Bo or Jo

[ki master]

I use bo even though i dont take classess

[marie curie]

If you start out with the bo, then the jo will be easy, whereas if you start out with the jo, the bo will take some getting used to for control.

[jay46]

if u want to get into bo u probably want to use a competition toothpick bo that is around your height, they run $20.95 on this site i shop on and here is a pic of one http://www.awma.com/index.cfm/action/productdetail/product_id/6745.htm

they are very light bo's and you can train with that and build up strength in your shoulders and forearms then use a real bo. which are solid oak (not all are but mine is) about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, 6 feet long and alot heavier than toothpick bo's. they normally run about $50-$60 but if you want custom made they are about $150

sorry i cant give much info on jo's i dont know much about them

Are you saying to use the toothpick to build up strength?

I think just the opposite. Get the heavier tapered or straight bo. Train with that for a few months. Then go to the lighter toothpick especially if you intend on doing competitions. Your kata will be so much better when you train with the heavy and compete with the light.

[lordtariel]

Yeah, I use a 1-1/4 inch white oak straight bo at practice. The sucker's pretty heavy. Toothpick bos literally feel like toothpicks after using one of those. I find that even in tournament, I like using the heavier bo because it keeps me in a combat frame of mind.

[Sohan]

I enjoy the bo and jo equally. I derive different benefits which I find complimentary for training with either. Preferably a heavier bo when practicing bo lines.

Respectfully,

Sohan

[armanox]

Bo was developed as a common weapon. All of the Jo kata I've seen is based on sword defense, which is sorta fun, being able to use Jodo to beat Kenjustu.......

[Holland]

I prefer Bo katas, but the jo is more practical as there are many things you can find in a street situation that resemble a jo.

[Oracle]

Bo should be your height no smaller or bigger.

Training with heavy bo does increase strength, however it messes up your timing (for competition).

Biggest mistakes for traditional & open bo competitors:

- Hands to close together......space bo in thirds...always!!!

- Weak strikes......always strike hard and hit your body hard

- Train as you compete........practice with full gi and sounds

- Most concentrate on weapon and forget stances.....ie bent back leg

don't let anyone give you the jive about traditional war bo's vs light bo's. If you were to fight someone in real life with a war bo you would be dead in very short order because of it's slowness.

Someone adapt with a strong lightweight bo (and yes the best ones are strong) can hit you 10 times before you get one war bo strike.

just watch Casey Marks and you will understand.

[Holland]

- Hands to close together......space bo in thirds...always!!!

- Weak strikes......always strike hard and hit your body hard

- Train as you compete........practice with full gi and sounds

- Most concentrate on weapon and forget stances.....ie bent back leg

The first is not true in many Bo katas. There are many times in the katas I know where you slide the weapon down to the end and use the full length. While as a whole the weapon is kept in thirds...(about 80 percent of the time in our katas) it certainly is not "always."

The second is not true for the most part either....people who beat themselves up during the kata are kinda defeating the purpose. Most of the good Bo competitors I know do not hit themselves very hard with the weapon.

Three is true.

As for number four...not all stances in every style have an unbent back leg...so be careful about stereotyping there too...

[Oracle]

I stand corrected on #1, I shouldn't have said always, as in a baseball swing. Most when doing simple forward strikes/reverse strikes keep hands too close together.

With regard to #2, I differ. All top competitors , in all of the major circuits strike hard.

If your not striking hard your not striking fast. This is one thing that seperates the best from the rest.

Most have bent legs because of lack of conditioning and training. I am not stereotyping anyone, these are common mistakes.

As a example, many do deep front stances in their bo forms, the back leg is not supposed to be bent . The leg should be straight with the foot facing forward with heel on the ground. Next time you go to a school or competition look to see how many do this correctly. Maybe 1-2 out of 30 do this correctly.

In reality their are only a handfull of schools in the US that actually train for Bo correctly. All of the top people migrate to these schools eventually.

Arturo Espina in Miami, Joe Greenhalgh in Rhode Island, Casey Marks and Mike Bernado in Ontario, John Sharkey in Chicago to name a few.