Staff fighting is
a discipline that is not
quite as popular as the other more romanticized and often-depicted
fighting styles.
While almost every other weapons-based
martial art has
received the lion’s share of attention over the years from
TV, movies and the various media, relatively little is known about staff
fighting techniques.
If more people were aware of how effective
and devastating this weapon is however, it would surely receive far
more attention than it does now.
Nevertheless, staff fighting is slowly
gaining more notice. A recent feature on a popular television program
that covered the various weapons used in martial arts has shown just
how powerful and effective this simple piece of wood can be in the
hands of a suitably trained expert.
Capable of delivering a wide range
of strikes from sweeps to glides to skull crushing blows and even jabs,
staff fighting techniques are certainly something to be reckoned with.
In fact, when faced with the prospect of a
swirling staff that you have
little or no chance of blocking or intercepting, the outcome of the
combat will more likely than not favor the staff fighter.
As impressive as the staff is for offensive
combat techniques, it actually makes quite a good defensive weapon as
well.
It can block or parry virtually any type of
strike thrown by your
opponent, whether they are punches or kicks, and it can even be used to
break your way out of a hold if you are unfortunate enough to get
caught in one.
Staffs have actually been used as weapons to
great effect by a number of different cultures, and each of them has
developed their own unique set of staff fighting techniques.
China in
particular has developed many techniques and methods for staff
fighting, and they are an integral part of the country’s
wushu or war arts style.
The Japanese use several different lengths
of staff, among them the 3-foot long han-bo or half-staff and the
4-foot long jo.
Staffs are also used as fighting tools by
Koreans, Filipinos, East Indians, and even the English, who used an
eight foot long piece of wood called the quarterstaff.