaku too. They are such a wildly popular weapon, which is probably where there is so much fluff out there.. The students want it, and the teachers give it to em whether they understand it or not.

 

The people who know what they are doing tend to be the last people asked on the subject. Probably because they are doing very "boring" things

 

Flashy nunchaku is one of my guilty pleasures... I know it is silly and impractical, but it's fun, and I try to keep the distinction between real and flash clear.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Flashy nunchaku is one of my guilty pleasures... I know it is silly and impractical, but it's fun, and I try to keep the distinction between real and flash clear.

 

And there's the differance Tom...you know the what is good technique and bad. Many instructors don't, and pass on the "bad" technique as "legitimate" good technique. I don't have a problem with it, as long as they know the differance, and pass it on as such.

 

Tournaments should show, IMHO, good, solid technique, and I judge it as such. Needless to say, I've scored some black belts very low because of the "flash".

[Sauzin]

This guy is a master juggler. Seriously. He has a refined skill and I respect it. But it's juggling, not weapon practice.

 

If he were to hit a person with any of his "strikes" he would likely hurt himself more then the person he was aiming at. He has no recoil counter swings, his strikes are not extended, and his grip would not support a real strike/wrap-up situation. Many of his grips are in fact a bit dangerous if he were swinging it at full speed.

 

Still he has obviously practiced it long enough to know what speeds his grips will support and how to time them. Unfortunately in combat a grip that cannot support a full swing is all but useless.

 

I do wish there were more appreciation for his skills in theater, and talent events. I would however like to see less juggling in tournaments dedicated to martial arts.

[AndrewGreen]

Once again, How many of you actually spar with nunchaku. The point was made that most do not know the difference between flashy stuff and what really works. I agree fully. And yes, I do spar with nunchaku, along with many other weapons. I have learnt the "traditional" stuff, and some of it is no more functional then what that guy is doing. Looks good in theory, but....

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Agreed Sauzin. Also, there is not a 10th of the striking power in the techniques he demonstrates as compared to good technique. Twice I've taken nunchauku away from people that were screwing with me with them. They both hit my arms as I reached in. Sure, it hurt a bit and left a small bruise, but if they'd have been using good technique:

 

1. I wouldn't have done it, and

 

2. It could have broken a bone on my arm.

[Sauzin]

Once again, How many of you actually spar with nunchaku. The point was made that most do not know the difference between flashy stuff and what really works. I agree fully. And yes, I do spar with nunchaku, along with many other weapons. I have learnt the "traditional" stuff, and some of it is no more functional then what that guy is doing. Looks good in theory, but....

Sparring is something that is seriously dangerous with this weapon. It's like sparring with a loaded gun, it's just not safe. Using rubber or padded nunchacku doesn't work either. It's like using a gun that isn't loaded. It just doesn't translate well to reality.

 

I have however practiced hitting targets and I learned two things. First when you swing and the weapon hits something, it bounces back. Depending upon what it hits and the angle of impact it may bounce in any number of directions. There are two ways I found to control the recoil. You can whip it back around to your side with a reverse spin and/or you can let it die. Here's what you can't do after a strike that hits something: You can't catch it. You can't burry under your arm. You can't immediately strike again. You can't whip it back towards yourself (well you can but it's painful). And you can't hold the weapon too close to the string, it will bite you.

 

Another thing to note is that when swinging without your arms properly extended you are about twice as likely to hit yourself after a recoil. As near to the body as was demonstrated in the video is dangerous in real combat. You don't need to spar to figure this out. Just go outside to a pole or wooden steak. Try hitting the pole without your arms fully extended. You will notice that you will need to be closer to the target you are swinging at. This is obviously dangerous and difficult to control. Try hitting at different times during the passover or swing. It really messes things up. You will find youself dodging your own weapon as it comes at you from different directions. Now try stepping back a bit and swinging with your arm out there. When the weapon hits you are further away. Also you will note the weapon will hit harder. That's because with the arm properly extended you have more range to swing. This weapon needs room when swinging. This is all it takes to see these basic principles. It has nothing to do with traditional or not. It's just physics. Try it out yourself but be careful.

[tommarker]

foam nunchaku and kendo gear. now that could be a hell of a class!

[AndrewGreen]

Padded translates better then nothing.

 

Still hurts too

[Spin]

I think it all depends on what you want from Nunchaku, I personally love "performance" nunchaku, just finding your limits then breaking them with more and more flashy difficult moves. It might not be practical for combat, but Im in the UK, if I ever use them for combat, even in self defense, chances are that i get to spend a long time in a small box... soooo, i do it for fun.. And thats exactly what I want from it, and thats what i get from it.. I have a lot of respect for Patrick Gresham, he's shown me some cool moves and i like his creativity with Nunchaku.. I havent really trained much aggresive nunchaku, but I imagine any familiarity with nunchaku is going to be an advantage when learning ANY other techniques.. the flip side is that through self education you can gain bad habits, but with a good teacher and plenty of dedication I imagine these can be rectified..

[drink182money]

I picked up Nunchaku for fun, and I have no formal training with it. I studied Karate when I was much younger and got up to a brown belt before my family left CA. I was always looking forward to learning nunchaku... but never got the chance. I understand the different between proper technique and improper technique like "juggling".

 

Like Patrick, I am self taught. I understand that my methods lack proper technique or power... but there is no doubt that even doing "flashy" moves requires plenty of skill.

 

Instead of having an elitist attitude about how "flash" chucks are just stupid and how Patrick is trying to pass himself off as a "master" or how his video clips hurt and degrade the art, I think it would be better to embrace what he has done, and how he encourages people to experiment and try new things (many of which are a lot of fun).

 

Many self-taught people turn to his clips as a good example of an average joe (or a husky joe), with only self-training, can do. And most importantly, he does it because it's fun. I do it because it's fun.

 

It's really cool to see all the flashy moves that can be done... and it's definitely entertaining to watch.

 

So lose the elitist attitude ... there's no need to deride Patrick just because he is self taught. He has encouraged many people to seek an interest in the art.