Chinese kung fu fans

When we think of how we use the nunchaku are we imagining ourselves in a frozen position of no real movement other than a constant figure-8 spinning of the weapon in front of us?  This is okay to keep an attacker at bay for a minute, but what’s your plan once he’s figured out that that’s about all you’ve got?  Will you be ready with a timely forward or sideward strike if he moves at you or to your side, trying to get around you?  Are you even aware of what’s going around you and are you ready to use a side kick or roundhouse kick in combination with your “nunchucks?”

If you can’t really answer those questions or you have some idea of what we’re talking about but admit that you’re still more comfortable staying in one spot, constantly playing “keep the bad guy away,” then maybe what you need to do is stop, take a deep breath, relax and let all the tension leave your body, and begin to understand that you and your nunchaku can be one perfect weapon if you work hard enough. 

We are not in any way trying to be too mystical or deep, though.  All we’re saying is that outstanding technique with the nunchaku should combine with well-trained physical technique in whatever form of physical martial art it is that you study and believe in.  In other words, do your basic “nunchuck” strikes (upward, downward, sideward, forward, variation and extension) flow from or lead to a good side or roundhouse kick, or even more nunchaku combination strikes and even a really good “fragment?”  If you don’t know what a “fragment” is yet, know that the late Bruce Lee was a master at them, and executed a lot of them in many of his movies. 

If you get a chance, rent or buy a few of these kinds of old-time movies to see what we’re talking about.  Enter the Dragon, The Chinese Connection, and Return of the Dragon all feature Lee’s excellent nunchaku technique.  You can also go to YouTube and see clips of him, or one or more of several other great masters of the “nunchucks” at work.  Try to ignore some of the more dramatic kicking, yelling and screaming going on, though.  So-called “Kung Fu movies” are made to do a few things, one of which is to make people believe they can fly fifty feet across a dojo with just a little hop or skip!

When using the nunchaku, your mind, your body, and your spirit must work with each other as one unit.  You will not be able to strengthen your “chi” or “ki” power without understanding that you and your “nunchucks” are a team.  Flailing away in a wild circle with them will only take you so far, by the way.  If you’re going to do that, it’s better that you find a long stick or even a baseball bat and swing either of them in the same manner.  After all, as more than a few martial arts sensei have said for centuries, any old fool can use a stick.  But it takes an artist to use the nunchaku.  So, when practicing with “nunchucks,” take some time to really think about what you’re doing with them.  And imagine yourself delivering a perfect blocking move followed by a well-placed forward strike and then a leg sweep, all in one smooth motion.  This is what we mean when we talk about you and your nunchaku being a single unit.