Basic holding methods of nunchucks
Mastering and understanding the various correct ways to hold nunchucks is the basic technique that practitioners should first learn. Since the nunchakus generate huge energy during high-speed dancing and collision, the nunchakus must be firmly grasped during whipping to ensure the coherence and effectiveness of the offensive and defensive movements. The worst thing that can happen when using nunchucks is that you don't have a strong grip and fall out of your hands. This may injure your companions during training, but in actual combat, you will be extremely passive. Therefore, you must pay great attention to how you hold the sticks. Practitioners must be able to control the nunchaku at any time, but they must not be rigid. In other words, you should always pay attention to relaxing and tightening the hand holding the stick according to the needs of actual attack and defense. The thumb and index finger must be firmly grasped on the nunchaku, and the other three fingers play a supporting role and are placed with the index finger. one side. Important: The nunchaku must be grasped firmly, but relaxed a little to maintain endurance in the arms.
To hold the stick loosely, that is, hold the front end of the stick with your thumb and index finger (tiger's mouth) without applying too much force, and keep the other three fingers attached to the stick body.
Key points and uses: Loose grip does not mean that there is no use of force at all. In the loose grip state, the flexibility of the wrist joint can be fully utilized to make the nunchuck rotate quickly. Looseness is also the basis for generating explosive strike force. Holding the stick firmly at the moment it reaches the target can double the strike force. The pros and cons of a tight grip and a loose grip can be compared by those who practice it.
Pinch the stick with your thumb, hold the stick with your thumb and palm, release the other four fingers, and experience how to use force to prevent the stick from loosening.
Key points and uses: The thumb should be strong enough to hold the stick tightly and swing it to check your control. This action is of great practical significance. In self-defense, after taking out the stick, clamp the stick with one finger and release the other stick to attack the enemy. If the stick is not firmly clamped, the stick will be released. This action is used to collect and release the stick.
The sliding stick is based on loosely gripping the stick and sliding back and forth after holding the stick.
Practical use: Sliding forward is good for hitting enemies at close range; sliding back is good for attacking enemies far away. It seems that there is no skill in holding a stick, as long as you hold it tightly, but you only know that those who hold the stick with a tight grip must be slow, changeless, clumsy and stiff. Once you master the skills, the whole style will change. Therefore, mastering the above simple tricks is also Not to be ignored. In addition to mastering the previous skills, you should also understand and master the commonly used methods of holding the upper, middle, and lower parts of the nunchaku in the forward and reverse positions, stacking the nunchaku with one hand, and holding the nunchaku with both hands. Beginners are suitable to hold the middle part.
The main rebound parts and the method of catching the stick
In Jeet Kune Do, once the offensive is launched, it is emphasized to take advantage of the situation and attack continuously, striving to quickly destroy the opponent without losing any strength. Give the opponent any chance to regain their ability to counterattack, and the same goes for using the nunchaku. How to ensure a coherent and effective offensive in actual combat? The key is to cleverly use the rebound of the body parts and the hands to take advantage of the situation and change the handle to achieve it. This section introduces you to the main rebound parts of the nunchaku and the method of connecting the stick.
1. Main rebound parts
The various movement routes of the nunchaku can be reversible and freely continuous. When the momentum is about to be exhausted with one move, use body parts to This can be easily accomplished by the rebound of the free stick (the stick used in the nunchuck movement), plus the force of the hand holding the stick back to the main stick (the stick held by the hand), or the force of turning the wrist in the target direction. To start and accelerate the second movement, the main rebound parts of the nunchaku are: shoulders, upper arms, waist, inner thighs, and soles of the feet. When many beginners learn the whipping technique of using free sticks to rebound parts of the body, they often shrink their hands and feet out of fear of being injured by the sticks, and fail to do so. Instead, they are often injured by the sticks. In fact, although the speed of the free stick is fast at the beginning of the swing, due to the main stick being fixed when it moves to the appropriate position, and the subtle retraction of the wrist, the lethality of the free stick is only from the starting point to braking with the main stick. When a straight line is formed, the area covered by the arc will have the greatest effect. At this time, the explosive force of the nunchuck's whip will be all concentrated on the end of the stick. After that, the free stick will be the end of the crossbow, and it will no longer be enough when it reaches the rebound position. Injure or even hurt yourself. Beginners only need to follow the technical essentials accurately and ensure that they are correct, and they can quickly master the rebound technique and draw the stick continuously. This article only introduces the five basic rebound parts, which are not fixed. Because the same rebound part can be used on the same side or on the opposite side, or the posture can be changed to form different rebound angles to match the movements. After mastering the basic skills, practitioners can draw inferences based on their own experience and basic principles. Design and flexible use, free and efficient play, this unique feature is also the same in learning other martial arts, and will not be pointed out one by one.
