Nunchaku-do

Nunchaku-do is a fighting sports, based on the orginal japanese wapon (two wooden sticks connected with a piece of rope, or chain). This weapon still is used often in other fighting sports, like karate. Twenty years ago a dutchman noticed the weapon in Japan and took it with him to the Netherlands, to start a sport with it there. Because of the rules and law in the Netherlands and because of he wanted to use the weapon in training practically, he constructed a safety Nunchaku which was approved by the government of the Netherlands. The safety Nunchaku consists of two platic cores, wrapped in foam, connected with a piece of rope.

Within the Netherlands, a very fast and interesting fighting sports has developed around the Nunchaku. Nunchaku-do has four very different diciplines: kata (style), kumite (fighting against an opponent, semi-contact), free-style (showing tricks and excercises with the nunchaku on music) and nunchaku-jutsu (self-defence with the nunchaku). Nunchaku has got its traditions, just like karate and other eastern sports, but it has been developed completely in the  Netherlands and is slightly more modern. There are about 35 teachers in the Netherlands, but there are also a few Nunchaku schools in Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland and the USA.

Nunchaku has official techniques, kata's, excercises and more which is written down in the Examn/Graduation demands book. The sport is recognized officially since 1990 by the NOC*NSF and the FOG (Federation Eastern Fightingsports). There is a World Nunchaku Association organisation which is empowered to recruit members for the sport. In 1994, the first World Championship Nunchaku-do was organized and in 1997 the first European Championship was there. back then most of the prices went to the Netherlands, because the training gap between countries was too great. In 2007 the second EC took place. This time other countries posed a real thread to Holland. Especially Belgium, Germany and Denmark were able to achieve good results.