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.