2. The main method of catching the stick
The method of catching the stick in front of the body (midline): The stick-catching hand bends the elbow and spreads the palm (palm upward) to catch the stick at the midline of the front of the body.
How to catch the stick on the side of the body (under the armpit): The stick-catching hand bends the elbow and crosses the body, and catches the stick with the palm of the arm under the armpit on the opposite side of the body (the fingertips point to the side, and the heart of the applause is backward). Note: The palms should be relaxed and slightly included. The entire palm should form a flat surface on the side of the body and should be placed on the path that the free stick must pass. The thumb should be raised upward or pointed to the side, rather than pointing backward (that is, in the direction from which the free stick came, to avoid being bruised by the free stick and causing failure to catch the stick). In addition, in order to ensure accurate stick connection, the control of the main stick by the stick-holding hand cannot be ignored. Practitioners must adjust the flexion angle of the stick-holding elbow according to the chain length and stick length.
The most appropriate flexion angle should be to ensure that the upper part of the free stick (that is, the part close to the chain) contacts the rebound part (outside of the upper arm), rather than the connecting chain. Because this can buffer the force of the free stick, and also help the free stick rebound quickly to connect to the next movement.
The method of catching the stick behind the body: the stick-receiving hand holds the palm up behind the body, with the palm facing backward, the fingertips facing the ground vertically, and the thumb facing the waist. Be careful not to point the thumb backward, and do not overdo the stick-receiving hand. Stretch back and should not be too close or too far away from the body. Keep it close and natural.
How to catch the stick on the side of the body (spread your palms): Bend your elbow on the side of your hand to catch the stick (the forearm is parallel to the ground) and spread your palms to catch the stick.
How to catch the stick on the midline behind the back: Bend the elbow and open the palm of the hand to catch the stick. It is required that the palm of the hand faces back, the fingertips face to the side, and the thumb faces upward (the thumb tip must not be backwards) ), place your palm lightly against your back, and also pay attention to the degree of elbow flexion of the hand holding the stick.
The method of catching the stick with your palms down: Bend your elbows on your side and bend your palms (palms downward) to catch the stick.
The method of catching a stick on the head: the catching hand bends the elbow and raises the palm upward (palm facing forward, fingertips pointing up, thumb pointing to the side), and catches the free stick flying horizontally at the same height. The stick-taking method is rarely used.
One-handed stick catching method: a method of catching free sticks with one hand folded and stacked. Including two methods of catching the free stick from top down or bottom up. When required to catch the stick, only hold the main stick with your thumbs and palms, and use the other four fingers to catch the free stick. This stick catching method requires high wrist torque and finger flexibility.
Hold the stick under the armpit method: This method is very special. Instead of holding the stick with your hands, you hold the stick under the armpit. There are more opportunities to use it. Its success depends on the directional control action of turning the wrist of the main stick inward and bending the elbow outward. It will determine the accurate movement route of the free stick and the accurate timing of clamping the stick on the inside of the upper arm. All you need to do is take advantage of the situation naturally. This is not difficult to do. With a little practice, you can use it freely. When I first learned it, it only took half a minute to master it.
The actual combat posture of the nunchaku
In the stick-holding position, bend the elbow of the front hand (the angle is less than 90 degrees) to hold the main stick, and retract the free stick to the armpit on the same side. After clamping the inner side of the upper arm, the back hand becomes a palm as a guard, ready to attack or defend at any time. This posture is an action for closing the stick and a good posture for striking out.
In the bow-drawing position, turn sideways towards the enemy, use the stick in your front hand to face the enemy, with the stick body level with the nose or chin, and the back hand holds the other stick behind you in the bow-drawing position.
In the stick-carrying position, face the enemy sideways, hold the stick in your front hand and bend your elbow to the side of your head, over your shoulders, and let the stick hang free, leaning behind your shoulders, ready to reach over your head to chop down the stick or whip it.
In the back-around position, face the enemy sideways, bend your elbow with your front hand and hold the main stick across your body on the other side, hold the free stick behind you and pull it behind your buttocks, ready to whip across a wide area at any time. Forward strike. This style is more concealed when attacking.
