I’m looking for a new staff to train with, as the one and only I’ve got now is somewhat too light for my preferences. This time, I’m looking to go a bit in the opposite direction and get something with a bit more heft than your generic hardwood bo, to get some extra strength training while practicing. I’ve considered getting the eyebrow-height iron staff or even just a 6-foot pipe, but it’s severely doubtful that my Sifu would allow me to train with one of those in the kwoon (and due to unfortunate space limitations at home, I’m rather short of other available options), and it’s not like I need one with poundage in the double digits anyway. Looking on the internet is yielding confusing and contradictory results, with the same measurements of the same materials being listed at wildly different weights, when weight is listed at all. Anyone here know of a good source for heavier-than-average staves?
Check your local lumber yard for hardwood dowels to the length you require. They might even come in various diameters. Something like oak is pretty heavy, and go for the biggest diameter you feel comfortable with. 40mm is pretty hefty.
These dowels are often used for fancy curtain rods, so they should have the length you’re after. Finish it up nicely and seal it with a mix of oil and estapol, beauty!
Training with an old weight lifting bar is fun too…
Alternatively, get a hardwood 2x4, rip it lengthwise and plane each half down into staves. Takes a bit of time, but you can taper it if you like, make it octagonal, or whatever floats your boat.
go to Bed, Bath and Beyond and check out the wooden curtain rods that they have there…
I had an oak staff once. I ended up trashing it though after about the fifth time it left me with splinters. The problem with oak is that once it starts to wear its downhill from there. We abused the heck out of our sticks though so…I stick to waxwood. The more you use it the better it gets.
When it comes to anything wood, I always go with Brendan Lai. The only ones that have managed to get me the stuff I’ve requested in the sizes I like. My current waxwood is 1.5" on the fat end and 1" on the tapered. And the only 2 section I’ve ever seen worth a #$* is proudly mine, 1.25" at its narrowest point. That thing has lasted me 6 years and its only just now starting to split on the flail section where the rivets go through the wood.
That and they have always had great customer service. I remember the time we ordered about a dozen sticks and half of em were eaten up with termites which is always a risk when you order stuff like that. They replaced everything and paid for shipping.
And the experience was totally worth it when counting the fun I had letting loose rampaging fireants onto the unsuspecting termites. Even managed to save a couple of the staffs. Nature really does often have the best cures
what if you built a slosh pipe but with a staff like diameter go to diesel crew they had a article on there. (a slosh pipe is a pvc pipe capped at one end and screw capped at the other) Great for stabilisation muscle and is great when move it around in general causing the muscles to work in ways you wouldnt normally feel.
Get one of those weighted sticks that they use for pilates or weight training. The have color stripes at the ends. Those would be good.
I still have my heaviest staff - it’s made from plumbing pipe and it’s 6" over my head in length. Dunno how much it weighs, but it’s heavy. When I was swinging it around a lot, if I went too fast it would feel like I was pulling something on my insides. Made me a bit stronger and really helped my endurance.
Iron Wood is awesome for heavy staffs. A friend of mine has a purple heart wood staff, and its super dense and nice and heavy.
At a local shop ive seen purple heart wood and black ironwood(leadwood) staffs for sale.
the only downside is they can break bones easily so best to spar with rattan or bamboo, the ironwood can hurt pretty easily with just a light strike. really dense stuff.
i have three different metal staffs for weight training… one is from martial arts mart, the eyebrow height metal staff, another is a 21 lb waist high iron bar, and the 3rd is an eyebrow height 20 pounder… a trip to the local scrap yard can reveal a load of training instruments.
stability and speed.
if you can’t wield the weapon effectively because it’s too heavy to move quickly enough, then what is the point?
like anything that involves external devices, if you are losing correct structure while using, then stop, you are not training anything.
a rattan staff will hit someone more times in less time tahn any heavy staff will simply because it can be wielded as a weapon.
if you are very strong already and can handle something heavier at the same speed, then all power to you, but for all it’s worth, buy a gun. 
