Lee Barden

Bruce Lee is an internationally recognized icon, Michelangelo an adored children’s cartoon character; but who the hell is Lee Barden?

Our third entry in the nunchaku hall of fame is already a member of the black belt hall of fame; an incredibly talented nunchaku artist, a living legend within the nunchaku community, a renowned advocate of pro-chux and one of the brains behind Black and Blue Productions.

Here’s the man himself.



We managed, in March 07, to get Lee signed up at the forum, where he posts as Internet Sensei. We’re fortunate enough to have Lee’s story in his own words.

“OK a little history about me for those interested. 1973 I saw Bruce Lee on the silver screen. I found my calling at that point. I went home and prayed, please I want to be the best there is, and I will do anything to be the best. So, I sawed down my mother’s broom handle and drilled two holes, laid a dog chain down the middle and a nail to secure it. 3 inches was what I liked and found out that most liked the same. I went everywhere looking for the Nunchaku God. The rumor was Lance Harrision from Bushidokan Academy was great. $800.00 later, I joined and he wasn’t all that great. 2 years later I ran away from home at 15 to find DA MAN. I hitchhiked to Canada, the International Peace Gardens and looked there, went to California, Anaheim, looked there. I looked everywhere in between. I slept under bridges, ate candy bars from concerned people to stay alive and still couldn’t find him. 1979 I went to visit my Mom, I am now 19 at that time and saw a commercial on TV, it’s not a job, and it’s an adventure, the Navy. I had been everywhere my thumb could take me and thought I will try the World. Europe, no help, Middle East, no help. I gave up. When I least expected it, I met a bum playing pool in a bar. I beat him for 2 dollars and he couldn’t pay. So he said, come with me over to a friend’s house and I will get it. He said, you will like this guy, he is a Martial Artist. I thought, great, maybe he will have some chucks there and I could impress him with my Dazzling chuck skills. He came out and I asked him if he had any chucks, he said yes over there. I picked them up and said “These are to Fu@#ing small. He said too Fu@#ing small for who. I had to think about it and said, I guess too small for me. He said, you should say what you mean and not give absolutes like that. I went well, OK. I started doing everything I knew, that I could pull off with those damn dinky things and he said, pretty good. Now sit down and let me show you something.

I sat in a big red chair right in the middle of the garage and out went the lights, on came some Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon. Out came these fire red chux dancing around everywhere and keeping beat with the music like a conductor of a symphony. I was completely floored, and then came the Green chux with the red moving at different directions at different speeds and wow. I thought I was tripping. When it was over, I said will you teach me, he said, I wish I had a dime for everyone that asks that. I said, no I am serious and he said so am I. He said he couldn’t take time now to teach anyone because he was getting ready for Hollywood. Apparently he was there and didn’t do well because he didn’t have what he was doing tight enough to be marketable and that he was laying out his system of what is and he was too busy for me.

Afterward I was with the old man and asked where he lived. It was above the guy’s garage. His electricity was off and he needed help. So, I became his roommate with about 5 other navy buddies of mine and we turned it into party central. Everyday I was at his door asking if there was anything I could do for him around the garage. Everyday he said no. Long story short, I was persistent and found what motivates him to teach. With that in hand, I began a journey that would change not only the way I looked at chux but all sports and life. I found the Master. It took me years to get over those damn small chux. It also took me years to actually see the rings, or ratios as they were called by him. I didn’t really believe that I was doing something special until I went into international competition and saw what the world had to offer. I was floored. I really was involved in something that no one else, NO ONE ELSE was doing or thinking about for that matter. The pursuit to change the world had begun and I was at the forefront.

32 years later, I am discussing the same crap that I had already put to rest with the Worlds best and now I am on the Internet doing it all again. Some days I can do it without that hopelessness feeling and some days I just get fed up.

Yes you can do half of what I do with the old style chux, I don’t like it, but that is my choice. Anyone that wants to learn what I know, I will help. I am not going to openly in a public forum, share secrets again, only to have people that don’t respect what I do, take it and not give props where props belong.

To start read The Book of Five Rings, then Google, Lissajous. Not Lissajous Do. Go straight to what is a Lissajous. There will be a lot of pages that won’t make sense to you, they don’t mean anything to me either, but with a little work you will see some pages where the light bulb will come on and you will see what I am talking about. Then we can start a new dialogue, one that takes you where you want to go with an understanding of the system of Lissajous-Do.”

Here’s Lee talking about the difference between those ‘damn small chux’ (properly known as pro-chux) and the bigger, more traditional nunchaku (what Lee calls dinosaur chux).



Lee’s opinions upset many within the nunchaku community, and sparked the most heated discussions our beloved forum has ever witnessed! Any with the time and inclination may find this thread fascinating.

All of Lee’s videos on YouTube are uploaded by his business partner KarateVideoGuy (KVG for short) who is also a member at the forum. They can be found on KVG’s YouTube channel.

I’ve picked out a couple more of my favourites for you.