Quarterstaffs

swifter... · January 1, 2001, 09:10 PM

I'd just like to get some data on what I've heard is "the most effective non-firearm weapon of all time". I see a lot of references, but no facts on :kinds of wood, size, methods of use, etc. I'm referring to the European quarterstaff, not the Oriental equivalents.
Thanks, I look forward to a virtual flood of data!

Jffal · January 2, 2001, 07:46 AM

Watch out for splinters and enjoy. Plenty of information here.
Jeff

http://www.frankdoc.in2home.co.uk/Quarterstaff.htm

Hard Ball · January 2, 2001, 04:04 PM

Try the book "English Nartal Arts" by Terry Brown. It has some ecellent information on the quarterstaff and its use. It is avaliable from Amazon.com.

Arizona Fusilier · January 2, 2001, 10:53 PM

Hey, this starting to turn into my favorite forum!!!

Hard Ball · January 3, 2001, 12:33 PM

We do have fun here with our wierd weapons and unusual tactics. I would post more, but I have to go practice with my Manriki,

gryphon · January 11, 2001, 11:03 PM

I generally stick with a good hardwood. I find oak to be decent, but because it does not have much plyability it tends to splinter and break on me quite a bit.

Mahogany is great, they used to use it a lot as shovel handles before they went to graphite.

Spadone · January 13, 2001, 04:32 PM

George Silver, who wrote "paradoxes of defense" in the late 1500's claimed the staff to be superior to all other weapons in use at the time. He also goes into detail about the demensions of various weapons.

Hard Ball · January 13, 2001, 06:48 PM

I have the greatest respect for George Silver. He usually knew what he was talking about.

riddleofsteel · January 14, 2001, 11:05 AM

of the woods available in North America generally second growth hickory is an outstanding choice. it is light weight, flexible and when cured damn near unbreakable. also ash is a fine choice but is harder to find.

most purchased Bo staffs are made of an Asian hardwood similar to maple.

I would be careful about getting a staff to heavy or to long. it is important to be able to move the staff thru its paces rapidly and an extremly heavy staff may seem like a good idea but will be a burden to carry and hard to use. we used to practice with a very heavy teak staff to build up our muscles. however, remember speed is as important as weight in striking with a staff.
the proper measurement puts the staff about as long as the person is tall. in the right hands the staff is a fantastic weapon. it can also be used for a variety of other uses. in Asia the Bo staff evolved from the stick used to carry water and the traveling staff or walking/hiking staff used by almost everyone. in old time Karate stories the Bo staff was the weapon of choice against the Japanese sword. it was the weapon most likely to be in the possesion of a common man. this was also the case in Europe where skill with a quarter staff was the "sword" of the common man.

Hard Ball · January 14, 2001, 08:38 PM

I agree with riddleofsteel. For a longer stick I prefer the Jo (about 40 t0 44 inches) to the ro shaku bo (approximately 72 inches). THe jo is an extremely effective weapon and works well in a close fight.

swifter... · January 14, 2001, 09:18 PM

Well, not 'zactly a flood, but an adequate trickle...

Now, I wonder, where does one find one of these bits of lumber, or the "makin's"?
How about ferrules?
Amazon is waiting for a reprint of "English Martial Arts", btw...
Thanks, gang, and keep the info coming!

Hard Ball · January 15, 2001, 05:33 PM

swifter...
Amazon UK has "English Martial Arts" in stock, See http://www.amazon.com.uk if you want a copy without waiting.

swifter... · January 15, 2001, 10:09 PM

Hardball,
Thanx, but I get a "no such address" message when I click on it... No rush, I'd not be trying anything 'til my hand heals, I sorta broke it...
swifter...

guerilla1138 · January 17, 2001, 02:11 PM

dont know how well it would work for a larger stick, like a quarter staff, but ash is a nice light hardwood that i liek for whacker sticks ( being any stick designed to whack someone or someting about the head and shoulders or anywhere else), i have a cane length ( well it was for me for awhile now its about 2 inches to short) baton made from it and a pair of 20 inch long batons.
In the one fight where i used the larger baton I am pretty dure i gave one of my attackers a compound fracture, but it was dark and i couldnt see to well, but it sure looked like it. and the cane/baton remained sound, without enough of a dent to see from a foot away.
but it might not work out for soemthign longer, liek a bo staff, or quarter staff.
but it is a thought.

as to where to get wood and ferrules, woods like ash, or other hardwoods, in poles, could probably be had at a specialty wood's shop, or they might tell you where to look, and ferrules can be had from a company called Nibco
( i remeber it to be nibco anyway) they dont sell ferruls but the do sell unthreaded brass pipe caps, thats what is the ferrule on my cane/baton. dont have a web URL for them tho.

