If you venture into the dance studio next to Kulp Auditorium on Wednesdays after school, you’ll see several IHS students kicking, punching, breaking boards, and swinging around nunchucks. These students are a part of Nunchucks Club, a club formed by Taerim Eom ‘19. Eom is a rising senior who moved to Ithaca from Korea during her sophomore year. She is a skilled martial artist, having practiced Taekwondo for over eight years and nunchucks for over five years. After her thrilling and memorable nunchucks performance at the fall Pep Rally last year, Eom was asked to form a club to teach her skills to IHS students.
Nunchucks are a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected by a chain or rope, and are most often used in the martial arts form of karate. The origins of nunchucks are unknown, but it is widely accepted that they were originally adapted by Japanese farmers as a farming tool in order to thresh rice, and were not used as a weapon because they were largely ineffective compared to the samurai swords of the time. In the current age, nunchucks have been popularized in movies by martial artists such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Nunchucks are used in a variety of ways, depending on the martial arts style. In traditional Okinawan martial arts, nunchucks are used to grip and lock opponents, largely as a defensive weapon. In Korean martial arts, nunchucks are used both offensively and defensively, as locks and strikes are simultaneously used.
In numerous countries, such as Norway, Canada, Russia, Poland, Chile, and Spain, nunchucks are illegal due to their status as a weapon. In the United States, the legality of nunchucks differs by state. The personal possession of real nunchucks is illegal in California, New York, Massachusetts and Arizona. Despite this, in 2015, police officers in California were trained to use nunchucks as a non-lethal weapon and are increasingly prefered over tasers because they can be used as a striking weapon and a control tool. However, the nunchucks used in nunchucks club are not real nunchucks, so there is no reason to worry!
Nunchucks Club is a performanced based club that not only teaches various nunchucks skills, but also a wide range of martial arts skills. Members of Nunchucks Club learn a variety of routines to music to perform for the school. Last year, Nunchucks Club performed at Cabaret Night and Field Day. This coming school year, Nunchucks Club will be performing many more times and will have new fun routines to learn. The members of Nunchucks Club invite everyone to stop by and join Nunchucks Club!
“Why should you join Nunchucks Club?”
I discussed this question with a few Nunchucks Club members:
“It is fun to learn a skill I never thought I would need.”
“Nunchucks club is a great stress-reliever and break from school!”
“Don’t you want to look cool?!”