Secret Techniques and Hints

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[Matt-Chez]

ok ok,,, Ive got to admit Ive been holding some stuff back, Ive already mentioned SOME of this stuff before but I'd like everyone to hear what Ive got to say.

 feel free to write a list of things you do that helps you chuck better. 


1.angry fast music helps me concentrate and puts me in the zone.

2. i chuck later on in the day mostly when I'm more relaxed and my muscles have loosened,

3. i practice slowly at first until Ive got a good flow going then i go as fast as i physically can, even if i drop them its still reaching a point where I'm happy with the speed and gives me something to aim for.

4. when everyone else is sleeping I'm normally chucking. also i chuck in between every loading screen, advert, and when food is cooking, basically every spare second i have.

5. i use heavy chucks, they seem slow at first, but if you go back to lighter chucks they feel like they're made of paper, and i gradually use heavier ones as i progress,, it might seem like i don't get better that fast but thats because my chucks become more difficult to use as i progress... (Reto-Training)

6. WEIGHTS!! super secret here. i use my sword and/or weights before i go for a serious routine, it works on the same principal as reto-training,,  EG, your muscles adapt to a heavier weight and make the chucks seem twice as light, resulting in better controll and faster spins.

7. i regularly wash my chucks to stop them being greasy,you might not notice as first but once they're washes they feel much better,

8. don't use too much grip, its over rated, i prefer less grip as it helps catches and releases on aerials, and allows slides and repeated wristspins to flow much better. plus i think the power of the grip is better if it originates from the strength of your hands rather than friction alone, which is a good training tool.

9. remember don't, practice one single move over and over again on its own,, you'll do much better if you do other moves in between as this helps you to intergrate it into your regular routine, which promotes flow.

10. don't stick with the same routine forever, if you hold on too tightly to your old moves you'll never progress,try to use your basics as a stepping stone to more advanced techniques, (but always remember them)
also, if you attempt a move but its too hard to do, don't just forget about it, make a note of it and when your skill level rises go back to it, most of the time you'll have a much greater chance of succeeding.

11. finally Aerials are NOT throws. use the momentum of the spin from your chucks carry them trough the air,  it results in a smoother more natural flow that fits in better with the rest of your routine.

to be honest this is what works for me, so dont take it as fact, just oppinion.

hope this can help somebody get better. if youve got anything negative to say about any of the things ive written, just say. im open to criticism as it helps us reach higher levels of understanding   

peace out bro's!

[sebricci]

1 & 2 : agreed
3, I guess is part of your warm up routine

6, you definitely have a point there, I'll include it somehow

On 9, I disagree. There is a time (learning period) where you should practice the same move again & again to increase the success rate. During this phase you learn specific tricks to each move and ideas emerge in you brain on how to get in & out of the move.
Once the success rate is above 70-80%, you can include the new move in ur freestyle without too much risk of it breaking ur routine.

11, I see the point, especially coming from you : from the videos one can see that you do aerials whereas I do throws. Maybe we have confused the 2 terms for a long time and it is time to separate them.
So I would say :
Aerial= chuck released in the air without too much change in the original momentum
Throw = when the original movement has the unique purpose of throwing the nunchaku in the air and generally over the head.

Let me know your thoughts,

[Tork]

"1.angry fast music helps me concentrate and puts me in the zone." - Same here, slower music tends to make me want to go slower which doesn't really help.  I find really heavy metal is the best music to chuk to.

"2. i chuck later on in the day mostly when I'm more relaxed and my muscles have loosened," - Same, I seem to do alot better at night, around 7 or so.

"3. i practice slowly at first until Ive got a good flow going then i go as fast as i physically can, even if i drop them its still reaching a point where I'm happy with the speed and gives me something to aim for." - I disagree a bit there. For me, I practice very slowly, then go up to a comfortably fast pace. It helps me get the exact technique implanted in my brain, though I'm sure my way's better for me simply because I'm a begginer.

"4. when everyone else is sleeping I'm normally chucking. also i chuck in between every loading screen, advert, and when food is cooking, basically every spare second i have." - If I chuk before 7 I end up breaking something. But most days after 7 I do exactly the same thing.

"5. i use heavy chucks, they seem slow at first, but if you go back to lighter chucks they feel like they're made of paper, and i gradually use heavier ones as i progress,, it might seem like i don't get better that fast but thats because my chucks become more difficult to use as i progress... (Reto-Training)" - Don't have heavy ones, but I can see how that'd work.

