Korean nunchucks are popular now. What are their characteristics?

The exact history of nunchucks cannot be verified, but I will always try to know how things evolved and developed. Nunchucks were originally used as agricultural tools - flails. In the 13th and 14th centuries, a large number of Chinese immigrated to Okinawa, an island near Japan. Okinawa These immigrant Chinese settled in a city called Kumemura. They mastered many kinds of martial arts, one of which was the use of weapons, which they called "nunchucks". The Japanese are very interested in this martial art, and many Japanese people go to the city of Kumemura to learn this attractive self-defense technique. Later, the nunchaku technology was improved by the Japanese to make it suitable for their own martial arts characteristics. At the same time, the name of the nunchaku was also changed. The Japanese call it nunchaku. They also changed the shape of the nunchaku - the Chinese nunchaku is composed of two round wooden sticks and an iron chain, while the Japanese nunchaku is composed of two octagonal wooden sticks and an iron chain. It is made of ropes connected together, and there are several different types of this shape. From 1970 to 1974, there was a craze for Bruce Lee kung fu movies in Europe. The legendary kung fu hero Bruce Lee used this powerful weapon, the nunchaku, in his movies. Bruce Lee With the nunchaku, Bruce Lee was like an invincible machine. The power of such a weapon in his hand was unheard of. Bruce Lee's movies were very successful in almost all European countries, and sports clubs were eager to learn oriental martial arts, especially the nunchaku, which became increasingly popular. The popularity of nunchucks also comes with its downside. People often use nunchucks to fight in the streets, and some people even commit crimes because of it. Children also think holding nunchucks is cool, even though they don't know how to use them. Soon, this Oriental hand-held weapon was regarded by the public as a "strangling stick". This was a completely wrong definition, because this weapon was used for striking, certainly not just for strangulation. Unfortunately this misunderstanding still exists today. The Dutch government investigated the origins and history of the nunchaku, but at that time the Dutch Martial Arts Federation (comprised of judo, karate and taekwondo) came up with the wrong idea: the nunchaku was an aggressive weapon. Therefore, the Dutch do not recognize nunchaku as an oriental martial art. The nunchaku was banned by law and was relegated to inferior weapons such as sticks and knives. At that time practicing nunchaku was simply out of the question, even for those serious about karate (in fact nunchucks are the traditional weapon of karate). Fortunately, that has changed since Milco Lambrecht from Amstelveen won a major knight martial arts competition organized by Zendokan magazine - because nunchuck technique was the main factor in Milco Lambrecht's victory. Since then, organizations dedicated to practicing nunchaku have been established. Milco Lambrecht recruited several nunchaku masters from all over the country to study how to hold a nunchaku competition. Soon, everyone had an idea: to develop an official and independent nunchaku sport. In 1985, Mr. Lambrecht invented a plastic foam nunchuck called the "Safety Nunchaku." With this kind of safety nunchaku, it is possible to organize nunchaku competitions. Special clothing, helmets, competition rules and graduation standards are also available, and the nunchaku sport finally shows its prominence. Partly because of commentator Ohn Haanen's support, the sport of nunchaku has grown rapidly. Nunchuck coaches are trained and martial arts competitions are organized in various places. In 1987, the Netherlands Nunchaku Base (SNN) was established. This organization was recognized by the NSF in 1990 and agreed to join the Oriental Martial Arts Federation (FOG). The yellow-black safety nunchucks are the only nunchucks allowed by SNN, and the use of other nunchakus is prohibited; SNN's safety nunchucks are also the only nunchakus recognized by justice organizations and prosecutors. The nunchuck movement started in 1984 and is now a martial art recognized by the country. The nunchaku is no longer an aggressive weapon used by street criminals.

