Nunchaku : wood, foam or rubber ?

[oftheherd1]

Okay, time to be blunt again.

If there's no teacher nearby for you to go to, you can't learn it, and shouldn't be trying to teach yourself to use a potentially damaging weapon by playing around with one. It really doesn't matter where you are, if there isn't a teacher, there isn't a teacher. End of story.

If someone in a similar situation to yourself reads this thread, hopefully they'll get the same message: weapons aren't toys, and shouldn't be treated as such. Do not try to teach yourself.

If someone with an instructor reads this thread, frankly, they should be asking their instructor as to what is best for them at their level, as the instructor will know better than a bunch of strangers on a forum.

As an aside, a "dojang" for Nunchaku? A Korean school to teach Okinawan arts? I'd avoid just based on that...

But, in the end, if you don't have a school, you can't learn. And, if you're not really learning, you don't need anything like real weapons. So the material is rather moot, in the end. The only real thing we can suggest is to choose a safe(r) material, such as foam, to minimize your chance of breaking your own nose, but don't mistake anything like that as actually learning or training with the weapon.

I have to agree that most of the advice given already is good. My experience with nunchaku is very slight. I never struck myself on the head, but have managed to strike other places. Even with aluminum (make a whistling sound even Bruce Lee would have liked) or foam, it can be unpleasant. I did once manage to relocate a picture frame a few meters. So I agree with all who have suggested foam or other types of practice nuchaku.

But I wouldn't say a Korean school that taught nunchaku is a no-no simply because it is Korean. Use of the nunchaku isn't really common in Korea; I grant that. But it isn't unheard of. And even supposing the teacher isn't a 10th black belt in nunchaku, doesn't mean he/she can't teach what he/she knows. Even if all a teacher can teach is the basics, that is better than trying to learn from a book or the internet.

 

[jks9199]

In a rarity -- I'm going to come down a little different from others. Lots of people have successfully learned to twirl a pair of numchucks on their own. You can figure out how to spin 'em around, catch 'em, and otherwise essentially juggle two tied pieces of wood on your own. Some have even learned to hit something without getting hurt themselves.

But, notice -- I'm not really saying USE nunchaku. Especially not use them effectively. To do that, you most certainly need an instructor.

So, if all you're after is the ability to play with them and basically do some parlor tricks... go for it. It's not nearly as dangerous as playing with a sword. There are some books around (like Fumio Demura's) that might give you some guidance, though their still not really a substitute for direct instruction.

And invest in a bulk quantity of headache medicine, as well as a few ice bags. You'll probably need 'em.

 

[chinto]

If your going to try and work with that weapon, please go get some training from a qualified Kobodo/kobujitsu instructor! its not that great of a weapon, and one reason is it is very dangerous to the one using it. but you make your own choices and will either need medical attention, and actually learn how to use the weapon or not.

 

[tayl0124]

I say if you don't have access to a instructor, don't buy them. And if you do find an instructor you will eventually buy wood ones with rope, so why not start with them. There are so many flavors of martial arts on you tube that you most likely won't be able to learn anything of quality from it. A Korean school that teaches a Okinawan martial art isn't a red flag to me. It might be as simple as the instructor wanting to gain more knowledge in weapons and that was what was available to him. The weapon art that I am learning has (almost)nothing to do with the karate that I am learning. A senior student in Tiara Shinken's organization told me that the nunchaku were one weapon that you didn't need to worry about if you dropped them, most people aren't going to know how to properly use them and will most likely smack themselves in the head before they hit you.

 

[chinto]

One more point, in many States in the USA at least, possession of nunchuku out side a Dojo is a felony! In California its a minimum 5 years I understand! I hear its similar in New York and some other states. SO check with an attorney and the cops first! if legal, get competent training from a qualified instructor and get wood ones.

 

[donald1]

for training purposes the foam, im sure stores sell the kind that are make of pvc material with a foam covering

-word of advice if you plan on getting wooden something to thing about when doing spins with the nunchucks its good to grab with a flat palm you don't want to hit your fingers

 

[Balrog]

Hi there

I want to buy a nunchaku for home training
I have no idea how to use it, and don't plan to go take "real" lesson, it's just something I would like to try for fun (no offense intented for people doing real training and serious nunchak)

Given this, I strongly suggest foam for the safety aspect.

But at the same time, I would also suggest not training with them at all. The reason that I do so is that the weapons training should supplement your core martial art training, much like an elective course in college makes you a more well-rounded student. If you do not have access to an instructor who can teach you the basics, you will learn them wrong and you are much more likely to hurt yourself, even with the foam ones. And as we know from experience, once you learn something wrong, it is much, much harder to unlearn it and then learn it correctly.

Just my $0.02 worth.