Korean Martial Arts & Nunchukus

[Frostfire]

Hi, are there any other Korean Martial artists on this board? Especially the more traditional end like Kuk Sool Won (with some Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do mixed in for me). I currently have my blue belt, will be testing for my red in March (if my leg heals up at least, my hamstring isn't doing too great right this moment). I practice 3x's a week for 2 hours and it's the best! I'm an addict.

If not a Korean martial artist, any nunchuku people? I've been working on my own kata and perfecting my rolls. It's good stuff! I prefer the hexagonal kind with chains mostly, but have been getting to like the rope kind because they don't wear out so fast!

This martial art is so fun! Before I messed up my hamstring I could hold a middle kick (roundhouse kick in other styles) above my head for 30 seconds. I've also been learning some great joint locks as well as pressure point fighting. The style I'm learning is very well rounded!

[prenna]

I have nunchaku. I don't use them that often but they are fun (until I smack myself in the head with them ). My nunchaku are very short so some of the more flamboyant stuff is a little tricky. I haven't studied them formally though, I just teach myself.

[outbackbaby]

I study tae kwon do, as well as shotokan (japanese), kenpo, and kobudo. Which martial arts school do you go to Crystal?

[Frostfire]

Hi, I've also been teaching myself a lot of the nunchuku things I've been learning because my teacher doesn't really like to focus on weapons very much. It helped me to get a book and video to help me along! I've never used short ones, how long (or short) are they? How long is the chain? Is only one side smaller, or are they both? They sound like a lot of fun.

Outbackbaby, hi, how long have you been doing martial arts? Tae Kwon Do in particular? The school I go to is called Moo Lim Do (Moo=Martial Arts, Lim=grandmaster Mr. Lim's name, Do="the way", or "way of"). It's great! I've really enjoyed it.

[vegankev]

Hi everybody,

Since this is my first posting I'll keep it short. It''s great to see that there are other vegan martial artists around. I myself am a instructor in Taekwondo and a form of Jeet Kune Do. I've been vegan for 7 years now and have done martial arts all my life actually.

During the day I'm the spokesperson for the ALF-SG (animal liberation front supporters group) in the Netherlands.

OH and I have done some nunchuk training aswell as other sticktraining. I like the short ones better....

[Mary]

My karate teacher insists that we aren't allowed to learn weapons, since he thinks they make you weak. He says if someone attacks you with a weapon they are admitting to themselves that they need that weapon - that you are stronger than they are. Same goes for when you are attacked by more than one person.

I agree with his point actually, but I think that when someone has mastered a martial art (as far as anyone ever can) then learning how to use weapons has its benefits. My son would like to learn something about weapons, but I told him to wait till he gets his black belt. (That'll be a way off yet! He is seven, and although he is a lovely gentle lad, the glamour of aggression still has its effect. Anyone else ever seen dragon ball Z? Now formally banned in our house, full of violence in the name of martial arts, and allegedly for kids!) I am not sure if my interest in other people's weapon training is healthy though - maybe when I am a better martial artist I will be less aggressive! However, if you weapons training martials out there could describe what benefits you have from working with weapons, I would be interested to know. When I was at Uni I learned traditional British sword fighting techniques, and was really surprised at how quickly you build up your arm muscles through training with a sword.

Martial arts is the best form of workout I have ever tried though - I can see what you mean Crystal, when you call yourself an addict!

[steve]

As far as weapons training goes most forms are of no real practical use as it is illegal to carry most of these in the street. However, there are some real benefits to training in a variety of weapons. These include improved co-ordination (as mentioned above), importantly using the waist to move. If you a stick form (over 4ft) just try twirling it from side to side without using your waist and you will most likely smack your knee with it.

The best use for weapons is the health benefits of training with them, running through fast forms/kata's with an extra weight in your hand will improve your CV level. Lastly weapons will help with your empty hand methods, by learning complex movents with a weapon makes just using your body easier.

steve

[ctchrinthry]

I don't know if this is true for all martial arts, but i suspect it may be true to varing degrees. I'm a brown belt in aikido ( but i stopped years ago ) and weapons training really improves your empty hand technoques. You get more used to getting a reaction and causing motion with the weapon, and you follow through more with the real techniques. In parlance, you learn to extend your ki. It helps that in aikido, the empty hand amd weapons katas are the same, of course.

dave

[prenna]

My karate teacher insists that we aren't allowed to learn weapons, since he thinks they make you weak. He says if someone attacks you with a weapon they are admitting to themselves that they need that weapon - that you are stronger than they are. Same goes for when you are attacked by more than one person.