In 1996, the World Nunchuck Association (WNA) was finally established, and 12 countries around the world joined this organization. Note: My English level is very limited, and there are many special nouns in the article, so the translation may not be very accurate. The translation is basically based on the original text, which is a bit stiff and laughable. 2. China Theory The following is an article by Ma Mingda, which I think is reasonable and well-founded. From "flail stick" to "two-knot stick" When I was young, the flail stick used to be a common weapon in martial arts arenas, but now it is no longer seen. It has long disappeared from the government-run "competitive martial arts" . I remember that in the early 1980s, during an amateur martial arts performance in Lanzhou City, Yongdeng County farmer Li Mingxian practiced a set of flail sticks. At that time, this was already a very rare instrument. Li practiced the long-handled flail, and his skills were good. The flail jingled and struck loudly, attracting people's attention. At that time, someone asked me, who was hosting the performance, "Isn't the flail a farm tool? How did it become a martial arts instrument?" To answer this question, I wrote a short article in Gansu Daily, briefly introducing the history of the flail, and also Let me tell readers that many ancient weapons were transformed from agricultural tools, and the flail stick is a typical example of this type of weapon. After the government-run martial arts unified the martial arts for decades, many precious contents of traditional martial arts gradually disappeared and no longer existed. Although some of them can be seen occasionally, they are inevitably out of shape and become "dancing". Not long ago, I asked a friend who is familiar with folk martial arts in the northwest, whether there are still people practicing flail in rural Gansu, where martial arts is very popular? The answer was "I don't know, I haven't seen it in many years." In fact, the flail stick is a martial arts instrument with a long history and rich cultural connotations. It is not only worthy of preservation, but also worthy of our in-depth study of its origins. . Scholars from the Southern Song Dynasty and Zhao Yi from the Qing Dynasty have paid attention to it, and we have provided some traces. As a farm tool for threshing wheat, the flail appeared very early in our country, at least in the Spring and Autumn Period. "Guoyu" Volume 6 "Qi Yu" records that Guan Zhong said to Qi Huan Gong: "Order the farmers to gather in groups in the state to observe the four seasons, and use the power to control their use, such as hoe, shackles, and yoke." Wei Zhao's "Notes on the Three Kingdoms" " said: "The yoke is a whisk, so it hits the grass." "The Biography of Wang Mang" in Volume 100 of "Hanshu" says: "The west contains the whisk, and the north contains the whisk." "Notes" written by Shigu of the Tang Dynasty said: "The sound of the whisk is the sound of the Buddha, so Those who manage crops are now called Lianjia. It can be seen that the name "Lianjia" appeared before the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, this kind of agricultural tool was put to use by military strategists as a weapon to defend the city. Du You's "Tongdian" Volume 152 "Bing Wu·Shou Jie Fa" once mentioned its function in defending the city: "A flail, like a flail for beating crops, is used to beat the enemies outside the wall." This simple dozen or so This word tells us that the flail used as a weapon is not directly taken from a farm tool, but is specially made. It looks like a flail, but it must be heavier and stronger than a farmer's flail, otherwise it will not have enough lethality. The Song Dynasty was a dynasty where flails became popular. Not only were they still used to defend cities, but they also became a very important horse weapon. Let’s talk about defending the city first. "Wu Jing Zong Yao, Part 1, Defending the City" contains: "If more and more people climb the city, they will be beaten with mace iron claps; if their hands gradually climb the city, they will be hit with flail sticks." In the early Southern Song Dynasty, Chen Gui used his own experience to The experience was written in the book "City Shou Yu Lu", and in Volume 3 "De'an Shou Yu Lu" he wrote: "The people on the city used bricks and stones, as well as sword sticks, spears, and bows and crossbows to refuse to retreat." "Lian Jiao Stick" should be It is a variation of "flail stick". From the two examples cited above, it is easy to see that the flail was used to defend the city in the Song Dynasty, which was inherited from the Tang Dynasty. Its main function was to deal with enemy soldiers who had climbed to the top of the city - to use the structural characteristics of the flail to attack the enemy's exposed The hands and heads of the crenellations. The flails used by cavalry belong to the category of short soldiers, and some are made entirely of iron. As Zhou Mi in the Southern Song Dynasty said, "It is also made of iron, which is convenient for short soldiers." Some are made of wood and wrapped with iron sheets, or added with iron hoops. . "Wu Jing Zong Yao·First Collection·Illustrations of Utensils" has its diagram, and there is also a paragraph introducing it: "The iron chain clamp rod originally came from Xirong, and was used immediately to attack the Han infantry. It looks like a farmer threshing wheat. The flails were decorated with iron to facilitate hitting them from above, so the Han soldiers were more skillful in using them than the Rong people." The so-called "Xirong" should refer to the Xixia people who had long been in confrontation with the Northern Song Dynasty.

Since the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, ethnic minorities in the north and northwest, such as the Khitan, Jurchen, Xixia, etc., like to use iron striking weapons in mounted combat, such as iron whips, iron slips, iron vertebrae, and iron chain vertebrae. , iron chain rods, etc. This is of course related to the fact that ethnic minorities are good at riding and fighting. Making full use of the impact of galloping war horses, exerting excellent riding skills, and using heavy weapons to attack the Han troops wearing high-quality armor, especially "shooting from above" to attack the infantry, are the technical advantages of ethnic minorities in combat. That's why the famous joke "The Kingdom of Jin has a knocking stick, but our country has a Tianling Gai" came about in the early Southern Song Dynasty. The Song army, which had been fighting against ethnic minorities for a long time, could not help but notice the advantages of the other party. Therefore, it vigorously developed cavalry and adopted horse-mounted striking weapons, which became a prominent feature of the Song Dynasty's armaments. The "Iron Chain Clamping Rod" learned from "Xirong" is a good example. The flail, which was used as a city defense weapon by the Han people, was transformed and used by the ethnic minorities and became a short-term combat weapon of the cavalry. It was then transferred to the Han Dynasty and adopted by the Central Plains dynasty. Moreover, "the Han soldiers were more skillful in using them than the Rong people." "This process of communication between you and me vividly reflects that multi-ethnic cultural exchanges played a very important role in the formation and development of my country's ancient martial arts system. "Wu Jing Zong Yao" is the official military manual of the Northern Song Dynasty. The weapons contained in it are all the basic equipment of the Northern Song army. It can be seen that the iron chain clamp rod is also one of the conventional weapons of the Song army. Ancient military weapons were generally produced and managed by the government, with certain production standards and a very strict system. In the first year of Qingli in the Northern Song Dynasty (1041), the famous general Han Qi formulated the weight specifications and martial arts examination methods for various mounted iron soldiers, stipulating: "Iron whips, iron slips, sticks, double swords, big axes, flails, etc. on horses are one method. Each two sticks weighs ten kilograms and so on, but the left and right ones are the ones with the best strength. "Same as iron whips and iron slips, there should be single and double flails. This is not reflected in "Wu Jing Zong Yao". A little, but this can be inferred from the double whips, double slips, and double swords that were common in the Song Dynasty, and can also be confirmed by the double flail sticks of the later Qing Dynasty. Two flails weigh ten kilograms together, and one flail weighs about five kilograms. The weight standard in the Song Dynasty was slightly higher than that in modern times. Five kilograms is about six kilograms today. It should be said that this portion is very moderate. Although the weapons used by some people with extraordinary physical strength greatly exceed this weight standard, this is a very individual phenomenon after all and is not universal.