The back-sword pose is similar to the stick-carrying pose, except that the front hand holds the stick and hangs it over the shoulder. When holding the other stick, the back hand bends the elbow and crosses the body to lightly hold the hanging stick on the opposite side. This position can Attack from above or from below at any time. The upper stick can also hang with another stick hanging from the side of the upper arm. That is, when the upper stick bends the elbow and raises it back, the lower stick and the stick chain can be placed over the shoulder on the outside of the upper arm, depending on the length of the stick chain and your own needs. Certainly.
Hanging stick posture, the back hand or front hand slightly bends the elbow to hold the main stick and naturally hangs down the free stick at the side of the body, so that you can chop and sweep the whip stick at any time.
Hidden stick style, this style is highly concealed. Hold two sticks with both hands and place them behind your waist to respond to the enemy. This style can hold the sticks in the front, backward, or hold the double sticks horizontally behind the waist. You can also hold the nunchucks vertically and hide them behind your hips so that the opponent cannot see the nunchucks.
In the stacked stick position, the two sticks are held in the front hands, and the tips of the sticks are pointed at the opponent to respond to the enemy. Just like the front hand fists are pointed at the opponent in unarmed fighting, the double sticks can also be held downward to respond to the enemy.
In the L-shaped position, the front hand holds the upper handle of a stick close to the chain, pointing outwards with the lower part of the stick slightly tilted, and the back hand bends the elbow and crosses the body to hold the other stick in front of the ribs on the opposite side.
In the high-drawing bow position, the basic way of holding the stick is the same as the bow-drawing position. The only difference is that both hands are raised at the same time. The front hand stick is slightly tilted inward, and the top of the front hand stick and the back hand stick are flush with the top of the head. This style is convenient for holding the stick in either hand to attack or whip the stick in any direction to defend, and it can also be used to block attacks by dancing flowers above the head.
In the vertical figure eight position, both hands hold the stick in a vertical figure eight shape and point it at the opponent. It can be changed into a backhand inverted figure eight shape.
The changeable actual combat postures can make the opponent confused about the rules, because the attack can often penetrate into the opponent's defense circle from the opponent's blind spot, causing the opponent to be hit before he can react. They could not predict attacks from multiple directions and angles. At the same time, analyze and imagine the various application possibilities of each stick-holding posture. Practice makes perfect, and if you have a well-thought-out plan, you will definitely show your power in practical applications!
Basic Technique: Sweeping Stick
Sweeping Stick is the most practical stick technique like splitting sticks. It is suitable for large-area attacks and can hit front, back, left, right, and back. The stick technique, which can be used in different directions such as up and down, and for any target, is especially commonly used to escape from siege in group battles.
1. Action essentials: 1) Start pulling the stick with both hands. While releasing your left hand, hold the stick tightly with your right hand, push your left foot on the ground, and use the power of turning your waist to turn your right hand outwards and your wrist to the right. Swipe the target. The rebound site is in the upper part of the right arm or the right upper back. 2) Starting from the back stick position, pull the stick forward with your right hand and sweep it from the front of the body to the left side of the body and the upper left side of the head. When it reaches the right side of the body, it turns to the left waist and sweeps. The rebound part is at the back waist.
2. When doing the sweeping action of the stick, it should be noted that the strength of the hand holding the stick should be very strong, so that the stick will not be released due to excessive force.
3. Before taking action, estimate the distance between yourself and the target you want to hit. When holding a stick to perform a swinging action, it is best to use the rotational force of the waist to drive the stick to hit the target. However, using waist strength to sweep the stick will cause the body to temporarily lose balance. Therefore, when practicing, you must consciously strengthen the flexibility of the footwork and the stability of the foundation, and consciously strengthen the control of the body. Only in this way, with skilled footwork and body skills, can it be possible to fully utilize the powerful power of this stick technique.
4. When practicing stick technique, you must pay attention to its strength, speed, and invincible lethality. The key is to consciously strengthen penetration and cultivate the idea of ??destruction during daily practice.
5. The footwork coordination mainly includes the upper step, the jump step and the interposition step. Examples are as follows:
1) The enemy swiped my head, I ducked down and hit the enemy's face or ribs with my backhand swipe stick.
2) I put my right foot forward, feinted twice with my right hand to attack the enemy's head, then turned left and back, and hit the enemy's calf with my left hand sweep stick.
Basic Technique of Splitting Sticks
Splitting sticks is the most commonly used stick technique in nunchuck technology, and it is also the safest stick technique, because splitting, Especially the small armpit chops can be quickly restored after being struck, and at the same time, they can be quickly and directly connected to a variety of other techniques. The small movement of the armpit splitting stick is fast and tricky, not very lethal, but it can be used as the best stick method for postal shooting, and it can also effectively intercept the opponent's attack.
