Ninja were highly trained warriors of feudal Japan. Ninjas executed covert and dangerous missions, such as assassinations and espionage. They were well-known for their precision, skill, and use of weapons. Ninja weapons were typically weapons that would be easily carried and concealed, allowing the ninja to stealthily target and attack an opponent.
A popular weapon for participants of ninja training today is the nunchaku. Ninja nunchaku are two sticks connected by a rope or chain. It is possible that the first nunchaku were used in the rice and soybean fields of ancient Asia. Used as a thresher, the nunchaku could have been used to separate the grain and husk of rice and soybeans. The original nunchaku and those used in later years as weapons were made of wood, and the two sticks were connected by a horse hair rope. The wooden sticks were covered in mud for several years. This hardened the wood and prevented the wood from rotting.
Today, ninja nunchaku are made from a variety of materials, including wood, metal, fiberglass and plastic. The connecting cord is can be made of nylon, rope, or a metal chain. The sticks of these ninja weapons can have a cross-section that is round or octagonal. The octagonal-shaped sticks can cause greater injury to an opponent than the round-shaped sticks. Both sticks are usually of the same length.
Ninja nunchaku need to be the proper length for the user. The nunchaku sticks should be the length of the user’s forearm. When the cord of the ninja nunchaku is laid across the palm of the user’s hand, the two sticks should hang comfortably from the hand and be in a position that is perpendicular to the floor. It is essential that these ninja weapons are balanced. The cheaper ninja nunchaku that are available today may not be properly balanced. Precise balance of the ninja nunchaku allows the user to perform more fluid moves. Advanced nunchaku movements are not possible with improperly balanced nunchaku.
Ninjas were known to employ fighting techniques that allowed them to be within a close range of the opponent. Ninja nunchaku can be concealed by the user and then quickly taken out and used for the attack. The average length of nunchaku is twelve inches. Mini nunchaku, or mini chucks, are about eight inches in length and be concealed more easily than the typical nunchaku. Both the twelve inch ninja nunchaku and the mini chucks can be used to strike an opponent from many different angles. |
