Freestyle Nunchaku

[Chameleon]

Hey guys,

 

I have been practicing TKD for 2 years now, and at a summer training camp this year I picked up chucks for the first time seriously. Now I have played with foam padded ones and on camp I learnt some of the serious side of it, and now I think I am ready to try some more serious ones as I have heard that the foam ones spin nothing like metal/wood ones.

 

I as see it there are three options for a new pair of chucks. Wooden, metal and these compsite ones. In your opinions which are the best/fastest/whatever? Im just looking for ppls opinions on what they have.

 

TIA

[Shorinryu Sensei]

TKD + "chucks"? ARGH!!!

 

YOU!!! PUT THE WEAPON ON THE GROUND AND SLOWLY STEP AWAY FROM IT WITH YOUR HANDS RAISED!!!!

 

 

1. TKD does not do weapons as a part of its art form as I understand it. I have been a weapons judge (usually center judge) for around 25 years now and for God knows how many tournaments, and I have yet to see one TKD competitor that could do anything remotely resembling competence with a weapon....ANY weapon! I'm talking black belts here, not beginners. All of the TKD weapons competitors I've seen are self-taught, or taught by their instructor that they themselves, were self-taught and passing along junk techniques to their students. It is one of my largest pet peeves.

 

2. ANYBODY that doesn't (IMHO) know how to PROPERLY pronounce or spell a weapon, has no business touching them until they at least know what the weapon is called.

 

OK...I'm done venting my frustrations now. Sorry. Can you tell you hit a nerve there?

 

First of all, to gain any sort of respect from myself and several others on this forum, please learn to call a weapon by it's proper name. In this instance, it's called a nunchaku...not chucks! If I was a judge in a tournament that you entered as a contestant, and you came up to me and said you were going to do a "chuck form", you would immediately, before you did anything else, get no higher than a 7 out of a possible 10 for a score. It would go downhill from there.

 

As to you question, I prefer plain old wooden ones with cord, not chain. Chain doesn't move as smoothly, and wood feels and grips better than metal. Foam nunchauku are a waste of time in my opinion. Learn on real nunchaku and take the bumps and bruises that comes with training and learning with them. It will help you correct mistakes faster. Pain is a good teacher.

 

[Chameleon]

Sorry, but as I said I am a complete novice at them. Yes you are right TKD does not have nunchaku forms, I am soley learning them as I have an interest in them. I have no plans in ever entering competitions with them. I can see why you are annoyed with TKD practioners who eneter comps, as they will nearly almost all be self taught as you say. So it doesnt matter if they are black belt or white belt, they will have had no formal of training from TKD.

 

Saying that, the assosication I study under, have recently introduced a cross-training program whereby students can study other forms. This is where I got my first proper taste of nunchaku, and why I want to continue to practice them. I also never plan to teach anyone else the techniques I lean as I know the problems this can lead to (being both a kayaking and scuba diving instructor)

 

Cheers for the info, much appreciated

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Saying that, the assosication I study under, have recently introduced a cross-training program whereby students can study other forms. This is where I got my first proper taste of nunchaku, and why I want to continue to practice them. I also never plan to teach anyone else the techniques I lean as I know the problems this can lead to (being both a kayaking and scuba diving instructor)

 

Cheers for the info, much appreciated

 

Sorry if I jumped on you pretty hard in my first post, but like I said, it is a major pet peeve of mine, and it definitely hits a raw nerve.

 

A question for you. At this seminar that you attended and were introduced to the nunchauku...where were you taught to hold the weapon? Down low on the "stick", or up high close to the rope?

[steveb]

Just because someone studies TKD does not mean that they can't also learn weapons. At our TKD school we have an Okinawan Kenpo instructor that comes in to teach traditional weapons forms. Shame on you for stomping on someone who wants to broaden their horizons. Why not instead encourage them to seek out proper training from a respected source?

[Chameleon]

It has always been my understanding that the correct way to hold nunchaku is at the end furthest from the rope/chain. Obviously there are grips that require you to hold it near the chain, but this is more for the flashy freestyle techniques than the standard stiking/blocking techniques.

