THE ART OF THE STAFF:
A Quick Survey

There are a lot of staff sets out there. Not to mention all the variations in shape and size. You could go for a long time without spotting two who looked alike.

I like staff work, a lot. As in the case of many martial artists, it was the first weapon I ever learned. A teacher named Tom Bersik taught me the well known Kenpo staff set. It wasn’t a bad set being symmetrical and mostly based on rolls. It certainly did not have the pattern of Okinawan sets, which I have since tasted, where the staff rarely rolls and slides only slightly.

I've learned even more Chinese staff sets and they are a world onto themselves. At PLUM we have dozens and dozens of them just in our VCD section. There are so many! The varieties of staff are so numerous that they are like variations on the old pineapple gag.

Just consider:
Length: From shortest to longest we have; a cubit (roughly fingertips or grip to elbow length). Then, measured from the ground to your solar plexus. Then from the ground to your armpit. Then, from the ground to your eyebrow (certainly one of the most popular lengths). Then from the ground to you up-stretched fingertips and then beyond.
We have three varieties of tips sizes (really two): tapered at one end, tapered at both ends or not tapered at all. The advantage of the last is that you can pretend you are doing either of the other two types without having to change your weapon.

We also have thickness variations: thick (banner poles) and thin (rat’s tails).Then there is the section known as sectional: two short sticks tied together makes the famous nunchaku; a long and a short is called “the Big Sweeper”; three sectional is called by that name: The Three Sectional Staff. Whew!

Now let’s take a tour of our VCDS and catch the lay of the land. We HAVE to start with our Western Staff VCDs because, in that style, they are fanatics for the weapon. Western Staff teaches double tipped, single, rat tail, nunchaku, short, and medium. In general all the sets are good but the outstanding section is their “seeds” VCD #514 which gives practice for the basic strokes.

#514 is our first recommendation and it's not even a set because you never can tell where you are going to find good and interesting stick work; and certainly not all of it is in forms. For instance one of my favorite training VCDs with the staff is from our Shuai Jiao #collection of all things. In this VCD #249 coach Li Bao-Ru trains Chinese wrestling techniques with all sorts of equipment, chains, wooden dowels, belts and the staff.

Another surprise is our VCD on Wu Tai Chi staff work, VCD #426. It concentrates on two person drills and shows enough for not only most students but even most teachers to come away with something. Definitely a good piece if you have a partner to knock against. Also, the staff and spear play techniques of Wu style are taught with the same exercises, a double bonus.

Technical varies. The problem with the staff is that for every hundred people who can swing it like a wild weed whacker there are two at most who have tried their hands at using the weapon. When people move you can tell if there’s a story behind their eyes or not. Some, with no disrespect for the style or the instructor, have been disappointing despite reputation. In Hung, for instance, most of the sets are nominal with the exception of the Lau Gar stick which is a long weapon indeed and a find for the enthusiast.

On the other hand some people know what they are about AND turn in great performances. I particularly like VCD #1247 by a mature performer, Yuan Guo Jun, who performs a nice Lost Track (YanQing) stick set. This is also one of the few examples of both form and applications.

Among the section we might call “mixed feelings” are many of the Shaolin style sticks. History records the dominance of Shaolin staff work, it being pretty much acknowledged as some of the best in the world for a time. But it also records that in 1561 Yu DaYou returned to the temple and found that the “essence of previous generations” had been lost and the famed Shaolin skills in sad disrepair (see Spring Autumn of Chinese Martial Arts, page 60). This still seems the case with a few exceptions like The Big Sweeper VCD #588. The Shaolin cane sets are not particularly notable though in former times they were (which is why I added a Northern Shaolin Cane DVD to our line up).As you can see there are many staff forms in Kung Fu. Some others that come to mind because they are handsome and forceful are:
Shaolin's Defending the Mountain
Xing Yi's Linked Staff

Finally there are certain staff sets which have famous names throughout China. Though the interpretations may differ—drastically in some cases—they are famous for a reason and, as in the example of the Five Tigers Staff, so well known that many styles have incorporated them into the curriculum.

Five Tigers Capture the Sheep Staff:
#1253 Meihua Style: Yuan Guo Jun,
#709 Chen Tai Chi: Chen Qing Zhou

Nine Continent (or Province) Staff:
#1318 from Bagua/Xing Yi style
#823 Six Harmony Version: Liang Shou Zhong for Wan Lai Sheng

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