The Bo And Other Long Wooden Staff Martial Arts Weapons

The Bo And Other Long Wooden Staff Martial Arts Weapons
By Clint Leung

Besides rocks, one of the most basic of all weapons throughout
mankind's history across most cultures has been the long wooden
stick. This makes sense since sticks were always readily
available in the forests or could be easily made. The Asian
martial arts took the long wooden staff into an art form as
many martial art styles include the long staff in their
systems. Some styles even have traditional weapons forms or
katas featuring the long staff. Some systems of martial arts
train with weapons such as the staff through practical
techniques only without the use of set forms.

Unlike many martial art weapons such as swords, knives, kamas
and sais which are short range, staffs are long range weapons
with superior reach. This enables the user to attack and defend
from a distance which can be frustrating from the point of view
of an opponent who has a short range weapon. Long range weapons
are also useful in keeping multiple opponents out of reach too.
Of course, long weapons such as the staff cannot be easily
concealed like short range weapons so they can be cumbersome to
carry around.

One of the most popular martial arts weapons from the Japanese
karate styles is the bo. Even today, the bo is usually the
first weapon taught at karate schools and is the most common
weapon seen at tournaments. The bo staff comes in different
variations. There are heavy bo staffs which resemble thick
poles which are considered more traditional and there are
lighter versions which are tapered at both ends. There are also
multi-sided bo staffs such as octagonal but these are much less
common than the usual round, circular versions.

Although there are one handed swings, most bo techniques
involve both hands holding the weapon. Various strikes and
blocks can be performed with either end of the bo as well as
the sides and middle. Bo users take advantage of the entire
weapon as techniques can be executed with any part of the bo.
For the majority of techniques involving the bo, the user holds
the staff near the middle with both ends protruding out equally.
Traditionally, the lead hand (furthest away from the body) has
been the right hand.

Contemporary weapons forms competitions have caused the bo to
evolve where competitors now use extremely lightweight bo's and
some even have reflective finishes giving a more flashy visual
appearance when the user is performing a bo form. Unlike
traditional bo forms, contemporary creative open forms with the
bo involve more complex spins and even tosses. Some martial
artists do not consider some of the modern bo forms observed in
the competition circuits to be true weapons forms as some
competitors emphasize too much baton-like twirling action
rather than actual combative techniques. It could very well be
a matter of personal taste. This is why in most of the large
open martial arts tournaments, weapons divisions are split into
traditional and creative.

Chinese kung fu styles also utilize the long staff although
there are some differences in techniques when compared to
Japanese karate styles. Instead of holding the weapon in the
middle most of the time like a bo is held, Chinese staffs are
usually held near one end which has the effect of elongating
the weapon even more. Taditionally, the lead hand is the left
hand with the right holding the bottom end of the staff.
However, there are techniques which involve switching sides as
well as using the bottom end to strike too. In addition to
strikes executed while holding the weapon with both hands,
there are more single handed techniques with Chinese staffs
than with Japanese bo staffs. Like their empty hand kung fu
forms, Chinese staff forms have more circular, swinging
techniques than in Japanese karate styles.

Contemporary wushu forms use a much lighter weapon than in
traditional kung fu staff forms. Wushu stylists also use staffs
or cudgels that are made of a unique white wax wood from trees
that are grown only in China. Staffs made of this type of wood
are not made with precision like Japanese bo's. The wushu
staffs are naturally tapered with a thicker bottom and thinner
top. The white wax wood is extremely resilient as users of this
type of Chinese staff perform techniques which involve smashing
the entire weapon on the floor at full force.

Korean kuk sul won also has the long staff in their system and
the techniques used are like a blend of Chinese and Japanese
moves. Although all martial arts styles that utilize weaponry
have more complex and possibly more impressive looking weapons,
the long staff has remained to be a favorite for many martial
artists.

About the Author: Clint Leung is a lifelong martial artist with
over 32 years of training experience in kung fu, tae kwon do,
karate, kickboxing and martial arts weaponry. He has won
Canadian and world championship titles (NASKA, NBL and WSKF).
He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear
(http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com) , an online retailer and
designer of premium martial arts activewear. Free Spirit
Activewear has martial arts info articles.

Source: http://www.isnare.com