Aikido Bo Staff Techniques<p>The mirror hanging on the staff Is the Enlightenment that shines within. The sharp knife indicates That the pain of passions will be cut. The stone-crystal symbolizes The purifying of defiled habitual thoughts.</p>

Techniques Martial Arts Techniques for Short Staff and Cane: Using One Hand or Two Hands on the Wooden Stick Strikes, Swing Strikes, Chops, Crook Strikes, Pokes, Punches, Jabs Blocks, Sweeps, Pull Downs, Spinning and Twirling Instructional Tips, Tools, and Suggestions


    Zen Master Yunmen Wenyan and Shifu Miao Zhang were walking together in the hills behind the monastery one cloudy autumn afternoon.  It began to rain steadily on the two old friends.  Yunmen said, �My staff has changed into a dragon and is swallowing up the heaven and earth.  So, my friend, where do mountains, rainfall, rivers and the great earth come from?� Miao Zhang was quiet for awhile, stopped on the trail, and then held his cane in his hand with the tip pointing to the sky.  He said, �Yunmen, as for the source of their coming, the tip of my cane points to the fecund depths of vast emptiness, the crook end to the endless inter-marriages of ten thousand realities, and my hand grasps the heartwood of the ordinary mind.  So, my friend, Yunmen, where are they all going?�


The Complete Book of Tai Chi Chuan: A Comprehensive Guide to the Principles and Practice.  By Wong Kiew Kit.  Shaftesbury, Dorset, Element, 1996.  Index, bibliography, 316 pages.  ISBN: 1852307927.  The reasons for Wu Tang Tai Chi Chuan favoring the sword over the staff, and for its limited use of weapons, are discussed in the chapter on Tai Chi weapons, pp. 278-285.


Aikido Bo Staff Techniques

I am 6'6" (198 cm) tall, and have practiced with a variety of short staff weapons over the years.  Currently, I practice daily only with a cane. I use an Instructor's Walking Cane, 40" (103 cm) long and 1" (2.54 cm) in diameter, from Cane Masters.  This cane weights 1lb, 2 oz (510 gm).  This beautiful martial arts combat cane is made of pure hickory heartwood, has multiple notches at three key gripping points, has a rounded hooked horn, and has a rubber covered tip.  I also own the same Instructor's Walking Cane made of oak - a gift from my children.            This cane has a rounded tip to the crook.  The curved crook end is just a little wider and larger than with other canes.  The cane is thoroughly sanded, and very smooth to the touch.  It does not attract any undue attention as a weapon, and appears to be a ordinary, sturdy, and practical walking cane suitable for a big fellow like me.  Make no mistake, however, the Instructor's Walking Cane is a true combat weapon, as well as a practical walking stick.  Make sure it has enough length for your walking stride.  Most canes I see people use are a bit too short for a good walking stick. 


Bo Staff Form Ata

Short staff also named as Biān 鞭 Gān 杆 (whip staff) has a length of 13 times the width of practitioner's hand.  Shifu Jiang says that the Wu Dang short whip staff  is 13 hands long, and the stafff for use in the Chen Shen-Pu Short Staff form is 13 hands long.  For me, relative to the size of my hands and height (6'6"=198cm), my "13 Hands Staff" is 54" long (137.2cm).  


Bo Staff Training Nyc

Chinese Chan Buddhist Master Shoushan held up a bamboo staff before a group and said, "If you call it a bamboo staff, you are clinging.  If you do not call it a bamboo staff, you are ignoring.  So tell me, what do you call it?"  - Wumenquan, # 43.  


Bo Staff Martial Arts Name

The Japanese martial art of wielding the bō is bōjutsu. The basis of bō technique is te, or hand, techniques derived from quanfa and other martial arts that reached Okinawa via trade and Chinese monks. Thrusting, swinging, and striking techniques often resemble empty-hand movements, following the philosophy that the bō is merely an "extension of one’s limbs". Consequently, bōjutsu is often incorporated into other styles of empty hand fighting, such as karate. The "bō" is also used as a spear and long sword in some of its motions, such as upward swing and slashing motion across the body as well as extensions by gripping one end and thus increasing its length as thus making it similar to a spear.


karate bo staff training

    Nan-ch'uan asked Miao Zhang, "Is Ordinary Mind the Dao?"  Miao Zhang said, "No.  My mind is not ordinary, so the Dao is a dream within a dream.  My cane is ordinary, so it walks with me along the Watercourse Way, pointing to the Abode of the Dao in the new forest."  


"Staves are a traditional prop for the elderly and infirm, and this has led to their association with wisdom.  The ability of a staff to perform wonders is also featured prominently in the scriptures of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Moses and Aaron, in their task to liberate the Hebrews from Egypt and deliver them to the Promised Land, employ staves. The staves are capable of performing miraculous feats to demonstrate the power and authority of God.  Staves are also associated with wizards and other users of magic and sorcery. Haraibou (literal translation meaning 'purification stick') were staves that were used by the miko (Japanese female exorcists) to fight demons in Japanese lore." -  Wikipedia - Staff (Stick)