Mini Nunchaku Fun for your Thumbs!
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Written by Young Jeohn
Thumb Chucks, as the name goes, are just like nunchakus for your fingers, offering hours of fun as you work on improving your hand reflexes. Twirl them, bounce them off each other, flip and catch them in the air - all done safely and without worry of hurting yourself or anyone else!
BUILD
In theory, you can think of these as a miniaturized pair of nunchakus that fit in your hands with two ends and a flexible connector between the two. The chain or rope is replaced by a pleasant feeling shoelace type material, so you can spend hours on it without chaffing your fingers. And what would have been hard, wooden poles are now soft, light-emitting rubber balls that glow briefly when it feels impact or g-forces (e.g. twirling) - which, if you observe carefully enough, will vary in light intensity depending on how much force is used.
You can also customize your Thumb Chucks by switching out the balls to ones of different colors and even the connector if you wish. It's obvious they put a lot of thought into the comfort, usability and longevity of this toy, leaving the rest up to you and your personal skill and reflex.
CHUCKING
You can get started with a basic move printed on the back of the package. As with anything on a string or chain, you'll soon find that this toy teaches you much about patience and that not everything works by brute force. A slow, round-the-thumb toss mixed with a quick twirl around your index finger, and you just might get it. Mastered the move? There are plenty more where they came from! You can find a range of video tutorials online for moves ranging from beginner to expert, from chucking with one hand to aerials and the use of both hands.
Chucks in general aren't the easiest things to master, especially since you need to get a flow going to make it work continuously. Any abrupt miscalculation and it all comes to a screeching halt, so it's advisable to learn the moves from easy to hard no matter how simple things look. I learned this the hard way, and truth be told, it's been challenging for me to get any good at using them. Maybe it's because I'm old. Or I'm drinking too much caffeine before playing around with them.
THE THUMB CHUCK COMMUNITY
Much to my surprise, there is an actual Thumb Chucks community with pros and ambassador teams featuring the "Bruce Lees" of these twirling toys. They post videos with amazing moves that you can watch and try to replicate; or if you're feeling confident in your own abilities, you have the option of showing off your own skills by downloading their app and recording your own moves to share online.
If you think about it, it's a lot like playing a video game and being able to see who scored the highest amount of points from players all around the world. Want proof? Just watch them in action as you see spinners showing off what they can do.
CONCLUSION
Time flies when you're having fun, and playing with Thumb Chucks requires a mindful eye on how much time's flown by! It's not one of those toys you buy and forget about; with customization options, a full-on community with downloadable app and tutorials, what you've got here is more fun than first meets the eye, and a connected community in which to share the fun with.
Thumb Chucks are available for $9.99 at the time of writing, and you can pick them up online or at your local toy stores. Visit their website for more info!
More info: http://www.thumbchucks.toys
Tutorials: Thumb Chucks Youtube channel
