107 Shares

Are flexible weapons for attack only?

Flexible weapons like the Nunchaku (or erroneously “nunchuks”) are very versatile for the attack but in martial arts, we rarely see them discussed in defensive terms.

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

The fact is that practicing free sparring (read How to do sparring and Sparring with Nunchaku), even with a foam / plastic version (light, with soft covers, etc.), we immediately notice the problem that concerns most of the flexible weapons: the defensive aspect.

In fact:

If in the attack phase, they are lightning-fast and “safe”
The defensive interactions appear very hard to manage (and therefore we simply limit to try to avoid the strikes of our adversaries)

If with a sword appears more reasonable to parry, deflect (etc.), with a Nunchaku (or for example with a 9 sections chain, read The Shaolin 9 Section Chain Whip), it is much more complicated to set up a good defensive action.

In this regard (despite the fact that flexible weapons were not born for this purpose), we want to sketch some ideas and tips on how to tactically face this kind of situations. Anyway, before continuing, it is necessary to make some assumptions:

Each flexible weapon is different; the crucial discriminant is related to 2 fundamental characteristics, the total length and the length of the not flexible parts (eg. the 3 sections stick can also be used as if it was 2 short sticks / swords)
The material of our weapon (metal, cord, wood, etc.) and the one of the opponent’s one determine what we can (try to) do and what not
Let’s repeat it, flexible weapons are good to attack, not explicitly to defend in a “classical” way (parry, etc.); for example, it is important to understand that, in a strength-against-strength context, the flexible ones always lose the confrontation
…

How to defend with flexible weapons

The first thing to understand is that the tactical gap of flexible weapons is generally more visible at a short distance but in defensive terms, to cover this gap there are a few things that we can do:

Manage the length of the moving part – We have to always adjust the length of the moving part of our weapon in relation to the opponent’s distance; in the long distance, we have to release the flexible part and at close distance, we have to shorten it (at zero distance we simply have to use it as an impact tool, without rotations, loadings, whip strikes, etc., read Ideal distance from the opponent during a fight)
Do not focus on the weapon only – Let’s never forget to involve our entire body in our combat strategy; the fact of having a weapon must be an advantage and not a limit (we should always implement kicks, punches, knees, elbows, trapping, etc.)
Avoid rigid interactions with the opponents – We should avoid as much as possible any kind of solid contact (in particular force against force, read 6DKF’s interactions: from the strong blow to the light touch); in the case it happens, the best option is to try to use a two-handed grip with which “pander” the force that comes upon us (accompanying it where we want, for example with a sliding motion)
Try to do not stop the flow – We should try to avoid completely stopping the flow of our weapon, this way the opponent will have much more difficulty in closing the distance; to do this we need strong wrists and good spatial intelligence (read Prepare arms, wrists and fingers to use weapons, Train wrists and arms with weights to get fluidity and Weapon training: advanced exercise for spatial intelligence)
Maintain the right pace and distance – We need to always be in the condition to impose our timing / distance (this allows us to strike properly and especially, to not be hit / trapped); in this specific case, the simplest way to force a temporal and spatial separation, between us and our opponent, is to use (smart and non-linear) loop movements (read also Loop rotations of the rope)
Use deception and unpredictability – The moment when a weapon makes us weak is, in the case of a split movement, after and before the end of its path and in the case of a loop, when it is not tight and / or too far from being able to hit the adversary; the secret is to not allow the opponent to predict our trajectories (read how in Dragon Motion [MINI-GUIDE])
Have an alternative plan – In our school we teach that the weapons must be used as part of our body but the truth is that they are not, they are and remain inert objects; if it is wrong to trust 100% on a single body element, it is 10 times more true with weapons; we always need an alternative plan to defend ourselves in case of error (time / space gaps, loss of grip, etc.); let’s prepare a backup tactic that includes striking and / or eventual secondary weapons
Pay attention to the attack moment – When a flexible weapon attacks, it leaves us completely vulnerable for a longer time than a rigid one; this means that we need to wisely evaluate the most favorable moments to expose ourselves (in other words, if we are not completely sure to reach the chosen target we should wait for a better occasion); let’s not forget that, the longer the weapon is, the harder and slower the return to a reactive combat stance will be (read Stance and basic rotations of the rope)
Avoid the close distance – If, as we said, our weak point is the close distance, we should always try to alter it actively, imposing our directions and pace; if then we end up attached to our adversary, the flexible part of our weapon should be used to grab with the intention to pull / lock / strangle / etc. (he / she or his / her eventual weapons)
…

Is it possible to directly parry / deflect with a flexible weapon?