 

I can however be wrong

 

Also I beleive that the instructor is trained in the nunchaku properly. I know for a fact that the cross-training we do with bo staff is taught by a 3rd Degree in TSD, but I dont know the formal training the nunchaku instructor has had.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

It has always been my understanding that the correct way to hold nunchaku is at the end furthest from the rope/chain. Obviously there are grips that require you to hold it near the chain, but this is more for the flashy freestyle techniques than the standard stiking/blocking techniques.

 

I can however be wrong

 

You are quite correct and that's why I asked the question. If you'd have told me that they instructed you to hold the weapon near the chain/rope, I would have told you to get your money back! Remember when I said previously that if you, as a tournament competitor, were to tell me you were doing a "Chuck Kata" and I would not give you higher than a 7 score? Well, if you did your kata by holding the weapon near the chain, that score would drop to a at least a 5 by the end of the kata. It's embarassing for a competitor, especially a black belt, to get such a low score, and I will be the first to gladly tell them why I scored them so low.

 

Good, proper and solid technique, with any weapon or empty hand, is essential to generate all possible power and leverage. Slop can get you killed in a street fight, and I'm an old, traditional bugger that demands good technique from my people, and if you're a competitor in front of me, from them also. Sure, white/lower belts get some slack and consideration, but a black belt better have his poop (they *'d p o o p???)together, or he's going to not do well in front of me.

 

Before every weapons judging, I, as the center judge, gather the other judges (usually 4 others) together and tell them what I expect out of them.

 

1. Be fair and impartial towards all competitors, regardless of personal biases towards certain systems or people.

 

2. Look for good, solid technique and form.

 

3. Be consistent.

 

I have seen popular black belts that have done terrible kata recieve good scores, just because they are well liked. I won't do that because I don't feel it is fair to everybody else.

 

Oh ohh....I'm on a rant here. Sorry folks.

[Sauzin]

Just because someone studies TKD does not mean that they can't also learn weapons. At our TKD school we have an Okinawan Kenpo instructor that comes in to teach traditional weapons forms. Shame on you for stomping on someone who wants to broaden their horizons. Why not instead encourage them to seek out proper training from a respected source?

 

I'm sorry but I agree with Shorinryu Sensei. If they are learning weapons from an Okinawan Kenpo instructor, then they are learning Kobudo, not TKD. TKD does not do weapons. If a person says they do TKD weapons then they most assuredly have not learned them from their art, and I would start at suspicious and work up from there. TKD does not translate well to Okinawan Kenpo or Kobudo. I know, I've helped teach many. I have 3 students that have been with me for 5 years who started in TKD. They are still having a very difficult time. TKD and weapons doesn't mix well, and when it does it's like learning a new art from scratch, twice. That's how difficult it is.

 

I'm not saying don't do it. I'm saying expect it to be very hard.

[steveb]

If they are learning weapons from an Okinawan Kenpo instructor, then they are learning Kobudo, not TKD. TKD does not do weapons.

 

I didn't mean to imply that we were doing TKD weapons. We are doing Okinawan kobudo. The weapons classes are separate from the regular curriculum and are not taught by our TKD instructors but rather by an Okinawan Kenpo kobudo instructor. They are optional and are offered for those who want variety and/or just think learning weapons is fun (like me). I guess my main issue was with the idea that someone who practices TKD is automatically crap with weapons. It is possible to study and be proficient in more than one art.

[Chameleon]

Sorry about the confusion. I was not meaning to say as part of my TKD training I was learning to use nunchaku, it was mearly at a martial arts summer camp. We had all sorts, jui jitsu, TKD, TSD, kick boxing, and many more. It was just a time to experience others forms and techniques and take away from it what you wanted.

 

I tried out nunchaku, bo staff, escrima and some knife fighting and defence. I'm not learning nunchaku as part of a martial art, but just as I am interested in giving it a go.