Practice gear

[Wolflaker]

Hello,

I am new here so I am not sure if this is the correct thread. If not, so sorry....mods can move it.

I like to make stuff to practice martial arts with. Right now I am making up a half dozen or more nunchaku out of light, durable PVC conduit. I want to give our class something to practice with. I make them in different lengths so the students can choose their favorite size, or (my preference) be able to use any size they pick up.

I just finished up my latest 'invention' and left it with my daughter to practice with. Basically, its a stand that suspends a ball in the air. The ball hangs by a rope and is height adjustable. I use a tennis ball for kicking and a ping pong ball for nunchaku.

I have some other ideas, as well. The stuff is home made out of cheap materials so students can work on their skills and the class doesn't have to worry about wear and tear on it's pro equipment.

I would like to share my ideas and links to pics. I just don't know for sure which thread I should do it in.

Thanks

[sensei8]

Welcome to KarateFourms!!

Well...

Seeing that you're talking about equipment, I'd say that you could post the pics here.

I'd like to see them because they sound interesting!! I once attached one end of a nunchaku onto one of the ends of a bo...yeah, it was weird looking yet I could smack my older brother with it at well....hehehehehe...I loved that part, the smacking my brother part.

[Wolflaker]

Great, thanks.

I made another practice stand yesterday and was practicing keeping a ping pong ball in motion with nunchaku. I actually made some progress. The most progress was with my weak (left) hand. Hitting a moving ping pong ball with a pair of 'chucks is easier said than done.

Then, I get inside and discover new the Nokia commercial that looks like Bruce Lee is playing ping pong with nunchaku. Snopes exposes it as a fake, but after just a couple hours of practice with my own slow self on a ping pong ball, I think Bruce could have pulled it off when he was around.

Today is supposed to be rainy so I should be able to get my first batch of PVC nunchaku done and will take some pics of them.

Again, thanks.

Mark

[Wastelander]

I think that making your own training equipment is something that just about every serious martial artist dabbles in at some point. I've made sparring weapons out of PVC and foam, myself, and I know a Goju-Ryu guy in Canada who makes all sorts of stuff. He put together a blog called Martial Makers (martialmakers.com) where he collects a bunch of articles on making your own training equipment, if you're interested in getting ideas.

[Wolflaker]

Cool, thanks.

I'll check the site out!

[sensei8]

Home-made weapons can be a blast until part of it comes apart and smacks you unexpectedly...ouchy.