Force and Power of Okinawan Nunchaku

Dai-Shihan Ben Froidevaux, 6th dan and All-Europe 
representative of Seiyo no Shorin-Ryu Karate
Kobudo Kai

With today's unrest, one might consider carrying self-defense weapons, such as nunchaku. Nunchaku can generate tremendous forces when handled by a properly trained martial artist. But, the weapon must have sufficient mass, and the martial artist using nunchaku must be able to rapidly accelerate the tool to develop necessary kinetic energy to cause damage. 

Those who train at the Seiyo Hombu start with foam-rubber chuks during bunkai (self-defense) and kumite (sparring), or some train with DIY magazine-chuks (see link in list under the blog title). But even foam-rubber and magazine chuks can generate considerable force when handled correctly. 

We had a father and daughter combo in our dojo some years ago, and was able to film her (about 7 years old) creaming her dad with foam-chuks. The father ended hopping up and down on one foot, holding the other foot in his hand, after she had smashed his foot without warning with foam chuks, I asked permission to send the video to America's Funniest Home Videos and told him I would divide the winnings with him because we had a winner - but the father refused. 

In Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo, students are taught not to use their karate or kobudo against another except in self-defense, as nunchaku can produce some impressive forces. According to one source, a nunchaku tip of 6.3 ounces, can accelerate to 88 meters/second (282 feet/second) and generate 350 joules of kinetic energy. According to this source, this would equal the energy generated by a bullet fired from a Colt M1911! But, a nunchaku will not penetrate a body, unlike aerial dynamic bullets with high specific gravity. Luckily, few can generate this kind of force with nunchaku.

Nunchaku made from two magazines and tape

Human bones are strong! For instance, a bone can survive a strike of 10,000 joules of kinetic energy (3,700 foot-pounds of force) as long at the strike is perpendicular to the surface. Additionally, most bones are padded with soft tissue to adsorb the impact. But a strike at an angle of less than 15 degrees can potentially fracture a bone with about 375 joules of kinetic energy (277 foot-pounds of force). Keep in mind that each bone in the human body, had different masses and different amounts of padding.

The impact-force of nunchaku depends on the speed of the nunchaku and surface area of impact. The damage to a person depends on how fast that chuk travels, the mass of the chuk, and the surface area the force is applied to. In addition, if the surface is soft, such as a stomach, the flesh will absorb considerable amounts of kinetic energy. But if the surface is a hard (such as a collar bone with little surrounding flesh) the damage will be greater (Hausel, in prep).

The tip of a Colt M1911 bullet has a surface of 25 square-millimeters, thus the impact force is calculated as 350/25 = 14 joules/square-millimeter. But if a nunchaku strikes the same surface, the impact force will be notably less because of the surface area, or size of nunchaku. So, we might end up with about 350/100 = 3.5 joules/square millimeter, or essentially 4 times lower impact force than a bullet (assuming that the striking area of the nunchaku is about 1 square-centimeter (0.15 square-inch)). This is why octagonal nunchaku are more effective than round nunchaku. Because of the geometry of the octagonal chuks, the chance of hitting a target with one of the eight octagonal edges is relatively high, and such a smaller surface area will result in an increase in impact force. 

Nunchaku-jutsu, Seiyo Hombu in Mesa, Arizona

Because of small bone diameters with minimum amounts of soft flesh enclosing finger and hand bones (as well as many nerve endings), fingers and hands provide good striking surfaces. Other targets with little soft tissue include toes, ankles, shins, elbows, collar bones, and the head. But one should always avoid the head, which has areas that could lead to death if struck with nunchaku.

In the following video, Soke Hausel of Seiyo no Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai, demonstrates one of many kata. It is important to learn to handle kobudo weapons, with force, speed and power, but don't try this without proper guidance, as you can easily end up with a serious injury if you strike yourself, or are struck by another person, or receive a strike from a ricochet of nunchaku. And hospitals today, are places to avoid, unless you appreciate violation of constitutional and human rights. 