William R. Wilburn · January 18, 2001, 07:04 PM

A good source for jo size staffs are hiking staffs available mail order from The Boy Scouts of America.

The staffs are one and one eighth inches in diameter and five feet long. The type of wood varies, on availability, from a nice tight grained hardwood that is very strong to a really crumby softsoft wood that is still suitable for kata and hiking.

I cut them to proper length for the individual, and then give them a coat of tung oil followed by paste wax when dry.

Last time I ordered, several years ago, they were $2.25 apiece. It is a good idea to order several as about a third of them will be badly warped.

Spectre · January 19, 2001, 05:05 PM

Not sure about the prob w/ Asian staffs. I do practice Kukishin Ryu staff work. Besides kata alone or with a training partner ("uke"- usually vs sword), I practice live striking. Dead trees are the preferred target. I have gained a reputation for breaking training weapons...

Anyway, I'm a little guy, but my staff is about 6'2". It is canvas micarta, and about 2x as heavy as a good hardwood bo also 1 1/4" wide. I break stuff with this bo, and can move it fast. I would not recommend a staff of this weight unless one were prepared, as I was, to practice daily for long enough to integrate the movement, but if you can take it, the piece should last forever.

January 1, 2001, 09:10 PM	#1
swifter... Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 1999 Location: So. CA Mountains Posts: 540	I'd just like to get some data on what I've heard is "the most effective non-firearm weapon of all time". I see a lot of references, but no facts on :kinds of wood, size, methods of use, etc. I'm referring to the European quarterstaff, not the Oriental equivalents. Thanks, I look forward to a virtual flood of data! __________________ There are damn few situations so screwed up that adding government to them will not make 'em worse... The best homeland security is an armed & informed citizenery! Molon Labe!

January 2, 2001, 07:46 AM	#2
Jffal Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 1999 Posts: 364	Excellant quarterstaff page Watch out for splinters and enjoy. Plenty of information here. Jeff http://www.frankdoc.in2home.co.uk/Quarterstaff.htm

January 11, 2001, 11:03 PM	#6
gryphon Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,069	my preferences.... I generally stick with a good hardwood. I find oak to be decent, but because it does not have much plyability it tends to splinter and break on me quite a bit. Mahogany is great, they used to use it a lot as shovel handles before they went to graphite. __________________ Your suffering will be legendary, even in HELL!! --- PinHead, HellRaiser 2

January 14, 2001, 11:05 AM	#9
riddleofsteel Senior Member Join Date: January 18, 2000 Location: above ground Posts: 1,558	Quarter or Bo staff of the woods available in North America generally second growth hickory is an outstanding choice. it is light weight, flexible and when cured damn near unbreakable. also ash is a fine choice but is harder to find. most purchased Bo staffs are made of an Asian hardwood similar to maple. I would be careful about getting a staff to heavy or to long. it is important to be able to move the staff thru its paces rapidly and an extremly heavy staff may seem like a good idea but will be a burden to carry and hard to use. we used to practice with a very heavy teak staff to build up our muscles. however, remember speed is as important as weight in striking with a staff. the proper measurement puts the staff about as long as the person is tall. in the right hands the staff is a fantastic weapon. it can also be used for a variety of other uses. in Asia the Bo staff evolved from the stick used to carry water and the traveling staff or walking/hiking staff used by almost everyone. in old time Karate stories the Bo staff was the weapon of choice against the Japanese sword. it was the weapon most likely to be in the possesion of a common man. this was also the case in Europe where skill with a quarter staff was the "sword" of the common man. __________________ For him there was always the discipline of steel.

January 14, 2001, 09:18 PM	#11
swifter... Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 1999 Location: So. CA Mountains Posts: 540	Next question...? Well, not 'zactly a flood, but an adequate trickle... Now, I wonder, where does one find one of these bits of lumber, or the "makin's"? How about ferrules? Amazon is waiting for a reprint of "English Martial Arts", btw... Thanks, gang, and keep the info coming! __________________ There are damn few situations so screwed up that adding government to them will not make 'em worse... The best homeland security is an armed & informed citizenery! Molon Labe!