The stick player should practice this stick technique to a comfortable level.
1. Technical essentials: Be prepared to confront the enemy. Before striking the target, the stick player should first adjust his body shape, footwork and breathing to facilitate the best possible state of the stick. Push the ground with your back foot slightly, twist your waist and shoulders, and move your elbows straight forward at the same time. Depending on the alert position, you can turn your wrist accordingly. The sound will make the stick strike out quickly. After hitting the target, your wrist will quickly turn and pull back. All actions should be completed simultaneously in an instant, the faster the better.
2. Footwork coordination;
(1) Example of sliding attack:
The enemy and we are facing each other, I feint with my left hand, when the enemy is distracted Or when I want to attack me, I slide forward quickly, and at the same time, I use force to suddenly draw out the stick and hit the enemy's armed arm or head.
(2) Example of retreating interception: The enemy and we are facing each other. The enemy quickly steps up and hits me on the head with a short stick. I should stay calm, step back slightly and hit the end of his stick diagonally, and then quickly move forward. Take a step forward and strike the enemy in the face. The angle and timing of the splitting stick should be well grasped, the counterattack should be coherent, there should be no obvious pause in the middle, and the entire movement should be completed in one go. We must enter the enemy's midst boldly, quickly and forcefully.
(3) Side dodge counterattack: The enemy slashes me on the head, I sidestep to avoid the tip of his stick, Su Qin carries his sword and uses his stick to slash the enemy's head and neck.
3. Techniques:
1) The stick must be drawn suddenly, with the help of turning the waist and shaking the wrist to concentrate all the strength of the whole body on the end of the stick.
2) If the forehand splitting stick misses, we can use the small adjustment of the steps to stabilize the center of gravity without returning the stick, and at the same time hit the target with the backhand splitting stick.
3) When practicing, you can start at a slow speed. After the chop, you must quickly return the stick to a prepared posture to facilitate the next movement. Then practice moving the chopping stick, moving forward, retreating, side-stepping and counterattacking to use the stick to achieve speed, accuracy and power.
4) Try to balance the left and right hands. You can practice the hand that is not often used first to achieve the state of left and right freedom.
5) Learn to pronounce correctly. It should be a natural burst of Dantian energy, not a shout from the throat. When all the strength of the whole body is concentrated on the end of the stick, the sound should be accompanied by the conviction to penetrate and destroy the target.
Appendix: (Training)
What are the methods of practicing the two-section stick, what should be paid attention to when practicing, and what kind of exercises should be used for beginners or more skilled people to be more effective Effects, etc., the answers are as follows:
1. Various practice methods
The practice methods of the two-section stick are the same as those of other sports, and some are different. The different ones include preparatory exercises, finishing exercises, soft exercises, strengthening exercises, etc.
(1) Preparation exercises Before the main movement, various exercises corresponding to the main movement are done to prepare the body for the main movement. Routines can be compiled based on the technical characteristics of the Nunchaku.
(2) Organizing exercises After completing the two-section stick exercise, you should do some relaxing exercises to recover as soon as possible and eliminate fatigue.
(3) Flexibility exercises are generally based on flexibility gymnastics. It varies from person to person. Doing calisthenics alone will have good results.
(4) Strengthening exercises are exercises to make the weaker parts of the body or the whole body stronger. There are various parts that should be strengthened, such as arms, feet, back muscles, and abdominal muscles. But most people's whole body development is relatively balanced. Therefore, the reinforcement should not be targeted at a specific part, but should be used to strengthen the whole body.
But when doing auxiliary strengthening exercises, the load should not be too large and should be done gradually. The selected exercises must be combined with the technical characteristics and movement structure of the Nunchaku to achieve the real effect of strengthening.
2. Basic practice methods
(1) Swing (space chop practice)
Understand the posture and body movement of this movement while striking the space and hitting method. After you become proficient, if you have an opponent, sincerely do bold exercises.
(2) Practice with a small stick (replacing a two-section stick) and someone wearing protective gear as your opponent
This practice can be said to be the best method in hitting practice. Because it is closest to actual combat. Through repeated practice, you can learn the practical essence of the two-section stick, such as distance, opportunity, timing, consistency of the air stick body, etc.
(3) Restraint Exercise
Restraint exercise is a certain degree of control exercise performed by both the offensive and defensive sides in advance. The defender should carefully coordinate the attack with the attacker, while the attacker should practice correct hitting. During practice, always reflect and review. What tactics should you use? Why? How? Only after you understand its meaning can you practice. Mechanical repetition is just the movement of the body, not the two-judge stick method.
