The Staff

By Ed Sutter and Dana Abbott, Samurai Sports

General History
The history of man's use of the staff as a tool and weapon stretches back
into prehistory. It has typically been the weapon of choice for the poor or
disenfranchised. In Europe, we can see the staff used by outlaws and members of the Church. Remember Robin Hood, Little John, and Friar Tuck? Robin Hood and his cronies were Saxon rebels under Norman rule. As today, the ruling class liked to keep the most effective weapons in the control of their military. Further, in the case of the Church, monks and priests like Friar Tuck were forbidden to own or use edged weapons. They made do with staves and clubs of wood, no less lethal to bandits and others for lacking a metallic edge.

In Asia, the rules for owning edged weapons were similar. Not only that,
but no poor man could reasonably afford a sword. There were always trees handy, though, from which to cut a suitable wooden weapon.

In Japan in particular, the government became so enraged with armed monks resisting their rule that the Shogun staged the Great Sword Hunt, to insure that the people who owned the most lethal weapons worked for him. Of course, this did nothing to make the roads safer or bandits less ferocious, so traveling monks turned once again to the staff for protection.

A staff was a pretty good answer in these instances. With six feet or so of hard wood, one could defend oneself quite well even against swordsmen. The staff could deflect the blade, and its length could keep the bad guys at bay. The fact that the staff is equally dangerous at either end is also an advantage.

Until pretty recently, the novice learned staff fighting by fighting with a staff. They took their lumps and learned, probably very quickly, since pain is a great motivator. Over and above this obvious incentive, the student knew that he might need to defend his life with that very same staff. Robbery, dismemberment, and death were possible penalties for not learning well. That would certainly keep me interested.

In more modern times, the staff as a handy tool or weapon has faded from common usage, yet it's still taught in dojos around the world. Unfortunately, all that is typically taught are the katas. This teaches the student about the general moves of the weapon but takes a poor second to real combat.

In unarmed martial arts, kata is also used to teach proper technique, and has done a fine job of this for centuries. However, for tactics and learning how an opponent moves, telegraphs, and evades, there's nothing like sparring. This has been largely absent from the teaching of the staff.

There are some good reasons for this. First of all, you can go through a lot of students beating them on the head with a wooden stick. Most of the population of modern martial arts schools is composed of young kids. Their parents wouldn't appreciate it if their children came home all bloody and beat up. Second, today's laws preclude carrying or fighting with large pieces of wood. A somewhat narrow-minded view, perhaps, but I'm sure the lawmakers have their reasons.

So what do we know about the staff in the modern world? Well, pretty much the only practical application the general public ever sees is in the movies. Cinema is fond of using the staff as a medium range weapon. This allows for dialogue between the characters, and keeps them both in the shot. Convenient. Yet the real advantage of the staff is its standoff capability.
Wielded by one end, rather than with both hands in the middle, the staff can take out a sword, knife, or chain-wielding opponent from a safe distance.

Is there a practical use for staff fighting techniques in today's society, other than in your favorite local alley? Oddly enough, the answer is yes. For those others of you who, like myself, evaded the draft by enlisting in the Marine Corps, I'm sure you have treasured memories of pugil stick fighting. A length of padded wood simulating a rifle with a bayonet, the pugil stick is used to teach extremely close combat, particularly for situations where you've run out of those little bullet thingies. The pugil
stick moves are pretty much the same as staff fighting, although they don't cover the full range of staff moves. There's plenty of real contact, and you really know if you got hit. This training can be extremely effective in learning the fighting dynamics of stick (or empty rifle) fighting.

Today's Marines still learn pugil stick fighting, but at Quantico, the Marines and various other military organizations are being trained in a modern form of full contact staff fighting; Chanbara.

CHANBARA
Chanbara evolved in Japan as a solution to the problem of supplying realistic training in weapons such as the staff, short staff, short sword, and long sword. It was thought that a system using foam-tipped weapons of the appropriate length and characteristics could reasonably simulate actual combat with these weapons. Kendo, of course, had long been in place as a teaching method for the sword, but kendo had its shortcomings. It required armor and had become highly formalized, which somewhat blunted its effectiveness as a realistic fighting art.

Chanbara requires no armor, and can be applied to all weapons in the classical martial arts armory. Thus, it more closely approaches real weapons combat. Chanbara also allows competition between dissimilar weapons; sword against staff, staff against knife, or spear against sword, to name a few. The applications regarding teaching of the staff are obvious. Dana
Abbot, who spent fourteen years in Japan studying Chanbara, has these things to say about the staff:

"There is now a venue open to martial artists and combatants from around the world, competing with no restrictions, at full speed and power, in the Ultimate Physical Game of Chess. Participants do not have to be 250-pound guys that beat on each other in cages nor do they have to train and study for years just to test their skill. Full contact weapons sparring is thousands
of years old, but in the year 2002 innovations in equipment allow fighting without the hindrance of pain and injury.