Hausel, W.D., in prep., Making of a Grandmaster: traditional Okinawan Karate & Koabudo in North America, in preparation.

LEARNING TO USE NUNCHUKS

Ouch, momma mia, thud, whomp, eeeek. Some sounds expressed by real people when learning nunchaku - an Okinawa peasant tool converted into a weapon. Yes, in the old days, it was a pain to learn to use nunchaku, that’s because all nunchaku were hand made from hard wood and chains. But nowadays, this is remedied by foam-rubber chuks, paper chuks, etc. 

It wasn’t until about 1969, that I was introduced to kobudo (5 years after I began training in karate). The first Okinawan weapon I was introduced to was nunchaku. Nunchaku at the time was new in the US, but made very popular by Bruce Lee’s movie Enter the Dragon and also introduced by Sensei Yamashita about the same time. The origin of this weapon/tool is controversial, but thought to be indigenous to Okinawa, with possibilities of originating in China. 

At the time I was introduced to Nunchaku I was a student of geology at the University of Utah. Apparently, no one had thought to make nunchaku out of a material that would not bruise those of us who trained with it. In fact, nunchaku was not available on the market in the US as far as I’m aware, so we typically made our own using two pieces of hard wood, added a crown bolt to the end of the sticks, and attached a short chain between the crown bolts.

So bruises were self induced during kobudo training. Swinging a nunchaku around the head, against ones hip, under the arm, between the legs either made one tough, or quit. Me, I continued to train and periodically negative reinforcement from hitting myself in the shin or elbow began to imprint in my mind that if I wanted to survive kobudo, I had to remember not to bring that stick so close to my shin when swinging downward. Self-preservation kicked in and I seldom hit myself again. But learning nunchaku provided some unique sounds in the dojo when various individuals would strike shins, elbows, groins, and even their heads as each appendage provided a different sound and different response from the person learning to use nunchaku. 

Today, nunchaku is a lot easier to learn. Martial arts supply houses sell padded chucks, and one can even make their own chuks using magazines and/or duct tape. And I still teach nunchaku to my students around the world and at my Arizona Hombu Dojo in Mesa, Arizona. The tool is not as popular as it once was, but it is something that I still love to train with in kata and self-defense applications known as bunkai.

Soke Hausel teaching nunchaku clinic at the University of Wyoming

Training in kobudo at the Arizona Hombu Karate Dojo in Mesa, AZ

Soke Hausel demonstrates applications of nunchaku to members of the Utah Shorin-Kai at an outdoor clinic at the East Canyon resort near Park City, Utah.

Okinawa Nunchaku classes in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa Arizona

The nunchaku is a challenge to learn, but with today's foam chuks, it is easier than in the old days when all we had were
  nunchaku we made ourselves from whatever wood and chain we could find. It resulted in many bruises and in some
practitioners not being able to have children (just kidding). But we mastered the weapon after many bruises. Most people
 today have it easy as they start with foam chuks. The problem with foam chuks is that  they are very cheaply made with a
 breakable plastic cylinder that shatters. Nunchaku was designed as a blocking, striking and grappling weapon that did not
require many release (swinging) strikes. Kata will teach you proper muscle memory, blocks, strikes, etc.

Nunchaku (ヌンチャク,), a traditional karate weapon of kobudo (沖縄古武道), can be found at the Seiyo no Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai Hombu in Mesa Arizona. This traditional karate weapon is taught along with the empty hand of karate as has been the case for karate and kobudo for  centuries on Okinawa. Classes in this Okinawa weapon are taught to all of our adult and family students at the border of Chandler with Gilbert & Mesa Arizona on Kobudo nights at our dojo (martial arts school). Children are also introduced to kobudo weapons as they train with their parents.

Members of the Mesa Karate school (dojo - 道場) and learn to use the nunchaku, not like a twirlers baton seen in many schools where a martial artist is more of a danger to oneself than to others, but instead, students at the Arizona Hombu learn to use this classical kobudo tool as it was intended: a weapon of self-defense along with kata and bunkai.

Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo Kai members can receive certification in this karate weapon after about a year of  training where they learn kihon (基本) (basic blocks, strikes, stances, chokes), several kata (型) (forms) along with bunkai (分解) (practical applications) and kumite (組手) (sparring). One must also come into the dojo with the proper spirit of learning 'Self-Defense' rather than 'Self-Offense', if they want to learn.

Both men and women learn to use the nunchaku at the Hombu dojo. 

Ben attacks with knife only to have it parried by nunchaku during kobudo class

Nunchaku & Kobudo

   

Traditional Okinawa Karate and Kobudo arts along with self-defense and samurai arts, are taught in the east valley of Phoenix at the Arizona Hombu Dojo on the border of Chandler with Gilbert and Mesa.

Nunchaku is a tool used by some Okinawan farmers that was converted into a weapon of self-defense following the ban of bladed weapons on Okinawa by King Shoshin in 1480AD due to his concern over a possible revolt by the people. In the hands of an expert, it was a formable weapon, but in the hands of an amateur, it provided and still provides considerable entertainment.

Tsuki uchi with nunchuks (thrust strike).

Okinawan kobudo is thought of as the ‘ancient, or old, martial way of Okinawa’. Kobudo evolved from kobujutsu, a koryu (old system) that refers to ancient fighting methods of the Okinawan penchin and Japanese samurai. Many people better know these as martial arts weapons. Kobujutsu implies fighting techniques without esoteric value, whereas kobudo has esoteric philosophy. 'Kobu' translates as old and 'jutsu' refers to the techniques or schools of Okinawa pechin class that were equivalent to Japanese samurai. This is unlike kobudo which implies there is philosophical and redeeming values by adding the suffix ‘do’. A word that is periodically used in place of kobujutsu is bukijutsu: 'buki' meaning weapon. Thus bukido would imply some kind of esoteric influence. That esoteric value would manifest itself in kata.



Most non-Asians ignore the semantics between kobudo and kobujutsu and use these words interchangeable as do many martial artists in Arizona. But it is important to understand there is a difference. Both may use the same techniques, but it is in how they employ those techniques that makes a difference. Kobudo uses techniques in kata and emphasizes philosophy and self-improvement of the person and spirit. Each time we practice kobudo kata, there is a subtle reminder of the 'way' or 'path' we seek or the person we would like to become.

We bow (rei) at the beginning of karate and kobudo kata and we bow at the end of kata just as we do at the beginning and ending of our martial arts classes. This emphasizes respect for one another and provides an unspoken contract that we will humble ourselves to learn from our Sensei (martial arts teacher). The more you train in traditional karate & kobudo, bowing stimulates your subconscious telling you to respect, act with good manners, be non-violent, set goals to be a better person, etc, simply because you learn to affiliate these positive thoughts and philosophy with bowing in martial arts.

As budoka (practitioners of the martial way) we must always be aware that the opposite can happen. If you were to train in a dojo (martial arts school) that emphasized negative thoughts, these would sooner or later manifest themselves as negative affirmations in your subconscious. Even though it was just a movie, this is what we saw in the first Karate Kid. Every time martial artists from the Cobra-Kai dojo trained in sport martial arts, they were reminded by their Sensei to win at any cost and “show no mercy”; whereas, Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel-san to associate karate kata and training with positive affirmations.

