Shaolin Staff Question

[moeman]

I'm just starting to learn Shaolin Staff forms (fire set) and I've just purchased a 6' long rattan staff. It has "skin on" (quite unfinished, no sanding or burning). My sifu recommends a rattan staff, but likes the more finished ones since they have more spring action, and have a smaller diameter.

Does anyone have experience with rattan staffs, and is it ok just to start sanding off the outer bamboo-like surface? I do like the staff just the way it is, so if this is risky, I'll just leave it alone and get another one when I'm ready. Also, I did look at the more finished staffs with spiral patterns burned into the entire length, but they also had some carvings on each end, and I wasn't sure about how that would work with all the sliding and hand changing I see in class. Thanks in advance.

[Ben Gash]

If you like the staff then stick with it. These things are purely down to taste and preference. For example my Sifu likes to use lighter staffs than I do.

[SanSoo Student]

And if its a weapon your going to practice with, the staff is going to get beaten around anyways. A nice weapon is only used for show.

[Shaolinlueb]

hey sansoo student, since you cant recieve pms or email, hit me up in an email or on aim. i would like to talk some sansoo.

[moeman]

Thanks for the responses. Yes, I'll keep my staff just the way it is. I worked out with a finished staff in class tonight and decided I'm not good enough yet to appreciate any difference.

[Thundermudd]

From my experience - I have found that I like the unfinished staff better - especially for training purposes.
The unfinished are stronger and can take more of a beating. They are also a bit heavier which can intensify training. After working w/ the unfininshed for a while I bought a finished staff, (one w/ the spiral burn). I was going through a form where you smack the ground with the staff and the finished staff splintered where the un's simply rebounded. I also think that the heavier unfinished staffs make a much heathier SMACK!

[David Jamieson]

My personal view is that it is completely unimportant in the big picture.

Staff is staff is staff.
The principles and techniques that govern it's correct usage are much more important than wether or not it's peeled or unpeeled or even rattan at all.

Rattan is nice and springy and doesn't break when you hit hard with it.

Oak is not springy and if you have sufficient power and strike a stronger object, it could break.

A fault line in any cylinder will cause the demise of the object if enough force is sustained by teh object.

Anyway, It's not important, just learn the staff!

I would put this sort of question in the same area as "will a silk shirt or a cotton one make my punches harder?"

Capice?

cheers

[moeman]

Capice!

Looks like I just saved myself a trip to the hardware store for sandpaper. Thanks again guys. Great forum btw.

[brothernumber9]

rattan staffs are light, probably the lightest you can get. Rattan is really fibrous si it is pretty tough and may even be more flexible than wax wood. For demonstrations and competition it has advantanges in allowing for more speed and control. However, for training it is too light to develop the conditioning and strength and momentum that can result from heavier woods like wax wood, oak, and cocobolo (not toothpick tapered ones). Oak and cocobolo are not flexible but are more dense and can do more damage on impact strikes and pokes and offer substantial weight to develop the muscular conditioning and strength in technique. Wax wood is flexible and usualy a little thicker on one end than the other and doesn't really come in a standard diameter so you can find a toothpick one or a nice thick dense one and can combine speed weight and flexibility.
You should try them all to understand the different feel each presents so that if one day you end up in a situation where you would use the techniques, you would be better prepared assuming the occurence would be where you grabbed a pool stick or a broom or tree branch, etc. And really a rattan staff

[David Jamieson]

You should try them all to understand the different feel each presents so that if one day you end up in a situation where you would use the techniques, you would be better prepared assuming the occurence would be where you grabbed a pool stick or a broom or tree branch, etc.

excellent!

cheers

[SanSoo Student]

cocobolo rocks.. I have some tonfas made from that wood, and they are sturdy as h3ll.

[moeman]

I love your idea of being able to adapt to different staff-like objects. Our school has most of the types of staffs you mentioned, waxwood, oak, even metal. Once i get proficient at a form, I'll try switching staff types. I also like the idea of training (at least periodically) with a heavier staff, that makes total sense and should provide a good foundation for me.

Funny you should mention real world items in a self defense situation. I drive a pickup truck and always carry a long handled push broom, a rake, shovel and various other landscape tools. I also always carry a 5' long solid steel tanker bar (pry bar on one end and pin point on the other) but that thing weighs 19 pounds. I suppose I could always toss in a 6' length of aluminum pipe, which would be light weight enough to be handled like a staff.

Thanks again!