No offense is intended to your sensei but this is quite often the difference between those training with a more martial arts mindset and those training with a more self-defence mindset. Weapons are a necessary part of any street effective self defence system. In a real self-defence situation if a person is trained in a wide variety of weapons then they are more likely to have an awareness of those "incidental weapons", common everday objects that can be utilised in a combat situation. This kind of awareness means that you can take control of such weapons which both improves your chances of success and stops your attacker using the said weapons.
Another advantage to using a weapon in a self-defence situation is that if you hit someone with any part of your body there is a chance that you will hurt yourself, no matter how well trained you are. Even professional boxers break their hands and they are well-trained and wearing protective gloves. On the other hand if you get hold of some kind of weapon you could probably hit someone all day and not hurt yourself.



Now, my favourite martial art is Kali which is of Filipino origin. It is one of the least sanitised of the martial arts. Kali is most famous for it's weapons training. The weapons training in that martial art is taught to beginners and the empty hand stuff is taught at advanced levels. The weapons work teaches the student the correct body mechanics and other skills for the various techniques of the art. Also nearly every technique performed with a weapon is designed to be equally as effective when performed without one.
Weapons work in Kali also increase hand speed dramatically. Knife work in particular makes your hands fast. You have to be able to quickly get in your little slashes while moving fast enough to avoid counter-sashes from your opponent. When you do that for a while then go back to empty handed sparring your hands seem like lightning.


As you can see I love weapons training and think it has a lot to offer but it does depend on what your main reason for doing martial arts is.

[Mary]

Well, I am naturally quite an aggressive person, and one of my main reasons for learning a martial art (beside the fact that I never want to be beaten up again) is that I need to learn some control in a violent situation. I have been subjected to physical violence on a fair few occasions in my life, and I need to make sure that I don't let past anger take me too far in fight situations. (Though hopefully I can avoid fight situations when possible. For example, when sabbing I run from the hunt when it gets nasty! Sometimes you have to stand your ground, but it is not always necessary.)

So although I am attracted to the weapons forms I want to avoid them until I am a better person! I see the point though of knife training helping your hand strikes etc become swifter. Maybe when I am less of a madwoman then.

[Daniel]

The weapons work teaches the student the correct body mechanics and other skills for the various techniques of the art. Also nearly every technique performed with a weapon is designed to be equally as effective when performed without one.

This is also true for Aikido. The most of the empty hand techniques in Aikido were based on weapons movements. Also, it is a good idea to have some train against weapons, especially if you are taking a martial art for self-defense purposes.

I'm really excited, because my dojo just started doing weapons training six days a week. WOO-HOO! Can't make it much this week, but I plan to start going daily starting this Friday.

[Mary]

I wish my dojo was open daily. The most I can afford is three times a week. Josh does show us some techniques to use against weapons - how to disarm someone with a knife (or a broken bottle). It is great when someone lunges at you with a knife (even though it is plastic) and you are able to knock it flying. I realise that it won't always translate that way on the street, but Josh does get us to practise responses to possible real life situations.

[Pim FB]

I've been training Taekwondo for 4-5 years when I was in highschool. Really liked it a lot. Also been doing Pencak Silat a while.
I always wanted to continue with Taekwondo when I started university, but never found a good school.

The past half year I've done some boxing at the university gym, but it was really recreational, and besides that I didnt like it that much.

[jovial_nihilist]

I do Okinowin martial arts, but my style also does a wide range of weapons, including bo, sai, nunchuku, and tonfa. Sorry to say, I don't know any nunchuku katas yet. The first one is taught at 3rd degree black belt and I'm only first. I may learn it sooner with now that school's out coz now I can go to the instructor/manager meetings on monday and wednesday mornings, where we cover all sorts of things from Isshyn ryu (my style) to Capoeira, which is a Brazilian martial art that looks quite remarkably like breakdancing.

Nunchuku are pretty fun, but my personal favorite bo.. Too bad I had to go stab my hand trying to depit an avacado. ( I thik I hit a nerve or something coz I keep getting pain in my wrist and at certain points on my hand). Man, avacados are deadly.