But if I had to name a melee weapon that is superior in all respects I might pick the Maori Taiaha, the Sai/Jitte or the Tonfa. Or one final weapon out there that even tops that!
The Taiaha is such a beautifully versatile weapon, that can act as a sword, spear or staff. It's durable and incredibly lethal, but doesn't have to be, so you can go for non-lethal attacks with it too if you want to.
Tonfa are basically everything that's good about the Nunchaku and taken up to eleven. They can block an opponent's attack more easily, are faster to learn how to use, and can complement hand to hand martial arts better. And yes, can be used with one hand.
The Sai/Jitte are even better for trapping an opponent's weapon than the Nunchaku. As the Sai are typically steel, they strike much harder than the Nunchaku (don't be fooled by Hollywood! The Sai is not a big dagger, it's more akin to a metal club with prongs for trapping an opponent's weapon). It can be flipped around to strike with the hilt, to augment someone's punches, or swung with skullbreaking force. It can disarm an opponent, nonlethally injure someone or lethally injure someone, and is also better defensively than a Nunchaku, while being even better at trapping and disarming weapons.
But the greatest "weapon" in close range combat of all time, in my personal opinion?
The shield. Never has there been a weapon (besides the spear) that is more commonly used across the entire world. It can block ALMOST any attack (a heavy blow from a warhammer or maul might be too much, but you can always try and dodge those). You can use the boss or the rim to bash an opponent, and you can use it in one-hand to keep another weapon in tandem. Thrust your shield in your opponent's face to block their vision and use the weapon in your other hand to hack out their legs while they can't see what you're doing! Or just bash them in the face with the metal boss! If you feel particularly nasty you might like to add a nice little pointy spike to the front of your shield, as some warriors did.
The shield is the most widely used tool in combat across the world, except for the spear, and for good reason! Shields save lives!
Bo staff
Baseball Bat
Machete
Katana
Arming Sword
Hand and a Half
etc.
The nunchuka are very formidable weapons but only in the hands of a master or a skilled user. It takes tremendous skill and power to cause damage on the enemy with nunchuks. It is not a super deadly weapon. 1 hit upside the head may split it or knock the guy out. Maybe. A hit to the throat will paralyze or kill but that's pretty much it.
A Bo staff, a good hit to the throat guy is dead. A good hit to the head, guy is dead or seriously injured, a hard hit to the ribs, multiple breakage and possible internal bleeding.
All the others are considered melee weapons that can kill instantly or cause serious injury.
The nunchuks are great weapons but are not as deadly as the others I listed.
But then again this goes to those who are trained to use them for the most part. If a expert nunchuck practitioner went up against an expert swordsman the swordsman will win. But I am pretty sure an expert nunchuck dude could take someone with no skill out.
Who knows. But the nunchuck is not what I call a "Wham u dead sucka" or "Wham u got ------ up" weapon lol.
Have you considered Escrima Sticks? Block an attack with one stick, and disarm/ counter with the other. I think an Escrima stick can probably match each and every pro concerning the nunchucks, except for creating an transparent circular shield. The escrima stick is also compatible with a knife.
An brief explanation of the Escrima sticks according to Wikipedia: The most basic and common weapon in eskrima is the yantok. They are typically constructed from rattan, an inexpensive stem from a type of Southeast Asian vine. Hard and durable yet lightweight, it shreds only under the worst abuse and will not splinter like wood, making it a safer training tool. This aspect makes it useful in defence against blades. Kamagong (ironwood or ebony) and bahi (heart of the palm) are sometimes used after being charred and hardened. These hardwoods are generally not used for sparring, however, as they are dense enough to cause serious injury, but traditional sparring does not include weapon to body contact. The participants are skilled enough to parry and counterstrike, showing respect in not intentionally hitting the training partner. In North America and Europe, eskrima practitioners wear head and hand protection while sparring with rattan sticks, or otherwise use padded batons. Some modern schools use sticks made out of aluminium or other metals, or modern high-impact plastics.
I believe there are also eskrima sticks made out of steel. So your fears about it being not durable should be ceased.
Original version: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
Metallic version: data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABA...
Also Eskrima practitioners are taught to apply the stick-fighting techniques that they learned into practical use. Virtually they can turn any object in their environment into a weapon, if they were to not have the yantoks in their possession. Stick fighting techniques are taught before hand to hand to eskrima practitioners to ensure that they truly know the fundamentals of Eskrima.
While the nunchakus are a great weapon against many other weapons, I would not want to go against a fighter with a hard stick, a heavy club, or a baseball bat . Nunchakus don't have as great a range as most sticks and clubs, and cannot always deflect an attack from a striking instrument like a stick or a club.
Nunchakus are perfect for a scenario where it's you against multiple unarmed opponents like the scene in 'The Chinese Connection' where it was Bruce Lee against about 25 opponents. Nunchakus are also good against knives because they have a longer range.
Disadvantages with nunchaku are lack of range.
It's harder than you think to conceal.
Are you really going to try to block a spear attack with your nunchaku? Really?
You can hit a swordsman in the hand, but in doing so, you have to get in his range.
Thrown your nunchaku, and miss, and you've disarmed yourself.
In case of a zombie apocalypse, I would go with a gladius or a katana. It's hard to find battle ready swords nowadays. I'm not an expert on swords, but I would probably go with Cold Steel for a durable weapon.
For normal days, besides carrying a pistol, I have a knife on me. Sometimes, it's a tactical folder. Other times, I carry a small fixed blade.
The knife while it's small can cut, pierce, and bleed a person out. Of course, it's a close quarters weapon, but in today's society, your odds of being attacked at close range is high.
its not easy to strike with nunchaku if you strike wrong they will come back at you and hit you
and the gosetsu-kon is a five section nunchaku has a longer range, and much more functionality then a nunchaku
edit:>
a bag is not a moving target, it can be used as a striking weapon but is primarily a grappling weapon
The problem with nunchaku is that you have to have skill with them to make them effective. If the person lacks skill then anything can be better: knife, metal pipe, staff, etc.
If a person has skill, then a staff with a long reach may be suitable beause the nunchaku is only effective in close proximity
A pair of tonfas is the way to go brother.
well it's a flexible weapon and can be difficult to control after an impact
A 45.?
No ranged weapons.
The reasons I think its best are:
1. When spun, it creates a shield.
2. It isn't huge, so it can be concield and is easy to do normal strikes, like kicks.
3. Its very fast.
4. The chain can be used to block pole weapons (think bo, spear).
5. The stick can strike the hand of a swordsman.
6. As a last resort, they can be thrown, and when aimed right can wrap around the opponents leg and and trip them.
7. They can be used with one hand. Nothing prevents you from using a secondary weapon.
I love them. Can you name any reasons why they are bad? (Besides they are illegal).
