Slamming staff on Floor

[cleung]

For the strikes with a Chinese wushu staff slamming the floor, what is the best position for the left hand (holding the body of the staff as opposed to the end)? Should the fingers still be wrapped around the staff or should the it be an open palm over the top of the staff in order not to crush the fingers between the staff and the floor?

[Old Seeker]

Left hand holding the end of the staff with fingers wrapped around the staff. During the slamming down part, the left hand punches the floor, while the right hand on the body of the staff with open palm on top slaps down the staff at the same time as you drop into your stance.

[cleung]

Left hand holding the end of the staff with fingers wrapped around the staff. During the slamming down part, the left hand punches the floor, while the right hand on the body of the staff with open palm on top slaps down the staff at the same time as you drop into your stance.

So the key is with the open palm on top of the staff then in order to prevent hurting one's fingers on the floor?

[Old Seeker]

Yes, prevent crushing of fingers, but also if you had your fingers of the right hand until the staff, you will not be able to produce the loud booming sound affect. I guess you could produce some sound effect if you tip the staff so that it will not crush the fingers, but you will most likely break your staff. Give it a try with your fingers wrapped under the staff, but just don't slam it to the ground too hard.

[striking_cobra]

break the staff? what kind of staff do you use? unless you're talking about a cheap, light, competition staff you're not going to break it by racking the tip on the floor.

[Old Seeker]

Unless you are using a steel staff or you are not generating enough power in the strike, you can break the staff, and I'm not talking about just cheap competition staff. The amount of power required depends on the angle of the staff meeting the floor. The more the angle, the less power is required.

Of course, one should learn to control the power in the strike, but since cleung ask what seems like a newbie question, I've assumed that he is newbie to staff; sorry if I've made a wrong assumption. I have seen newbies that wants to get the big bang sound will literally slam their staff with as much power as they can and they break their staff. Don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to put any of them down, they are just overly enthuseatic.

[cleung]

I am a relative newbie with Chinese wushu staff but a veteran competitor with Japanese/open style bo staffs. My original question was with regards to the white wax wood staffs used by wushu folks. I just wanted to know how to position the hands and fingers without getting them crushed when slamming the staff on the floor.

[Old Seeker]

Sorry cleung for assuming your a newbie to staff. For the wushu thing you've asked, you can use any type of staff, unless you enter a wushu competition. I'm not in wushu, but I practice a Monkey Staff form that has one of the move you've asked where the staff is slammed to the floor.

[striking_cobra]

ok, i see where you might get that, i suppose i was just alittle puzzled by the statement at first...thanks.