Gichin Funakoshi pencil sketch by Soke
Hausel

I’ve trained in karate schools that were similar to Cobra-Kai where students were encouraged to fight on the streets to practice martial arts. In Seiyo Kai, this type of activity would get you expelled from our association and lead you down a path that ultimately could end up in your incarceration. This is the one quality anyone should investigate in any dojo prior to training – find out about the philosophy of the dojo and Sensei. This was why Gichin Funakoshi and other Okinawan karate masters of the 20th century so strongly objected to the Japanese turning karate into sport: it provided a strong negative overtone by focusing on winning and attacking, rather than its real purpose – to make us better people. But the old ancient fighting systems (bujutsu) had a different concept behind them, they were designed for one thing, and one thing only: to defeat your enemy on a battlefield – no philosophy required. Ancient bujutsu taught practitioners to attack and kill with little regard to human life. But with evolution of bujutsu to budo, things changed dramatically. To be sure you find a school and instructor with good credentials and a good reputation, we always recommend that you simply type in the name of the martial arts school or the name of the instructor and do a quick websites on Bing and Google. It shouldn't take long to find out if the school is the type of school you would be interested in. Remember, there is a very high percentage of schools with instructors that have no evidence of proper certification let alone any certification other than what they purchased on the internet. But just the opposite will also be found. Many good instructors that have evidence of certification and lineage.

Master Cho, copyright pencil sketch
by Soke Hausel

Today, most traditional martial arts in the world (and Arizona) are a discipline with esoteric benefits for the mind and spirit and physical benefits for the body.

It doesn’t take a genius to see some influence of Buddhism and Shinto in martial arts, but even so, martial arts are not a religion and the influence is philosophical. For example, we do not have to practice martial arts to go to heaven nor we do not have to practice martial arts to be a good person. It’s just a tool to help us become more confident and better members of society. It teaches us valuable lessons in building affirmations (or goal setting). By following a martial arts path, one can improve no matter what their beliefs or practices. Martial arts should complement one’s religion, unless that religion is based on evil. The majority of our students worldwide are Christians as is our Soke (Grandmaster), but our association also has a large number of Mormons, along with some Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and agnostics. Through martial arts, we build positive relationships.

There is another important characteristic of budo that people miss. Budo requires a lifetime commitment. No matter how long you train, there is always more to learn in martial arts. If you earn a black belt, it means nothing if you do not continue to practice. It would be like earning a college degree in engineering and then going to work as a shoe salesman. You may have an engineering degree, but you would really be a shoe salesman rather than an engineer.



Nunchaku kata training in Mesa, Arizona

Kobudo (martial arts weapons) uses agriculture and fishing tools such as: (1) bo (wooden staff), (2) sai (trucheon), (3) tonfa (millstone handles), (4) nunchaku (rice flail), (5) kama (sickle), (6) tekko (knuckle dusters), (7) tinbe-rochin (turtle shell shield & spear), (8) surujin (chain), (9) eku or sunakakebo (oar), (10) tanbo (short staff), (11) kuwa (farmers hoe), (12) nunti (staff with attached sai), (13) sansetkun (3-sectional staff), (14) kobutan or yawara (stick), (15) manrikigusari (weighted chain), (16) hari (fish hook), (17) chizikunbo (fish net handles), (18) gifa (hairpin), (19) ra-ke or kue (rake), (20) utsubo or kudamonbo (threshing flail), (21) shaku kama (pole with attached kama), (22) hanbo (half bo), (23) tanto (knife) (24) nireki, (25) surichin (rope with rocks) (26) tetsubo or kanabo and other tools.

Unlike karate - kobudo was family oriented and developed different kata and techniques derived from various families and/or geographic locations on Okinawa with little interaction from outsiders; whereas karate was developed geographically within three different Okinawa villages – Shuri, Naha and Tomarei. This resulted karate kata affiliated with distinct villages or styles, while kobudo kata either bared the name of a person who developed the kata or the name of the village where it was created. For example, Sakagawa no kun translates as ‘Sakagawa’s bo form’ in probable reference to Tode Sakagawa, one of the early members in the Shorin-Ryu Karate lineage as well as the lineage of Seiyo No Shorin-Ryu Karate Renmei practiced at the Arizona Hombu dojo in Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler just a short distance from Tempe.

One of the kobudo tools or martial arts weapons that remain a mystery is the nunchuku (also spelled nanchaku and nunchaku) and known to many Westerners as nunchuks or numchuks. Its place of origin and how it was developed is a matter of controversy. Did it originate in China (or some other southeast Asian country) and was later introduced to Okinawa: or was it weapon indigenous to Okinawa?