"6. WEIGHTS!! super secret here. i use my sword and/or weights before i go for a serious routine, it works on the same principal as reto-training,,  EG, your muscles adapt to a heavier weight and make the chucks seem twice as light, resulting in better controll and faster spins." - Again, I can see how this'd work. But I don't need my foam chuks to be any lighter.

"7. i regularly wash my chucks to stop them being greasy,you might not notice as first but once they're washes they feel much better," - What helps with me is, every few days I put tape on my chuks, replace it after another few days. Feels better but I dunno why.

"8. don't use too much grip, its over rated, i prefer less grip as it helps catches and releases on aerials, and allows slides and repeated wristspins to flow much better. plus i think the power of the grip is better if it originates from the strength of your hands rather than friction alone, which is a good training tool." - I'll try taking your advice there, whenever I hold them it's tight as hell if I'm going anything above slow speed.

"9. remember don't, practice one single move over and over again on its own,, you'll do much better if you do other moves in between as this helps you to intergrate it into your regular routine, which promotes flow." - If it's a move you really suck at, like say when I was first trying to do wrist rolls, then I'd say practice that until you can do it 6 times out of 10. Then try to mix it up with some other moves, that's what I did and it worked for me.

"10. don't stick with the same routine forever, if you hold on too tightly to your old moves you'll never progress,try to use your basics as a stepping stone to more advanced techniques, (but always remember them)
also, if you attempt a move but its too hard to do, don't just forget about it, make a note of it and when your skill level rises go back to it, most of the time you'll have a much greater chance of succeeding."  - Also, if you're just starting off, there's loads of tutorials on simpler moves. But once you'e learnt them, be creative. Try some variations, maybe use an inverted grip and try regular moves from that. Just see what works and feels fluid.

"11. finally Aerials are NOT throws. use the momentum of the spin from your chucks carry them trough the air,  it results in a smoother more natural flow that fits in better with the rest of your routine." - I've just started practicing Aerials, and what you said is very true.


Not insulting you by criticising you hopefully, I just took what you said and expanded on it by saying what works for me. Thanks for taking the time to type all that out! Alot of it helped and it's good to know that I'm not doing everything wrong  sorry if any of this is hard to read.

[Rellizate]

Thanks matt, I agree with 90+% of that.

Good to hear some more of what makes the great MC work.

[Matt-Chez]

seb, i agree with what your saying about aerials, i think they shold be seperated into  (aerial's --- throw's) as how theyre done is really different.

maybe we should start a thread in the nunchuckology section discussing it

[mrschux]

i disagree with 9, if you think you need to improve on a move, do it repetitively, because repetition makes perfect. at least for me. i agree with the rest though.

[OnlyaShadow]

IDK if everyone else does this, but latley I've just been letting go of my nunchaku about 80% of the way during a pass just so I can get my hand to where I need it next faster.

[rctrue]

I agree with all of Matts training secrets

[Bucketbot-0]

I'd recommend stretching your arms and joints before a routine as well, esp. the wrists.

Robots should make sure both their chain chux and joints are well greased.     

[Yetibutt]

All very good advice.  With new moves, I think I learn them faster by getting the basics down, and then trying to work it into freestyle rather than just doing it over and over and getting frustrated.  I try to learn new moves as warm ups and cool downs, kill two birds with one stone.
I agree with Bucketbot about stretching, although I'd say the shoulders even more than the wrists. Along with a warm up, a very good idea to prevent repetitive stress injuries.

[Kriztov]

I'm apparently one of the few that doesn't find angry fast music conducive - my practice music needs to be reflective of my mood if I'm trying to be expressive, and I'm generally very chilled out/happy - and if I'm trying to be experimental/technical I prefer emotionally detached music like electro. I only listen to punk/metal for practice when I'd also listen to punk/metal without nunchaku - when I'm wound up and looking to vent.

[Matt-Chez]

the angry music bit was all about me, i just used it as an example of what puts me in the zone, i guess its diffrent with everyone though,

[mrschux]

You know what music is good for nunchaku? DRAGONFORCE!!! It is very fast paced and has some awesome guitar.

[GroundedI]

hey matt you can buy wrist and leg weights you put them on like a bracelet and keep em on all day for a week or so and then try chucking without them 

[Matt-Chez]

hey matt you can buy wrist and leg weights you put them on like a bracelet and keep em on all day for a week or so and then try chucking without them 

thats a damn good idea man!!! need to add that one to the list once ive tried it.