Although the bo staff is a versatile and commonly found weapon, let’s face it – it’s a big stick. You can paint it, and sprinkle it with kanji-adorned mystisism, but it’s still a big stick.

We’ve put together a collection of bo staff technique videos for you to check out.

Basic Spin

Although bo staff spinning isn’t the first things you’ll learn when studying bo staff, it’s certainly one of the more impressive techniques. Like with all elements of Jujitsu however, you’ve got to start off slow and practice hard. I like this video because it’s not out to impress – but it does teach some important, fundamental points to bo staff spinning.

360 Spin

Assuming you’ve watched the first video and come back a couple of weeks later after religiously practising, here’s how to pull off a 360 spin bo staff technique. Expect to clip your ear a few times before you master it

Bo Staff Grip

A great little exercise to develop your bo staff technique – just by repeatedly changing your grip you can build strength, control and balance when spinning the bo staff. This is the unsexy part to getting white hot with the bo staff.

Bo Staff Tricks in Karate

So after a few years of twizzing and twirling, you can stick all your bo staff techniques together in an almight kata, play some thumpy bang-bang music and look damn impressive.

Try Not to Do This…

If you haven’t clocked yourself on the head yet with your bo staff, you obviously haven’t pushed youself past your comfort zone! Get practising and go get all Donatello on your opponents!

Related Blogs

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• Fight Science Part 8/10 | Tech Vlog
• Martial Arts : How to Twirl a Bo Staff
• Martial Art Bo Staff Techniques : How to Throw a Bo Staff
• Bo Staff Techniques : Bo Staff Types
• Martial Art Bo Staff Techniques : How to Create Bo Staff Forms

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• Feministe » Jujitsu for the Weaker Sex

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• What does Kobudo mean? « OkinawaTime

The Bo staff on the surface is one of the most simplistic of all Japanese weapons. Used in many different art forms from karate to jujitsu, the Bo staff is one of the most destructive and adaptive weapons available to the martial artist.

The Bo Staff is used extensively in Jujitsu kobudo (weapon training) as it offers a range of opportunities for disciplining kata, footwork, distancing and control.

Unlike many other martial weapons, the bo staff has a very long range an enable the attacker to have superior reach on his opponent. Most Bo staffs are about 1.8m long, although the concept of a wooden stave as a weapon can be found easily in most cultures – the Quarter Staff in medieval English for example that rose to popular culture fame through the duel of Robin Hood and Little John.

An expert armed with a Bo can keep a much heavily armored and armed opponent at bay frustrating and neutralising their effectiveness. While this weapon can not be easily concealed, it is so common that most armed opponents will not even think twice about it. For example, in these times it could easily be disguised by carrying buckets or baskets. These buckets would be carried on either end and the Bo staff would be draped across the back. Simply set the buckets down, slide the staff out and you are instantly armed. The key is that you are trained in the proper technique to make the weapon as effective as possible.

The Bo Staff – Simple Tool to Deadly Weapon

While staffs have a history of being used throughout mankind, the Asian martial artist has taken this weapon and turned it into an art form. The staff is traditionally about two meters long and three centimeters thick.

While the weapon has been used informally since the earliest recorded history, a martial art called kobudo emerged from Okinawa in the early 1600s that featured this weapon. The reason for this was one of necessity as all the commoners of Okinawa were banned from having weapons. This ban forced the people to find other ways to defend themselves and using a simple staff proved to be the best.