Nunchaku

My dojang has started a monthly rotation of "extra topics" that they are incorporating into the weekly practices. These generally follow martial arts skills and NOT specifically Taekwondo. Once a month for a week, we are getting nunchuk training. We've briefly tried nunchuks in the past but to have it be part of the monthly curriculum is quite different. We were even given a set when we signed up for the black belt club but hadn't really used them that much.

As with most things, they are harder to use than they look. I have a new found respect for all those martial artists I've seen in the movies using these things. I have more difficulty with my left hand than my right (for obvious reasons) such that I keep hitting myself in the back or even the back of my head with the nunchuk in that hand.

After 1 night of training, my arms are really, really sore. TKD emphasizes using your legs for kicking significantly more than using your arms and hands for any type of strike. Therefore, those muscles are just not developing strength as quickly as my legs and core muscles. Maybe that's part of the reason for including the extra training.