Which is your preferred weapon?

[bluemtn]

Escrima sticks, of course. The range is right without being overly bulky; Justifiable in the courts of justice; If you are trained in it but don't have it with you, lots of things could substitute like a halved(?) billiard stick (what do you call that?), a leg of a wooden chair, brooms, mops, whatever; and versatile - you could use it for joint locking.

I also like the sticks too. One I've never really thought of, and a lot less likely that you'd get stabbed with your own knife (assuming one doesn't have experience with one).

 

[kidswarrior]

Something wrong with the chucks?

Also a felony to possess in California (other than licensed MA studio)--can't even get them shipped here by mail order.

 

[Em MacIntosh]

Besides the fact that they are absolutely useless for combat, no..

1500lbs/"2 (pounds per square inch) at the tip vs. 8lbs to break the skull. Rest assured they are quite effective. What would you say of the mace and chain?

 

[Em MacIntosh]

I meant escrima sticks too not kali sticks. Sorry.

 

[tellner]

I meant escrima sticks too not kali sticks. Sorry.

Oorg?
*scratches head*

What's the difference?

 

[Em MacIntosh]

Never mind. Just gimme a pair of nunchaku.

 

[Sukerkin]

I'm not sure I agree on the nunchaku selection, Em but each to their own. They surely do have the cachet of cool from their famous Enter the Dragon outing. From my own experience tho', I found them more of a danger to me than anyone else :O.

All I can recount to you is an experiment done years ago by a pair of sensei of my aquaintence (Sensei Lovat (my iaido teacher) and Sensei Shaw (or Sensei Yoda as my missus used to call him with great affection)).

They 'played' with combat of bokken versus nunchaku, yari vs nunchaku and tanto vs nunchaku (this done whilst wearing kendo armour to avoid unnecessary hospital visits ). The one thing that they both emphasised is that the 'quick' strikes of the nunchaku were certainly fast enough to get in and possibly distract/hurt an opponent but that the lack of control from any rebound meant that your first shot had better count. The more powerful strikes exacerbated the problem and introduced an element of predicatability that made avoidence or deflection much easier. In defence, it was the conclusion that if you were facing a sword you were better off trying to dodge than use the nunchaku defences. Against a 'knife' they fared better but still not great as in that case the knife had the greater speed/agility.

Still, when all is said and done, the thread is about personal preferences in weapons, not a discourse on which is 'best'. So, after all that, your pick is just as valid as anyone else's :tup:.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Never mind. Just gimme a pair of nunchaku.

My jujitsu Sensei absolutly loved nunchaku.... he could take them away from just about anybody

 

[Steel Tiger]

1500lbs/"2 (pounds per square inch) at the tip vs. 8lbs to break the skull. Rest assured they are quite effective. What would you say of the mace and chain?

I'd say its a damn good way to test that 8lb skull breaking limit on yourself.

The return on flexible weapons, be it a flail, nunchaku, or the disturbing arumi from India, is not worth it. Its a lot of work to get the same results as a solid stick. That is, a broken skull.

 

[kidswarrior]

I'd say its a damn good way to test that 8lb skull breaking limit on yourself.

Yes, have done this many times when I trained with them. Could account for my state of mind. :erg:

Its a lot of work to get the same results as a solid stick. That is, a broken skull.

I found it quite easy to get a broken skull--on myself. :lfao:

My jujitsu Sensei absolutly loved nunchaku.... he could take them away from just about anybody

:highfive:

 

[MaartenSFS]

I have heard two good origins of the Shuangjiegun (nunchaku). One is that the Mongolians invented it and their cavalry used it to hit people as they were passing by (This sounds the most feasable).

The other is that they were inspired by farming tools, developed by the Okinawans, and used for joint-locking. Anthing else is complete ********. And just try "locking" someone with a pair. Though I have seen one move that seems quite effective on a paralysed person, I don't think that that was its intended use and if it was, it wasn't a good one. They are great for self-induced migraines, though.

 

[tellner]

Flexible weapons can be tricky, but they can also be extremely effective.

Consider the slungshot or its variations known as "life preservers" in earlier days. The blackjack and its larger cousin the WWI German trench mace were terrifying weapons. Or ask any of the police officers here about how useless a dog collar with two padlocks, a bandana with a big socket tied into it or a long chain with a bunch of keys on the end is. They're all serious deadly weapons.

The urumi takes a lot of training, and it has to be what the hoplophobes were really talking about when they said "43 times more likely to kill you than the bad guy". But those who know how to use it can turn everything within ten feet into hash.

 

[MaartenSFS]

Flexible weapons can be tricky, but they can also be extremely effective.

