World Of Swords

Most students of the martial arts Have probably seen a pair of nunchaku (Chucks) being used while in the martial arts. Whether it was in a "karate movie," or while training in the dojo -- martial arts school - where you train in your chosen discipline. They're so popular that they're known all over the world as "nunchucks," "chucks" or "numchucks."

The "twin sticks" (that's their meaning when the word "nunchaku" is spoken in native Okinawan), in the right hands, are a whirling blur of motion that can actually be hard for the eye to follow when they're moving fast enough. And they can pack a seriously hard wallop when they're used to strike at somebody during close-quarters fighting.

They can be used alone as a pair of sticks joined together by a short length of rope or chain, or in pairs (one set for each hand) for double the trouble. The nunchaku (aka. Chucks) has a long and interesting history, starting from when they first appeared on the island of Okinawa off the coast of Japan sometime in the early to mid 1600s. Nowadays, few craftsmen like the ones at Buki Yuushuu still turn out modern customized versions of this beloved and cherished classic weapon.

How the nunchaku came to be developed on Okinawa during that time is a bit unclear. The most popular story was that Okinawan farmers and others on the island, including the upper classes of that time, took a farmer's thresher, which was a handheld tool made up of two sticks joined by a rope, and suddenly became nunchaku masters!

We're just kidding about the "instant master" effect. It usually takes some time to study and practice with the nunchaku (and more than a few whacks on the head!) before a person becomes skilled enough to use it in a real self-defense situation.

Actually, the invention of the nunchaku most likely never happened that way at all, but it makes for a good story. In realty, this popular self-defense weapon probably was constructed for the role it played then and still plays today; as a weapon. The evidence for this is that the Chinese themselves had a weapon that was very close in appearance to the nunchaku back before the 1600s, and that Chinese immigrants to Okinawa brought it with them. Also, the word for "nunchaku" comes from the Chinese language, so we can assume that it really was built to be what we know it as today.

To understand why these "two sticks connected by a string" came into being, we should understand that on the island of Okinawa, as with the rest of Japan, most people were forbidden to carry a sword or other bladed weapon. Only Japanese who were of the samurai class, a professional warrior were able to have such things. Native Okinawans, who were not Japanese at all, fell under this same rule. But people being people were just smart back then as they are today, and soon the nunchaku (Nunchuck) began to be used for personal protection and the protection of property against any would be criminals or Japanese samurai who happened to take advantage of their situation.

The Native Okinawa's as with most people didn't like to be ordered and pushed around, and samurai were experts at giving orders to those under their class. Can you imagine what a surprise it was when one of these professional warriors felt or witnessed the blistering speed of these wooden sticks coming at him?

Today the essence of the "chuck" is still the same; they are just faster and flashier than the nunchaku of old. If you'd like to see what a modern pair of nunchaku look like, go to bukiyuushuu.com one of the leaders of Okinawan style of weaponry, look at all the different styles, colors and the different ways you can customize your made to order nunchaku.

Come and see the most styles and choices in custom Nunchaku click here Nunchuck

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a popular children's television show and comic book. It focuses around the adventures of four teenagers who happen to be turtles transformed into humanoid creatures by some ooze. It is a fantasy show but it has some really informative and interesting bits about different kinds of martial arts weapons. The turtles happen to be trained martial artists and they use these weapons to battle the foot clan. Children can watch this show, get interested in the martial arts, and then join a martial arts class to learn how to be like the turtles.

Each turtle has a signature weapon. Rafael wields a pair of Sai. Sai are some of the most versatile weapons, they are great for offensive use as well as defensive, but they don't usually get a lot of play in the popular media. Rafael uses them to his advantage in almost every fighting scene and he the animators do a good job of showing off just what kind of cool techniques these weapons can perform.

Leonardo is the chosen leader of the Ninja Turtles and therefore he gets to carry the biggest and the sharpest weapons. Leonardo wields a matching pair of katanas which he holds on the back of his shell. Don't worry parents, he's never seen goring foot soldiers or making people bleed all over the place. Usually when he cuts something with his swords it is a robot or a piece of wood.

The technological or brainy turtle known as Donatello uses a bo. The bo is a long wooden staff that can be used for long range striking and pole vaulting. Donatello is a big fan of the pole vault kick. He plants his bo into the ground and uses it to propel his body forward into the foot soldiers, planting his turtle foot right into their faces. It may be the most boring weapon as far as appearances go but when uses skillfully it can be deadly.

Michelangelo loves his pizza but he also loves his nunchucks. He's often showing off special finesse style nunchuck moves to awe his opponents before walloping them on the head. He's quoted as saying: "I love being a turtle." And the children love to watch him. Nunchucks are possibly the most famous of all martial arts weapons because they are so unique. Only a select few martial artists choose to use these in popular culture on a regular basis.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are children's pop culture icons but they do a very nice job of introducing some ancient martial arts weapons and some really clever martial arts techniques. It is important to get children involved in the martial arts because it helps them to build confidence and they will do better in school.

Have you ever seen those people out in the fields or in the forests who dress up in costumes and swing around big duct taped up weapons and play fighting games? They call them Live Action Role Players but these guys have a really good idea: when you just want to have fun with martial arts weapons use practice martial arts weapons. Practice weapons are safer and you can do a lot more things with them when interacting with others.

I know you may be thinking to yourself: What are you talking about? I don't need practice martial arts weapons! I'm a kung fu master at the age of fifteen! But believe me, you just aren't that good enough yet to use real martial arts weapons. Martial arts weapons are designed with one purpose in mind: Kill the opponent. These things are dangerous and you're liable to hurt someone if you mishandle them. Play it safe and use practice martial arts weapons until you feel comfortable enough to pick up a really sharp sword.

Safety is on everyone's minds these days. You've put your children in a martial arts class to teach them how to defend themselves against attackers but now you're starting to wonder if the martial arts weapons training might be too dangerous for them. Well, don't worry. Just get them some practice martial arts weapons and they can go to town with them. They'll learn all the techniques and you won't have to worry about them hurting themselves.

If you're in it for the long haul and are really serious about becoming a martial arts weapons master you need to understand that if you start out with the practice weapons the real ones will feel much better. Baseball players and gymnasts will weigh down their equipment so that during the real game they feel lighter and freer. Same thing goes for practice martial arts weapons. If they are heavier you will become stronger by practicing with them.

We're all in this thing to have fun aren't we? And what's more fun than beating your best friend over the head with a giant bo staff or katana sword? I can't think of anything. But if you use the actual martial arts weapon to do that you are going to seriously hurt someone, hell you could even kill someone. Pick up some safe practice martial arts weapons that are properly padded and then go to town and spar with your peers.

Believe me, you won't regret picking up a few practice martial arts weapons to add into your martial arts weapons training. You'll feel safer and have more fun and best of all you'll really develop those weapons skills so that you can wow the judges on your certification nights.

Sandy loves talking about ancient martial arts weapons and has all sorts of information on Japanese martial arts weapons.