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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goblyns Hoard" data-source="post: 3798966" data-attributes="member: 19970">Flails I only know the basics so I'm appreciating all the knowledge posted here.  Nunchucks however I do know how to use.Most obvious thing with nunchuks - neither end is more dangerous to the wielder than the other is, meaning you can catch the other end and bring it back at a greater variety of angles of attack.  Bruce Lee level experts aside this is a two handed weapon.  Yes it can be used one handed but one of the biggest advantages of using it is that the defender often won't know which way it's coming from - an advantage you give up if using it one-handed.The next thing - they are fast.  Primarily a light wooden weapon, with a rope linking them rather than a chain, this is something that anyone can pick up and use without needing muscle mass.  The advantage over the flail is that momentum is easy to reacquire after a strike, a flick of the wrist will do it.  Having strong forearms does help.And that's also where they're striking force comes from - a simple twist of the wrist sends the other end of the weapon moving very quickly.  And because of the size of the individual hafts (in my experience most are about a foot long, though I have a pair of telescopic metal ones that has hafts reaching about a foot and a half - the longest and heaviest I've seen) they are difficult, though not impossible to parry.  Even with a successful parry there is a chance that the rope/chain will keep the end of the weapon moving enough to hit the opponent.  The best form of parry I would expect to be catching the rope far enough away from the body that the wrap around is harmless - probably using a spear or staff.  Alternatively take the blow as you would any other martial arts strike - block with arm or leg as they don't have as much mass and therefore as much force as a metal flail.The downside of the weapon is the same with any flailing one - the force of impact is lessened by the fact that it can move.  While a sword or axe remains rigid and all the force is transferred to the target a flailing weapon will to some degree 'bounce' off the target.  This requires the weapon to have sufficient force to damage the target.  I would strongly recommend that you don't use wooden nunchucks against plate mail - the attacks will for the most part just bounce off.  But in the comparatively lightly armoured orient they have more use.As to damaging yourself using it - yes this does affect the beginner.  However once you grasp the circling principle and learn where to put your hands and how to catch it they're actually fairly easy to use.  And it is the circling motion that allows you to get the speed.  At the end of any given strike you have the option of simply blocking the weapon and bringing it back in the opposite direction, or catching it and bringing it in at a different angle.  With some strikes such as going round the head you can bring the weapon in at exactly the same direction using the other hand very quickly after the first strike.One other question I've had about nunchuks is whether the flailing techniques will be useful in an actual fight - i.e. after the weapon hits something does it still end up in the same place as if you just swung the weapon.  The answer is yes more or less.  That is the striking haft does continue through in the same path and the hand/foot/arm/leg that would have caught or controlled it is still the same one.  Obviously it's unlikely to end up in exactly the same place, but the techniques are still applicable.Hope that helps</blockquote>

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