"Throughout the martial arts community there are many techniques, styles, and forms to train in and master. There are thousands of techniques, which are theorized in text, picture, and video. Theory is usually executed at one-third speed, which allows students to grasp concepts more clearly.

Traditional, eclectic, artistic, correct, or realistic, all ask the age-old questions. Who is better? What style is stronger? Which techniques are faster? Will a 6-foot bo overtake a 4 and a half foot jo?

"Debate continues about what style is better. We all know that practical application of proper techniques with real weapons will cause pain and injury. With video and print we can only speculate about what style works best. In the real world of sparring there has never been a safe, practical, and speedy application of technique that could be practiced without the possibility of weeks or even months of painful recuperation.

"Moreover, the law condemns metal and wood full contact sparring. Individuals wind up spending time fighting the legal systems instead of other martial artists. That's why many forms have been watered down to protect the non-focused. Thus we have forms and sets slowed down to one-third speed as well as sets using light toothpick fiberglass staves They look fantastic, but have diverged quite a bit from the reality of combat.

"The effectiveness of these theoretical techniques incorporated into the staff are diminished when speed is increased. When speed increases, the physical characteristics of the staff also change, causing many theorized techniques to be applied incorrectly, resulting in injury.

"Thus, in a real combat situation, when the modern warrior/ combatant/ martial artist practices the staff, he is more likely to elect to fight with techniques viewed on a VHS tape or in a book. These media have trouble showing true movement, eliminating the "spirit of the thing".

"Chanbara allows us to go back to the basics where full-contact sparring offers the combatant a very realistic approach to the staff. Instead of going over dozens, if not hundreds of techniques and striking areas one must consider only those which actually work in combat."

TECHNIQUES (per Dana Abbott)

A simple weapon should use simple and strong basic techniques and striking areas. Note the following basic striking areas: Head, Torso, Legs, and Arms.

Strikes should all be practiced with speed, rhythm, timing and power. There are hundreds of striking patterns. The first two strikes should be the overhead strike and the thrust. An overhead strike does not mean that the staff should be raised six feet above one's head. It means that the overhead strike has enough area/ space to effectively come down on the opponent with severity and no telegraphing. The overhead strike should come from about one to three feet above the opponent utilizing the three basic striking
positions; 12 to 6, 1 to 7, and 11 to 5. 12 to 6 is a 12:00 o'clock to 6:00 o'clock vertical strike. The 1 to 7 and the 11 to 5 diagonal strikes come in at angles, which can be adjusted, to the head, shoulders, arms, torso, legs, etc.

The thrust is also a very important attack method since the opponent might have good blocking and evading technique. A thrust does not telegraph and can rapidly enter the opponent's circle of influence.

Many staff users go in for the opponent's stick. Yes, a stick shot, not the point, shot, or kill, just a hit to the stick. Again, this is a problem for combatants who have never practiced the spirit of the thing at full speed. The technique looks great and the weapon is correctly wielded, but the shot is always a tad short of striking the opponent, causing the combatant to waste time, effort, strength, and technique.

If one stays with a basic 12 to 6 thrust and strike pattern, recovery from mistakes, misjudgments, and errors is lessened and defensive follow-through against offensive attacks can keep the opponent at bay. A straight line down on the chest, head, arm, etc. takes up less time/ space, telegraphing, and energy when compared to a staff that is being wielded in long-range turns and circles. Don't beat around the bush, just go through it.

Striking areas used in a sucker punch or atouchi can be throughout the body, especially when one attacks another with the spirit of the thing. Of course, many techniques can be successfully employed, especially strikes which move in an upward or sideways motion, (5 to 11, 7 to 11, or 9 to 3). These are good shots or strikes which work very well. However, if you try to incorporate these techniques against a seasoned staff combatant, 80% to 90% of these strike areas become too difficult to attack without getting hit. In the "spirit of the thing" between two combatants, he loses, you lose, or you both lose. This is because striking patterns from the bottom to top, south to north, or 7 to 1 open up big unprotected areas in your defensive counterattack and put you into harms way by leaving holes in your defenses.

When I was first taught the staff, these same applications and theories were understood. In Japan and the Orient, where many martial arts have begun, practitioners treat the staff as a longer-range weapon, which allows for a more protected defensive and offensive application.

When the staff's techniques are slowed down and applied they work very well, but if the techniques are sped up, angles are lost and many subtle aspects are lost too. Study is important. Practice makes perfection. Be aware that pure theory assumption can build unjustified confidence that a more realistic combatant can easily put into dismay and disarray by strong steadfast, basic
strikes to the 5 areas.

(Please, visit the website of Sutter sensei and Abbott sensei at Samurai Sports)