Consider the slungshot or its variations known as "life preservers" in earlier days. The blackjack and its larger cousin the WWI German trench mace were terrifying weapons. Or ask any of the police officers here about how useless a dog collar with two padlocks, a bandana with a big socket tied into it or a long chain with a bunch of keys on the end is. They're all serious deadly weapons.

The urumi takes a lot of training, and it has to be what the hoplophobes were really talking about when they said "43 times more likely to kill you than the bad guy". But those who know how to use it can turn everything within ten feet into hash.

Fair enough, but the extremely long amount of time it takes to reach the proficiency required to not take your own life is a waste, when any idiot can pick up a knife or gun, and use it almost instinctually (With notable exceptions - I.E. Can't use the knife/gun in their purse).

 

[Em MacIntosh]

You have to actually train in them and use some sense. Practice hitting something and controlling the deflection. I wasn't talking about movie jitsu either. I find there are few practical strikes but they are practical. From the sound of it many of you might not have bothered to learn to use the chucks EFFECTIVELY. If you don't like the staff and don't train in it, you probably won't be very good at it. I also find them to be somewhat deceptive.

 

[Em MacIntosh]

Also, if any idiot can pick up a gun, why do we train? Just countering the PERCEIVED "run away, de-escalate" remark with another. How long do you have to train to be good enough not to kill yourself?

 

[MaartenSFS]

My meaning was drop the 'chakus and train in something that doesn't leave your life in the hands of chance, because, even if you don't kill yourself with it, after the first strike the recovery time is so slow that you'll literally be stabbed/shot ten times before you can strike again with any accuracy at all. Why not pick up one or two sticks instead, or put the halves together like a stick, or just throw it and run? =D

I don't like guns and knives, but at least those two can be effectively used in a dangerous situation by a person that is able to use them. I'll stick with my telescopic baton, though.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I use to train the triple section staff and although it was a rather cool weapon to play with I would never have chosen that in a fight as my weapon of choice.

I also knew a guy that trained triple section for many years and if anyone could have used it effectively in a fight I would guess it would likely have been him. However at a demo he messed up, just once and it only took about a ½ a second. One little wrong movement and BANG one of the staffs caught him in the back of the head. To quote him

“I have no idea what happened, one second I was doing fine and the next I was laying face down in the grass."

I also use to train nunchaku but the learning curve was a bit high for gaining proficiency in my opinion. Another weapon that I am sure there are people that can use it effectively (I am not one of them) but one small mistake and you may just be helping your attacker more than you want.

 

[LawDog]

A weighted bandana I have seen, alot of damage it caused.

 

[Em MacIntosh]

Any time you make a mistake with anything, chances are you have a split second recovery time. Ever whip a towel at someone? That's how I use the chucks. There is no more time spent returning it to it's set position than, say, escrima sticks, maybe less because of the return momentum. Chucks will teach you very quickly not to hit yourself. It's all just a matter of opinion (sorry for the cliche, but I feel it needs to be stated), what works for me might just not work for you. That learning curve you speak of happens to me too with other weapons. The most important thing I think of with the chucks is to get in and out fast, with control (the idea is not to get them taken away). I keep my distance if possible otherwise it's a grappling weapon. Nunchaku require control like any other weapon, except that it's a flail so the method of control is different. Don't mean to come on too strong but you can't disprove something on opinion, as someone will have an opposite view. I would never say it's the best melee weapon, just that it's my favorite (and my best as it's what I train in). Anyway, they are good for more than show. If you don't agree, that's the best part of being human. Thank you guys for your opinions though and I'm sorry if I missunderstood anyone or have been missunderstood. Just hate seeing something I'm passionate about shot down and tend to defend something that means a lot to me.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Any time you make a mistake with anything, chances are you have a split second recovery time. Ever whip a towel at someone? That's how I use the chucks. There is no more time spent returning it to it's set position than, say, escrima sticks, maybe less because of the return momentum. Chucks will teach you very quickly not to hit yourself. It's all just a matter of opinion (sorry for the cliche, but I feel it needs to be stated), what works for me might just not work for you. That learning curve you speak of happens to me too with other weapons. The most important thing I think of with the chucks is to get in and out fast, with control (the idea is not to get them taken away). I keep my distance if possible otherwise it's a grappling weapon. Nunchaku require control like any other weapon, except that it's a flail so the method of control is different. Don't mean to come on too strong but you can't disprove something on opinion, as someone will have an opposite view. I would never say it's the best melee weapon, just that it's my favorite (and my best as it's what I train in). Anyway, they are good for more than show. If you don't agree, that's the best part of being human. Thank you guys for your opinions though and I'm sorry if I missunderstood anyone or have been missunderstood. Just hate seeing something I'm passionate about shot down and tend to defend something that means a lot to me.

No offense intended. This is why I said

I am sure there are people that can use it effectively (I am not one of them) :asian: