One thing that fascinates me with this art is the ability of the mind to adapt new skills. My brother- in- law left me his pair of nunchaku sticks. For almost a year of slow movement practice, I adapted and harnessed the skills. It’s an amazing discipline that requires precision and efficiency. Any mistake of missing to catch the stick could be painful. It requires a combination of mental agility and sharp reflexes to develop an aspired mastery of skills. Learning new skills require time and consistent practice. Our minds’ ability to adapt is truly fascinating. A function of time, energy and persistence will harness a new set of skills, way above mediocrity.
I find this discipline, a relaxing substitute to strenuous jogging. Nunchaku exercise can be done both indoor and outdoor at any convenient time one could carve. Although this is commonly perceived as a combat skill, one can benefit from this as a form of physical fitness. Nunchaku had originated from Okinawa of Imperial Japan, although it was never intended as a combat weapon but as part of peasants’ farm tools called wood clappers. It was only in romantic imagery of the Okinawan literatures that nunchaku was rumored to be one of peasants’ weapons during their infamous rebellion.
Various countries have considered nunchaku as an illegal weapon and being banned to be carried in public. In martial arts, nunchaku is just one of the spectrums of discipline that are being popularized during tournaments. Others have added some gymnastics stunts as evidence of an evolving genre of the martial art discipline of nunchaku as can be seen with the clip vids shown above. Although it originates from Asia, nunchaku is now gaining popularity among Western countries also. Maybe soon, we can have our nunchaku sports club in Tagum City.