DIY Glow Stick Nunchakus

 by: Jill Nelson

For as long as I can recall, I have been a massive Bruce Lee fan. I cannot count the number of hours I have spent watching his movies, nor the number of hours spent trying to emulate his amazing martial arts maneuvers. There is one scene in particular that will be with me until the end of my days; the scene from Enter the Dragon where Bruce kicks some serious bad guy ass with his trusty Nunchakus.

A generation of wanna-be Bruce Lee's was spawned by that very scene. How many of you went out and haphazardly manufactured your own 'chucks after seeing this flick? I was certainly inspired to do so, and so were most of my friends. Most of us used wooden handles, and after some experimentation decided to switch to something softer. Twenty years later, I still have a bump on my head.

After introducing my son to the magic of Bruce Lee, I decided to manufacture a pair of Nunchakus for him to play with. Having learned from my rather painful mistakes, I constructed them from those disposable glow sticks that all the Raver kid's use. Here's how you can make some, too:

• Acquire a supply of glow sticks and some nylon rope.

• Cut a length of rope approximately 5 inches long.

• Attach two glow sticks together with the nylon rope.

• Start swinging.

Admittedly, it is a simple design. My first set was constructed in record time, which must have seemed like a lifetime to my son as he waited patiently. I made a second set and we spent the afternoon playing fun ninja games. After that, we had a Power Rangers movie marathon. My son is particularly keen on the Red Ranger. I prefer the Blue one.

Later on that evening, we decided to have one more ninja battle before bed. It's amazing how inspiring Bruce Lee can be. The wonderful thing about our new nunchakus is that they glow in the dark. I dimmed the lights and performed my best Bruce Lee impression. My son was completely awestruck, as he watched the twirling glowstick nunchakus. I only hit myself in the head once. Only this time, it didn't hurt.