Bruce Lee and The Nunchakus in Martial Arts: Making Them Dangerous
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Before friend and fellow student Dan Inosanto introduced the late martial artist Bruce Lee in 1964 to nunchucks or ‘chain sticks’, Lee had no interest in them and thought nothing of them. By the time the movie ‘Game of Death’ had been released posthumously, Bruce Lee had succeeded introducing nunchakus into martial arts equipment as standard vogue in his movies to critical notoriety. Indeed, Lee’s self-taught still in using them had lethal affect, causing possession of the nunchakus (outside of professional martial arts schools) to be banned in many countries. Nunchakus can be made of styrofoam (for practice), metal, plastic or fiberglass.
Bruce Lee Nunchaku Highlights on YouTube (includes Double Nunchuck Scene)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cqzOo6B0Ic
Bruce Lee Historical Martial Arts Films featured (7:36 Film Action Highlights): Chinese Connection, Return of the Dragon, Enter The Dragon, Game of Death
A traditional weapon of Okinawan nobles most widely used in Okinawan kobudo or Japanese karate, nunchucks are an excellent training weapon to improve poster and quicker hand movements. Today the North American Nunchaku Association, the World Amateur Nunchaku Association, the World Nunchaku Association, and International Techdo Ninchaku Assoiciation promote the nunchucks as a recognized contact sport.
Use of nunchaku variations includes: colored lights in the ball bearing; fluorescent tape on the nunchucks; bleeder nunchucks with sharp or dull razor blades; sharper nunchucks, with have nails sticking out; nunchucks with metal braches containing a concealed blade at the end of each branch; telescopic nunchucks, with retractable metal sticks; speedcord lightweight freestyle demonstration nunchucks, sometimes containing neon; and penchaku nunchucks, with a modified anatomy of longer sticks and a shorter cord for artistic performances, colorful and sometimes made to be fluorescent but of a different type than standard nunchucks already mentioned.
Nunchakus are illegal in Arizona, New York, Massachusetts and California. The New York statute states they must be primarily designed as a weapon, which would tend to exclude the foam-padded variety based on this wording.
Washington D.C. allows nunchakus only for martial arts tournaments or demonstrations. Kentucky requires a permit under its concealed weapons laws. In the state of California, exception is made for professional martial arts schools and practitioners. In Australia, nunchaku possession is legal with an individual state permit. Nunchakus are illegal in Norway, Canada unless you have a martial arts weapon license, and foam is allowed), Russia, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, the Ukraine, Poland (foam allowed) , Lithuania, Romania and Spain. Public possession is illegal in the United Kingdom except for transport to places of training and private addresses. Nunchakus of the telescopic handle type were banned in the United Kingdom by court ruling in 2010. In Hong Kong metal or wooden nunchakus connected by a chain are illegal by all but martial arts instructors granted a special police license, but rubber nunchaku are legal. Lebanon requires a martial arts club ID for possession of chrome and foam nunchakus.
In contrast, possession of nunchaku such countries as Austria, Israel, Japan and Mainland China is perfectly legal. A full description of where nunchakus are legal or not, and the conditions applying to each jurisdiction, can be found online at http://nunchakututorials.com/is-nunchaku-legal-in-my-country/
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