Drunken Monkey Posted December 27, 2003 Posted December 27, 2003 not sure about a short staff but the two i've trained with are both long. one's about six foot and the other one's nine foot. the six foot one is just a regular staff, normally made from red oak, teak or some other heavy, oily wood but sometimes people use a rattan one for it's flexibility. the nine foot one is tapered on one end (something to do with either being a punt for an old chinese boat or the 'staff' of a spear) and again it's usually a hard oily wood. there's also a chinese weapon loosely called a 'whip' that is almost just a short stick. it kinda looks like a sword but it has a pole instead of a blade and is usually made of a metal of some kind. saw something about 'unsupported spins' but not sure what you mean. when we do a spin in chinese styles, we tend to have both hands firmly on the staff at about shoulder width apart. like i say, i've never really seen japanese staff play or weapons compititions. post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
Shorinryu Sensei Posted December 27, 2003 Posted December 27, 2003 As far as I know, the jo (usually 4' long) is just a shorter version of the bo (6' normally) and the techniques used with it are about the same. I could be wrong. Both the Japanese and Okinawans use it...and I';m sure others. Don't some of the Chinese ssytems use a rattan long staff..like 9-10' long that is flexible? I've seen a couple at tournaments and in the movies (gotta be real then, right? ). I won't allow my students to use those really lightweight bo's in class, or in competition. My nightly prayer..."Please, just let me win that PowerBall Jackpot just once. I'll prove to you that it won't change me!"
monkeygirl Posted December 27, 2003 Posted December 27, 2003 Okay, thread is officially off-topic, I'm realizing. This conversations is all nice and lovely, but let's try to get back on topic, shall we? 1st dan & Asst. Instructor TKD 2000-2003No matter the tune...if you can rock it, rock it hard.
Drunken Monkey Posted December 27, 2003 Posted December 27, 2003 last one... we do use a rattan staff but it has it's own extra little set of principles because of its flex. use wise, it's much the same. we just got to be wary of the 'bounce' when weapons meet. post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
tommarker Posted December 28, 2003 Posted December 28, 2003 Shorinryu Sensei, I think the staff you are thinking of (commonly seen in wushu) is a waxwood staff. Usually they are tapered from one end (1" thickness) down to the other (3/4") and they are *extremely* flexible. Usually, in competition, they are a little longer than your normal bo. I think mine was about 77" when I bought it. Rattan has some slightly different properties, but i've never seen a tapered rattan staff, probably because of the fibrous nature of the wood. Waxwoods on the other hand look like someone uprooted a sapling and cut the sticks and bark off. I'm no longer posting here. Adios.
tommarker Posted December 28, 2003 Posted December 28, 2003 btw, if you want to learn to twirl in an intimidating way, find someone who spent time in a flag corps I'm no longer posting here. Adios.
Bdaze Posted December 30, 2003 Posted December 30, 2003 saw something about 'unsupported spins' but not sure what you mean. when we do a spin in chinese styles, we tend to have both hands firmly on the staff at about what i meant by "unsupported" are spins where one hand is loosley gripping the pole. the classic "figure 8" and helicopetrs are such spins. if you habe both hands firmly on the stick while doing a spin, you're doing it correctly and with support. a spin should be a series of circulair strikes with intent, rather than flimsy, fancy looking motions with no real purpose. If in your journey you encounter God, God will be cut ~Hatori Hanso (sonny chiba)
Treebranch Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 Bdaze a fellow Budo Taijutsuer I see with Kempo and Kenjutsu. Very nice! "It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.""Lock em out or Knock em out"
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