Actually there are several possibilities that include: (1) Chinese weapon, (2) threshing flail, (3) cart rail, and (4) horse bridle.

Even the word nunchuku is subject to controversy. The word may be from China, it may have been from the Japanese pronunciation of a two sectional staff, or it may have been derived from the word used for horse bit or bridle. By combining two Japanese words: nun meaning ‘twin’ and shaku the approximate ‘length of bamboo between two nodes’ (about one foot in length), one ends up with the word nunshaku that is very similar to nunchuku. The word for Okinawan horse bit or bridle is nunchiyaku, also similar to nunchuku. The parts of a nunchaku consist essentially of two short staffs attached by horse hair.

Many suggest a possible origin for nunchuku was modification of a farmer’s threshing tool. The threshing flail consisted of a long stick attached to a smaller stick by horse hair. Threshing tools were once common agricultural tools in farming communities around the world including Okinawa where it was used to separate grain from husks, or rice from stems. A threshing tool once used in Quebec had a handle 5 feet in length with the striking stick about 3 feet in length. Although there are only extremely rare references to use of a threshing flail as a kobudo weapon, it is not hard to imagine farmers, who used this tool 10 to 12 hours a day during harvest, becoming very affective in using it as a weapon without any modification.

Some school teachers train in kobudo at the Arizona Hombu dojo in Mesa. Our dojo has many school teachers and university faculty members because of Soke Hausel's past association with universities, because of the traditional and historical education taught to the members of our school, and
because of the pragmatic approach to self-defense.

A flail could not have been used as nunchuku without modification. Imagine the difficulty swinging a flail around like you would a nunchuku. Thus, if the flail was the origin of nunchuku, it would have to have been modified by cutting one or both sticks to make them equal length.

Horse wearing nunchaku bridal - one of
the more likely origins of this Okinawa
tool.

One variation of nunchuku is a three-sectional tool known as a sansetsukon (or sanchuk). The sanchuk was likely a Chinese weapon introduced to Okinawa. By breaking a link of a sanchuk, either on purpose or by accident, one has a nunchuku. There is a tool used on Okinawa that looks like a sanchuk, it is essentially a cart rail. This was a removable rail which prevented large stacks of cane from slipping off of a flat-bed hand cart.

Another possibility for the origin of this weapon is the Okinawan horse bit or bridle (nunchiyaku). The Okinawan horse bridle has similarities to nunchuku, not only in name, but also in shape. Although the handles are curved rather than straight, in time, such a weapon could have been modified to straight sticks.

A nunchiyaku, or Okinawan horse bridle, consisted to two curved sticks attached by horse hair and placed around the horse’s neck.

Another interesting feature of nunchaku is that this martial arts weapon has no traditional kata like many of the traditional kobudo kata. The bo has more than a dozen traditional kata named after the authors or geographical locations. Many of these are practiced at the Arizona School of Traditional Karate in Mesa and also by members of Seiyo Kai International. It is considered by others that this was due to the lack of popularity of nunchaku in Asian history and it was seldom used in self-defense.

Even so, the nunchuku is a good weapon if used properly. Most techniques are designed similar to karate blocks and strikes with few release strikes; however most nunchaku kata have many release strikes which can be dangerous to the user because of rebound. Another problem with nunchuku is distance. A samurai sword (katana), halberd (naginata) or spear (yari) easily out-reaches the nunchaku. On the other hand, a martial artist who was skilled in nunchaku had the edge on multiple unarmed opponents or against an opponent armed with a knife (tanto). Students learn to use nunchaku in self-defense against armed opponents with knives and guns and unarmed opponents. Our Seiyo Kai International students also learn to use nunchaku against the classical samurai weapons..

A similar weapon to the nunchaku taught at the Arizona Hombu in Mesa is that of sansetsukon - or three sectional staff.