January 2, 2001, 04:04 PM	#3
Hard Ball Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 1999 Location: California Posts: 3,925	Try the book "English Nartal Arts" by Terry Brown. It has some ecellent information on the quarterstaff and its use. It is avaliable from Amazon.com.

January 2, 2001, 10:53 PM	#4
Arizona Fusilier Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2000 Posts: 1,082	Hey, this starting to turn into my favorite forum!!!

January 3, 2001, 12:33 PM	#5
Hard Ball Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 1999 Location: California Posts: 3,925	We do have fun here with our wierd weapons and unusual tactics. I would post more, but I have to go practice with my Manriki,

January 13, 2001, 04:32 PM	#7
Spadone Member Join Date: July 3, 2000 Posts: 48	George Silver, who wrote "paradoxes of defense" in the late 1500's claimed the staff to be superior to all other weapons in use at the time. He also goes into detail about the demensions of various weapons.

January 13, 2001, 06:48 PM	#8
Hard Ball Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 1999 Location: California Posts: 3,925	I have the greatest respect for George Silver. He usually knew what he was talking about.

January 14, 2001, 08:38 PM	#10
Hard Ball Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 1999 Location: California Posts: 3,925	I agree with riddleofsteel. For a longer stick I prefer the Jo (about 40 t0 44 inches) to the ro shaku bo (approximately 72 inches). THe jo is an extremely effective weapon and works well in a close fight.

January 15, 2001, 05:33 PM	#12
Hard Ball Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 1999 Location: California Posts: 3,925	swifter... Amazon UK has "English Martial Arts" in stock, See http://www.amazon.com.uk if you want a copy without waiting.

January 15, 2001, 10:09 PM	#13
swifter... Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 1999 Location: So. CA Mountains Posts: 540	Hardball, Thanx, but I get a "no such address" message when I click on it... No rush, I'd not be trying anything 'til my hand heals, I sorta broke it... swifter... __________________ There are damn few situations so screwed up that adding government to them will not make 'em worse... The best homeland security is an armed & informed citizenery! Molon Labe!

January 17, 2001, 02:11 PM	#14
guerilla1138 Senior Member Join Date: August 28, 2000 Posts: 294	dont know how well it would work for a larger stick, like a quarter staff, but ash is a nice light hardwood that i liek for whacker sticks ( being any stick designed to whack someone or someting about the head and shoulders or anywhere else), i have a cane length ( well it was for me for awhile now its about 2 inches to short) baton made from it and a pair of 20 inch long batons. In the one fight where i used the larger baton I am pretty dure i gave one of my attackers a compound fracture, but it was dark and i couldnt see to well, but it sure looked like it. and the cane/baton remained sound, without enough of a dent to see from a foot away. but it might not work out for soemthign longer, liek a bo staff, or quarter staff. but it is a thought. as to where to get wood and ferrules, woods like ash, or other hardwoods, in poles, could probably be had at a specialty wood's shop, or they might tell you where to look, and ferrules can be had from a company called Nibco ( i remeber it to be nibco anyway) they dont sell ferruls but the do sell unthreaded brass pipe caps, thats what is the ferrule on my cane/baton. dont have a web URL for them tho.

January 18, 2001, 07:04 PM	#15
William R. Wilburn Senior Member Join Date: March 27, 2000 Posts: 192	A good source for jo size staffs are hiking staffs available mail order from The Boy Scouts of America. The staffs are one and one eighth inches in diameter and five feet long. The type of wood varies, on availability, from a nice tight grained hardwood that is very strong to a really crumby softsoft wood that is still suitable for kata and hiking. I cut them to proper length for the individual, and then give them a coat of tung oil followed by paste wax when dry. Last time I ordered, several years ago, they were $2.25 apiece. It is a good idea to order several as about a third of them will be badly warped.

January 19, 2001, 05:05 PM	#16
Spectre Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 23, 1998 Location: ATL Posts: 3,277	Not sure about the prob w/ Asian staffs. I do practice Kukishin Ryu staff work. Besides kata alone or with a training partner ("uke"- usually vs sword), I practice live striking. Dead trees are the preferred target. I have gained a reputation for breaking training weapons... Anyway, I'm a little guy, but my staff is about 6'2". It is canvas micarta, and about 2x as heavy as a good hardwood bo also 1 1/4" wide. I break stuff with this bo, and can move it fast. I would not recommend a staff of this weight unless one were prepared, as I was, to practice daily for long enough to integrate the movement, but if you can take it, the piece should last forever.