Is there a nunchaku set in kenpo?

(from a recent conversation on Facebook)

There is a nunchaku set in the Parker system I learned it when I was a second degree black belt. But now a days not too many people know about or even were taught it. Personally I think the first and second day generations Parker black belts were taught it but after second generations black belts it was a lost set. Before Parker died he even was developing a grappling set. - Corey Boren

The nunchaku book and set was based on Rick Avery demonstrating the nunchaku as part of his black belt test! I learned the form from Sascha Williams in Pikesville Maryland many years ago. It was confirmed from students of Larry Tatum as well. You can see elements of the set in the film "Kill the Golden Goose" where Mr. Parker demonstrates it with a chain!

In all my years in kenpo I have yet to see a write up on the Nunchaku set.

I should clarify that I have never seen an accurate version of the nunchaku set ever written up. There is a version out there written up but it is not the actual set. I recently saw a video of one alleged version. They started with a salutation which is inaccurate from the start. "You bow on sets,you salute on forms".  - Joe Rebelo

Without a correctly recorded version the Set will die and become lost. Already I can see various versions on the net all claiming to be the One. - Matt Snell

Ed Parker was a genius in many ways. I'm pretty sure that most of you don't know that when Ed decided to introduce chucks to his Kenpo curriculum...he himself didn't know how to use them. He just looked at chucks as an extension of his hand and worked it out with a tiny bit of help from a few people who were proficient. - Dave Hebler

Take the underlying concepts and principles based on the three master principles ie; rotational force,
Marriage of Gravity, and directional harmony (alignment) of kenpo with and knowing the nature of the
weapon to create your own Form.

Fallow the planes of motion ie; diagonal, horizontal, and vertical and the patterns they travel around these planes, forward and reverse.

Then explore all the methods of launching the chucks and retrieving them back to point of origin or moving on to a new point origin or moving from a point of origin after the first strike.

Make sure the weapon travels through all depths zones (7) and three heights zones and four width zones.

Build it upon defense and offense with one precept built upon another....the easiest to learn first and so on to more sophisticated techniques.

Preface your form with the patterns you want to cover from the Universal Pattern and which will give you patterns to facilitate the basics of the weapon.

Or index the form with that information.

In short complete all categories of motion.

This is a format not hard to understand but time consuming in creating.

You can simplify this by using just a few patterns, and basics of the weapon much like Short Form One and then add to your first form and so on.

Also you can follow the numeric progression of the forms within the system.

Short one ,long one, short two etc;

This would take a lot of thought and work and time but would in the end could become a addition to the Art.

 I hope this shades some light on how to create your own form, or at least a start in the right direction... - Larry Tatum

I advised Mr. Parker they were illegal under the newly passed law that incorporated them into PC 12020 as "dangerous weapons." The law has been updated to PC 16950 prosecuted as either a misdemeanor or felony as a "wobbler" in California where we lived. The law is tricky because it allows their possession at a "licensed" Martial Art School, however, the law makes no provision as to how you get them there or for traveling with them. After he did the book he saw no reason to pursue it further, not to mention the interest at the time was very little. Briefly, Los Angeles Police used a law enforcement version but backed off after complaints of excessive force on so-called "passive" civil disobedient suspects. They did, however, work really well as "come-a-long" devices. Ultimately they fell into the area of "art' and not self-defense because they could not be commonly carried. My partner and I carried a set until they became illegal and no provision had yet been made for law enforcement. By the time they became legal for cops, we had all moved on to the PR-24 or "side handle" Baton which was a modified Okinawan Tonfa that was quite effective. I was the first in State Police Service to carry one and was in the first Los Angeles County Sheriff's Instructors class prior to any agencies adopting it. Memories start flowing. - Ron Chapel

 

It is/was so easy to "tailor" nunchaku into Kenpo back in the 70's. 

I think that we all did it back then. The same with the Sai...with the knife...with the sword...with the butterfly knives...yada yada yada.

Since nunchaku are NO LONGER of interest to most, it has fallen to the side of the road.

I also carried the PR-24 on duty during the late 70's.

(Still got it around...somewhere)

Was taught it's use by Dr. Joe Truncale. Also had the Tonfa which I used to teach the students. 

Very "boring" to carry and use. Awkward to use.

Thank you for the reminder of things gone by. - John La Tourrette