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Nunchaku and sparring

The Nunchaku is a traditional martial weapon popularized by Bruce Lee (read The real Bruce Lee’s legacy) and is known especially for its dynamic and impressive flow.

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 2 most common questions we receive about Nunchaku training are:

Is Nunchaku a real weapon?
Is it possible to spar with Nunchaku?

In both cases, the reply is “yes”:

Nunchaku is a real weapon – The Nunchaku (read Starting with the Nunchaku) is recognized as a proper offending tool in most countries and therefore we can not bring it with us outside the cases defined by the law; even if in the hands of a not-practitioner a Nunchaku may be useless (if not counterproductive), if handled by an expert, it can become a weapon 10 times more effective than a classical stick
It is possible to spar with Nunchaku – Taking the right precautions it is possible to spar with the Nunchaku (let’s start by reading How to train without risks [MINI-GUIDE])

Why should we practice sparring with an ancient weapon that is also illegal?

The core reasons are 3:

Conditioning – In our Kung Fu school, as well as a martial weapon, we also (and especially) implement the Nunchaku as a training tool; in fact, we use it to educate our limbs on how to move (to basically start to condition our muscle memory, read The right way to develop muscle memory)
Self-defense – We see the Nunchaku as a flexible combat tool and most of the improper weapons that in our school (read Improper weapons in a real situation) we learn to handle include its basic dynamics; in addition to this, if for example, we are in our home (and the laws of our country allow it), the Nunchaku can be directly used for personal defense
Effectiveness – Juggling is not part of the program of our school (although we respect and appreciate it); if we are studying a weapon for martial purposes it would be dishonest to limit ourselves to teaching tricks and acrobatics (as we always repeat, if we want to learn how to fight, we have to fight and this applies to both armed and bare-handed combat, read Kung Fu sparring)

A note by Master Kongling – Even if this goes beyond the competence of our school, it should also be mentioned that there are specific sports competitions based on the fight with the Nunchaku.

What kind of Nunchaku can we use for sparring?

Depending on the type of training we want to do, we have substantially 2 options:

Realistic blows – If we want to do serious sparring with the Nunchaku it is better to wear full-body protections (this way we can try to use the light wooden version)
Free mobility – A good alternative is to opt for plastic / foam versions with cords (unfortunately they are, slow, easy to break and do not give almost any kind of pain signals)

Which is better? None, the ideal is to practice both but in no case, we do have to use real Nunchaku (heavy, with chains, made of rigid plastic, hardwood or metal parts).

A note by Master Kongling – In reality, in most countries, it is very easy to find toy Nunchaku but rather difficult to find those that we consider “real” (whose primary characteristics are significantly higher weight and more resistant materials).

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu Exercises – A video course about how to build real martial skills
Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu weapons – The path toward our fundamental martial weapons
Self-defense basics: how to – The S.A.F.E. self-defense method of 6 Dragons Kung Fu
Weapon disarming: what works and what not – A serious way to address and understand what is truly possible to do in terms of disarming

In-depth articles

How to make a PVC Nunchaku – How to make a low cost / personalized training tool
Flexible weapons: how to defend with a Nunchaku – Is it possible to use a Nunchaku in defense?

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Have you ever had a real Nunchaku in your hands?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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