bo question

[jezah81]

Hey guys

Just a quick question. I'm around the 6'1 or 6'2 height and have a six foot white oak Bo. Would it be ok to use this length bo for me in okinawan kobudo systems?

Cheers

Jezah

[chiliphil1]

I am not in your specific style, so hopefully someone who is will come along with a better answer.

In my style we were told that the bo should be right in the middle of your forehead, it should not be taller than you and should not be down at your eyes or nose. Given your height I would think a 6' bo would be about right for you, hope this helps.

[Harlan]

Personally, I think the 'uniformity' of bo is just useful for a class situation; one should train with different lengths, weights, woods, etc. and train with the bo one feels most 'comfortable' with.

If you think about it, if Okinawans were using 6 ft staff decades ago...that would probably translate to at least at 7 ft staff for you. But it's very hard to find someone with a lathe that makes anything larger than 6 ft...or affordable.

[Wastelander]

I'm 6'1" and my bo is 6'6" long. As Harlan said, if we look at proportions, you and I should be using bo that are around 7' in length. In the end, it really isn't all that important. I would recommend practicing with everything from a 5' bo to an 8' bo, if you can.

[jezah81]

Thanks for the replies guys. Sorry I wasn't clearer from the start of my post. I actually wanted to know about the size of the bo in relation to isshin ryu bo kata, if a 6 foot bo would affect my bo kata in a negative way In the isshin ryu style?

Cheers

Jezah

[Nidan Melbourne]

Ummm I think it would be best if you train with varying lengths for a Bo irregardless of style. But probably a 6 foot bo is acceptable for someone your height

[vantheman]

A six foot staff will work, although traditionally it should be 2 palm widths longer, I believe. The catch is that for most Okinawans, this meant they'd never need a staff longer than six feet, so there generally was never any staff work done with 7 foot bos. Given this situation, most schools are typically okay with a six foot staff, as they are more widely available and practical despite them technically being too short for most Westerners.

[sensei8]

Some great advice, all around from everyone!! CHECK WITH YOUR CI, then go from there!!

Bo's and Jo's...which one are you wielding?? If the Bo is short, below your head, than it's a Jo...or the like, thereupon. If the Bo's too long to your stature, then it's going to be too cumbersome to effectively maneuver it accordingly and effectively.

Imho!!