An eastern weapon made from joining the tops (kontoh) of two sticks together with a rope or chain (himo or kusari). Each 'stick' has three parts, the upper area (jokon-bu), the middle area (chukon-bu), and the lower area (kikon-bu). Each area has a specific purpose - the tops and bottoms of the sticks are
used for jabs, the upper and lower areas are handled for swinging attacks and maintaining control of the weapon, and the rope or chain can be used for choking an opponent.
It is NOT a ninja weapon, as many people believe, as it
originated outside of Feudal Japan. Also, the term 'nunchucks' was coined by the Americans after discovering the weapon, but it is an acceptable name for the weapon.
The major disadvantage of the weapon is the
possibility of an opponent catching the weapon in his hand/s and
pulling it out of your hands, leaving you disarmed.
The nunchaku is my
favourite weapon! Lose fear of the weapon by spinning it in circles around
your body, then focus on maintaining control of the weapon after striking an object with it. Takes
practice, and a lot of bruises to master it, but hey-ho.
