I'm a Kenshin Kan Shorin Ryu student and I need one for Kobudo...for kata and also sparring. I'm about 5'11" and heard that bo's are usually 5 or 6 feet and that usually some people prefer a bo a few inches shorter than their height.

Which size you think would be best for me?

And what wood type is best to use for kata and sparring?

Thanks!

I have heard and follow the line of thought that a bo should be somewhere between your eye height and your head height. I'm 5'3" and use a 5' bo.

The usual bo sizes that I have seen are 4', 4'6", 5', 5'6", and 6'.

At 5'11" I'd say you should get a 6 foot, possibly a 5'6", definitely no taller or shorter. (If they made them I'd say a 5'9" would be perfect but those don't exist that I am aware of).

I do not know what wood is better. However I did have a bo that had some sort of filler between the wood (the wood had natural cracks and they filled it with something of the same color). After dropping it on hardwood floor many times the filler came out and now I have a bo with holes in it.

What does your instructor advise?

Have the Bo fit your height, or as close as you can without holding something that looks like a pole that's used in cleaning a swimming pool.

As far as material. I'd say this is based solely on your preference. Seeing that you're going to be using it for competition and sparring, get a Bo from the hardwood family, although it might be like weilding a tree; heavy. It'll spin but not like a composite/graphite type of material; a feather.

You might have to get two Bo's: one for Kata and one for sparring!! The sparring is going to mark up the Bo quite well, and it might not be conducive in Kata, especially at a tournament.

Good luck!

Generally the bo should be about your height, if a little shorter. As for whether a 6' or a 5' bo would be better that'll kind of end up being your preference, but I'd suggest going with the 5' because you're not quite 6'.

If nothing else, you could always just get a 6' bo and cut an inch or two off. That way you'd have something close to your size, but not so long that it's over your head.

Remember, a bo is literally just a wooden stick. It doesn't have to be fancy to be functional, especially for sparring. I have students that literally just went to Home Depot, bought some long sticks and cut them down to custom fit themselves.

My sensei told me to try and find one around 5'9"...he also follows the line of thought that a bo should be around your temple area. He's around 6'3", so he has an easy choice there!

Most of the websites I've looked at has had bo's 5-6 feet in length with no sizes in between.

I got my latest one from century. They have some bo's offered in the more diverse sizes that I listed.

Your bo should be at least as tall as you. Seeing as your 5'11" I would say get a 6' bo