Well if you keep your form correct, yet practice with a heavier staff, your body will develop strength accordingly. so when you pick up that rattan staff, you will be able to move even faster, and hit even harder.
its like using a real sword vs a wushu sword. one has real weight the other doesnt.
if you go and practice with a combat dao and then pick up a wushu dao, its like a feather.
wushu steel is for faeries…
[QUOTE=Lucas;897874]Well if you keep your form correct, yet practice with a heavier staff, your body will develop strength accordingly. so when you pick up that rattan staff, you will be able to move even faster, and hit even harder.
its like using a real sword vs a wushu sword. one has real weight the other doesnt.
if you go and practice with a combat dao and then pick up a wushu dao, its like a feather.[/QUOTE]
Truth be known, training should be almost exactly the same as what it is you’re training to do. You shoul dbe able to transition instantly from training to reality and vice versa.
yes, you can do supportive and attribute training, but there’s much more efficient and effective ways to gain strength which is not the same as learning to properly use a weapon.
I hear where you’re coming from, but to me, it’s like hammering screws in. Yeah it’ll work, but it’s not the most desirable effect.
[QUOTE=David Jamieson;897878]Truth be known, training should be almost exactly the same as what it is you’re training to do. [/quote]which it is wise to train with practical combat blades as opposed to faerie weapons.
You shoul dbe able to transition instantly from training to reality and vice versa.
notice the keyword is [b]should[/b]
yes, you can do supportive and attribute training, but there’s much more efficient and effective ways to gain strength which is not the same as learning to properly use a weapon.
again you use the concept of [b]proper[/b]… what is proper to you might be obsolete to another…
I hear where you’re coming from, but to me, it’s like hammering screws in. Yeah it’ll work, but it’s not the most desirable effect.
sometimes you simply make do with what you have.
[QUOTE=uki;897881]which it is wise to train with practical combat blades as opposed to faerie weapons.
notice the keyword is [b]should[/b]
again you use the concept of [b]proper[/b]… what is proper to you might be obsolete to another…
sometimes you simply make do with what you have.[/QUOTE]
“proper” is my gun beats your ball juggling.
[QUOTE=uki;897877]wushu steel is for faeries…[/QUOTE]
true that. i dont know why more schools dont drop them and use oak or some such for class training.
[QUOTE=Lucas;897888]true that. i dont know why more schools dont drop them and use oak or some such for class training.[/QUOTE]
oak will break if a fault develops in the grain from repetitive striking.
rattan will break if peeled.
unskinned rattan can hit harder surfaces more times than oak can without breaking.
btdt gtts.
[QUOTE=David Jamieson;897878]Truth be known, training should be almost exactly the same as what it is you’re training to do. You shoul dbe able to transition instantly from training to reality and vice versa.
yes, you can do supportive and attribute training, but there’s much more efficient and effective ways to gain strength which is not the same as learning to properly use a weapon.
I hear where you’re coming from, but to me, it’s like hammering screws in. Yeah it’ll work, but it’s not the most desirable effect. :)[/QUOTE]
I get you, and I tend to hop back and forth on this kind of thing.
When I train staff, I generally just use my rattan, but it splits too easy on the ground, and I go through duct tape like nobody’s business.
However, I do switch between my live katana, an oak bokken and a purple heart wood boken depending on what I feel like at the moment. each one have their own ‘vibes’ that i groove with.
you a karate guy then?
[QUOTE=David Jamieson;897891]oak will break if a fault develops in the grain from repetitive striking.
rattan will break if peeled.
unskinned rattan can hit harder surfaces more times than oak can without breaking.
btdt gtts. :)[/QUOTE]
But for forms training I hate that wushu crap, its got no weight to it. At least wood would have some weight and not cut someone if you hit them. im thinking for full classes of course. plus as far as like dao goes or jian you can fashion the tool to have the saber curve for slashing.