In specific terms of parry / trapping / etc., the rule is that we must first move our body away from the trajectory of attack, then we can (try to):

Use the (eventual) rigid part – Use the rigid part of our flexible weapon to address the opponent’s attack (a kick, a cutting blow with a sword, etc.) and exploit its impact power to bounce then against a vulnerable area (head, hands, etc.); doing this, it is important to avoid a direct / rigid contact with the fastest / stronger (and therefore more dangerous) part of the attacking tool used against us, its tip (the more we are able to stay away from it, the more our possibilities of success will increase, see Sword and combat: the first rule to learn)
Accompany the attack motion – Accompanying the attack motion, even if it is very difficult, we can deflect it; this for example to unbalance the opponent and throw him / her to the ground, against an obstacle, etc. (read also The 3 phases of a throw)
Hit the opponent’s attacking tool – If the adversary’s weapon inertia is not strong (it is not a direct strike), we could try to directly accompany it with ours (altering its path); maybe this could create even only a small distraction but that may be enough to offer us the occasion to capture the adversary’s weapon with our free hand or to land a decisive blow (again, very difficult without the right training)
Wrap the attacking tool dynamically – Another option is to capture the attacking tool of the opponent by wrapping it with our flexible weapon to temporarily block him / her or to try a disarm; in a dynamic situation this is very hard without perfect control of the weapon but in a static one it is within the range of everyone
…

Final notes

A few conclusive notes:

Today, in most cases, people use flexible weapons only for individual training or juggling and rarely as real weapons or for practical applications; the problem is that the learning curve is apparently scary but the reality is that it is worth the effort; even only in self-defense terms, acquiring such a capability allows us to drastically increment our options to prevail, in fact, many of the most effective improper / improvised weapons we can handle in a real scenario follow the dynamics of these tools (read Improper weapons in a real situation)
Sparring is at the base of combat mastering but unfortunately, weapons sessions risk to be less realistic than the empty hand ones (due to the necessary protections); in a fight, for example with a Nunchaku made of hardwood (or worse of metal), if the opponent is in front of a fast / unpredictable flow he / she will be easily much more afraid to close the distance because it would mean to risk being hurt in a very violent way; the adversary knowing he / she is risking not too much, becomes therefore more courageous (but the truth is that, in a real situation, the risk is 10 times higher and consequently the prudence increases); it is for this reason that after a correct impact conditioning phase (read Conditioning check for the impact), it is important to start to (wisely) decrease the protections we wear (this naturally does not mean to organize real combats, that would be simply counterproductive but to let our body start to gradually feel a certain percentual of a bearable pain, read Acceptance and prevention of pain)
Real Nunchaku are not easy to buy or find, 99% of the ones we can find in normal shops are for training (even if made of wood or metal); the discriminant is the weight and the hardness
…

In the next article of this series, we will see some tips about attacking tactics with flexible weapons.

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu Exercises – The exercises to build the necessary basic combat skills
Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu weapons – How to use all the fundamental martial weapons we teach
Self-defense basics: how to – A rational approach to self-preservation and defense preparation
Weapon disarming: what works and what not – A realistic approach to what is possible to do when and how
The basics of the knife – A path toward the mastering of the most diffuse weapon
Structures for combat: liquid, solid, fluid – How to learn to adapt our body to the opponent
Hand grip strength conditioning – How to drastically improve the grip control and power of our hands

In-depth articles

Learning the use of real weapons – The full path of mastering a martial weapon
Softness and hardness, flexibility and rigidity – A discussion about the various states of our fighting structure

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

How would you implement a flexible weapon in a real self-defense scenario?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

Twitter Facebook

How to master 6 Dragons Kung Fu?

Are you searching for:

Daily training exercises?
Synthetic theory and concepts?
A step by step path from white to black belt?
A path (clear, consequential and gradual) designed to build real martial skills?
A direct contact with Master Kongling?

Go to our Patreon page and choose a training plan: starting from the Practitioner level, you will gain access to all this and much more.

Inside each Premium Lesson, you will receive the same teaching (practices, tips, concepts, small secrets and corrections) reserved to the live students of Master Kongling.

Important - Once a certain number of registrations are reached, no other participants can be accepted. For more information write to: [email protected].