Bo Staffs

Hey there everyone

Do we have any martial artists familiar with homemade bo? I've seen quite a bit of folks who have made them from closet rods- but I also have noticed the professional ones are 'tempered' to prevent breakage and splintering.

Should I make my own or should I buy a professional grade one?

Anyone have any experience, advice or stories?

I would also be interested in this knowledge!

Make your own. They tend to be around 6 ft., can have a round or octagonal cross section, and occasionally are tapered. Depends on what you're after. I'd suggest oak if you can find a 6' rod at a hardware store or the like, as it's respectably heavy and stout, but easy to find.

Side note: bo implies "staff" in its translation, so "bo staff" is redundant, just like "chain mail" and "pizza pie".

J. K. Barger wrote: Hey there everyone

Do we have any martial artists familiar with homemade bo? I've seen quite a bit of folks who have made them from closet rods- but I also have noticed the professional ones are 'tempered' to prevent breakage and splintering.

Should I make my own or should I buy a professional grade one?

Anyone have any experience, advice or stories?

I do have experience with it.. not ask me why please. Depending on the style you practice, adding metal ends on the bo will ensure to give it a longer live span and protection from splitting your bo staff when smacking it in the ground during some specialized ''Kata'' forms.

Assuming you are practicing alone, and you properly sand and finish it, a piece of oak (better, hickory) from a lumber yard will do you.

If you are doing paired practice, I'd spend a bit of money. When they split in your hand, it's pretty ugly.

check out budk's catalog....they sell chinese wax wood staffs in 6foot or 4 foot lengths....it's very flexible and strong....often used in making polearms....

i have made several myself out of closet dowels, commercial grade broom handles made of ash wood, oak branches....if you put the time in anything can be used...i've even made them out of pvc plumbing (they eventually shatter at the ends)

In Shaolin, we use a "goon", which is basically a really long stick right of the tree with the bark stripped off. I got mine from my Shirfu, and he brought them back from China, so I don't know the source.

I practice with an equivalent length of steel pipe.

Tiger Claw sells this sort of thing.

For my quarterstaff I had split the difference. I bought an old garden tool from the thrift store. I sanded any rough spots and began customizing to my style. Primary and secondary grips, attaching a hilt, and putting a rubber foot piece to take it hiking.

Rattan
Rattan is a light and flexible material that is an excellent choice for sparring training, demonstrations, and tournaments

Oak Wood
Oak is a heavy hardwood. Oak staffs are an excellent choice for those who want to do strength and conditioning training using a staff. Oak is subject to splintering, consequently striking the ground with an oak staff can cause it to splinter. Oak is considered to be the perfect material for those wanting a staff that is a combat weapon.

I have extensive martial art background. I cannot do most of the things I used to do, due to a body wide series of injuries.... but I know from my own experience that buying "pro" is really never recommended for a neophyte. Buying cheap is.

See in the beginning you are NOT training to hit, but to be precise and to do repetitions over and over in flowing motions to build muscle memory as well as precision which is far more important than hitting power. Depending on what you learn in, I learned in Japan & Philippines both Aikido and Stick Fighting.... later in America, a Korean form system based from Aikido called Hapkido. All three martial art forms in all three countries require precision over strength. I would do my "I" forms over and over, tapping a 1/2" target at each junction/end.

Something cheap and flexible is good, but not too flexible. Also I would see it as you are buying cheap to learn how to preserve the weapon you will later make when you have mastered the beginning elements.