(4) Comprehensive exercises
Functional exercises that are performed according to circumstances without prior constraints are called comprehensive exercises. Including impact training, equal training, actual combat training, etc.
1. Impact training:
Impact training is to attack when you find a gap on the defensive side. When there is no gap, attack to make a gap and then attack. If you are dodged, Or hold on, seize the changes and then attack, and continue fiercely like this. It's similar to the striking drills for restraint exercises, but slightly different. Restraint training is a practice of hitting a predetermined part or a part in the direction of the defender's dodge. This hitting practice is upgraded to impact training, which is a more advanced practice method. This impact training is the best practice method for learning body movement, posture, judging distance, looking for opportunities, and understanding the opponent's psychology, etc. Beginners should spend more time on hitting training and impact training.
Things to note during impact training:
(1) Correct posture when attacking. Impact training is one of the toughest exercises. It is the most physically demanding exercise and can easily lead to fatigue. The most important thing is persistence. No matter how difficult it is, he still attacks the vital parts of the imaginary enemy's body with his correct posture.
(2) Try your best in a short time. Impact training is the best exercise for exerting all your strength in a short period of time. Don't do it all the time. If you really feel tired, stop and continue practicing after taking a rest. But in order to exercise their endurance, they also do long-term impact training.
(3) Use various skills. Corresponding to the opponent's changes, use various attack skills to hit it. Make every attack an effective and correct blow.
2. Equal grid training
Equal grid training is the most common training method among the two-section stick training methods. Equivalency training is an actual combat training in which two people hold light sticks equal to the length of the two-section stick and use all their skills to attack, avoid, and parry each other with all their strength. You can test whether you have truly mastered the two-section stick technique. Equatorial training is an exercise with no distinction between upper and lower.
(1) Practice with all your strength and don’t relax. The closer to actual combat, the better. Special attention should be paid to the unity of attack and spirit, and when performing skills, one must strike completely and correctly.
(2) Both sides must seize the opportunity to perform all-out offensive and defensive training at the highest level. Acquire superb and proficient skills in actual combat.
3. Practical combat training
(1) The biggest feature of practical training is the determination to subdue the enemy in consciousness, and there should be no thought of failure. You must think of countermeasures based on the skills you have learned and mastered, use various methods to discover the opponent's weaknesses, or cause loopholes in the opponent, and use your favorite attack skills to effectively attack.
(2) During actual combat training, attention should be paid to maintaining a normal mental state. The ancients said: "The mind of the art of war is the ordinary mind, and the ordinary mind is the mind of the art of war; the body of the art of war is the ordinary body, and the ordinary body is the body of the art of war." This saying can be explained as it is very difficult and necessary to maintain a normal mental state in actual combat.
(3) Understand your own strengths and weaknesses. Only by knowing yourself and the other party can you achieve the true goal of "knowing and knowing the enemy and winning every battle"
(4) Pay attention to the distance. In actual combat, distance is very important. We cannot allow the opponent to obtain a suitable distance, and it will be beneficial for me to obtain a suitable distance. But at first, the confrontation was from a distance, and only after everything was ready did he enter the striking distance.
(5) Don’t stick to attack postures or forms, use them flexibly. Feel free to fight with each other.
(6) Always stay on the offensive. Always maintain an attacking stance for a thorough fight. "Attack is the greatest defense", this saying is also applicable to Nunchakudo. Only by continuing to attack and win with all your strength can you achieve the state of truth, goodness and beauty. When knowledge, virtue, and physical strength are integrated, Nunchaku can achieve perfect victory technically and spiritually.
4. Special training
Special training is training under certain special conditions. For example:
(1) Cold training. Choose the coldest period of the year to train, and in principle do it in the morning. It can be said that training is carried out during the coldest period. The biggest purpose of cold training is to practice under harsh conditions to hone your abilities.
(2) Hot summer training. During hot summer training, you need to be determined. If you organize the practice of stick skills into a set, you can get considerable results. The weather is hot and the mood is easy to relax. The training should be planned well so that the training will not be blind and lose interest. It is easy to get sick during training in the hot summer. Fever, absence of consciousness, cramps, diarrhea, etc. often occur, mostly due to poor planning, lack of sleep, overeating, malnutrition, etc. Therefore, we should pay more attention to rest and nutrition.
(3) Observe training.
Observation training means visiting other people’s Nunchaku techniques to learn them. Observation is not limited to two-section sticks. After you have a high level of observation ability, you should often read other books on art and skills, and then improve your own shortcomings.