Quarterstaffs

S

swifter...

New member
I'd just like to get some data on what I've heard is "the most effective non-firearm weapon of all time". I see a lot of references, but no facts on :kinds of wood, size, methods of use, etc. I'm referring to the European quarterstaff, not the Oriental equivalents.
Thanks, I look forward to a virtual flood of data!:D:D:D
 
Try the book "English Nartal Arts" by Terry Brown. It has some ecellent information on the quarterstaff and its use. It is avaliable from Amazon.com.
 
We do have fun here with our wierd weapons and unusual tactics. I would post more, but I have to go practice with my Manriki,
 
my preferences....

I generally stick with a good hardwood. I find oak to be decent, but because it does not have much plyability it tends to splinter and break on me quite a bit.

Mahogany is great, they used to use it a lot as shovel handles before they went to graphite.
 
George Silver, who wrote "paradoxes of defense" in the late 1500's claimed the staff to be superior to all other weapons in use at the time. He also goes into detail about the demensions of various weapons.
 
Quarter or Bo staff

of the woods available in North America generally second growth hickory is an outstanding choice. it is light weight, flexible and when cured damn near unbreakable. also ash is a fine choice but is harder to find.

most purchased Bo staffs are made of an Asian hardwood similar to maple.

I would be careful about getting a staff to heavy or to long. it is important to be able to move the staff thru its paces rapidly and an extremly heavy staff may seem like a good idea but will be a burden to carry and hard to use. we used to practice with a very heavy teak staff to build up our muscles. however, remember speed is as important as weight in striking with a staff.
the proper measurement puts the staff about as long as the person is tall. in the right hands the staff is a fantastic weapon. it can also be used for a variety of other uses. in Asia the Bo staff evolved from the stick used to carry water and the traveling staff or walking/hiking staff used by almost everyone. in old time Karate stories the Bo staff was the weapon of choice against the Japanese sword. it was the weapon most likely to be in the possesion of a common man. this was also the case in Europe where skill with a quarter staff was the "sword" of the common man.
 
I agree with riddleofsteel. For a longer stick I prefer the Jo (about 40 t0 44 inches) to the ro shaku bo (approximately 72 inches). THe jo is an extremely effective weapon and works well in a close fight.
 
Next question...?

Well, not 'zactly a flood, but an adequate trickle...:D
Now, I wonder, where does one find one of these bits of lumber, or the "makin's"?
How about ferrules?
Amazon is waiting for a reprint of "English Martial Arts", btw...
Thanks, gang, and keep the info coming!
 
Hardball,
Thanx, but I get a "no such address" message when I click on it... No rush, I'd not be trying anything 'til my hand heals, I sorta broke it...
swifter...
 
dont know how well it would work for a larger stick, like a quarter staff, but ash is a nice light hardwood that i liek for whacker sticks ( being any stick designed to whack someone or someting about the head and shoulders or anywhere else), i have a cane length ( well it was for me for awhile now its about 2 inches to short) baton made from it and a pair of 20 inch long batons.
In the one fight where i used the larger baton I am pretty dure i gave one of my attackers a compound fracture, but it was dark and i couldnt see to well, but it sure looked like it. and the cane/baton remained sound, without enough of a dent to see from a foot away.
but it might not work out for soemthign longer, liek a bo staff, or quarter staff.
but it is a thought.

as to where to get wood and ferrules, woods like ash, or other hardwoods, in poles, could probably be had at a specialty wood's shop, or they might tell you where to look, and ferrules can be had from a company called Nibco
( i remeber it to be nibco anyway) they dont sell ferruls but the do sell unthreaded brass pipe caps, thats what is the ferrule on my cane/baton. dont have a web URL for them tho.
 
A good source for jo size staffs are hiking staffs available mail order from The Boy Scouts of America.

The staffs are one and one eighth inches in diameter and five feet long. The type of wood varies, on availability, from a nice tight grained hardwood that is very strong to a really crumby softsoft wood that is still suitable for kata and hiking.

I cut them to proper length for the individual, and then give them a coat of tung oil followed by paste wax when dry.

Last time I ordered, several years ago, they were $2.25 apiece. It is a good idea to order several as about a third of them will be badly warped.
 
Not sure about the prob w/ Asian staffs. I do practice Kukishin Ryu staff work. Besides kata alone or with a training partner ("uke"- usually vs sword), I practice live striking. Dead trees are the preferred target. I have gained a reputation for breaking training weapons...

Anyway, I'm a little guy, but my staff is about 6'2". It is canvas micarta, and about 2x as heavy as a good hardwood bo also 1 1/4" wide. I break stuff with this bo, and can move it fast. I would not recommend a staff of this weight unless one were prepared, as I was, to practice daily for long enough to integrate the movement, but if you can take it, the piece should last forever.
 
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