It's funny how things work. When you have a carrying case you take for granted how things really are when you don't. I have to admit, I balanced my staff on the glass of my taekwondo school glass counter and spaced out long enough for it to fall over and hit a lady in the head. Fortunately it grazed her on the way to the floor. The slap of the staff alerted everyone to my stupid move, and I will now be protecting the staff with a case.

Although I wanted to get a hard shell, I have had some experience with them in the past. First off, I had some drum cases made of the same material and they seemed to be hard to shut quickly. I'm getting this one because I think it will hold both my staffs and will be fast and easy.

http://amzn.to/2qxTMNR

If anyone else gets one, chime in with a comment because they have great reviews and what seems like a very cheap price.

Ever wonder if you make too big of a deal out of things?  I know I do.  The original purpose for this blog was to follow our families progression through the world of learning bo staff.  What have I learned in the last year or so?  

We outgrew the bo staffs before they needed to be replaced because of damage or breakage (regardless of initial quality - at least in our case).  The cheapest staff we purchased is still in use, as-is the middle and most expensive. 

I have purchased a new one-piece wooden bo staff (on the light side) for my son who got bigger in the last year, handed down the best one to my youngest and gave the smallest bo staff to the school since we don't need it anymore.  

I think one of the secrets (and it sounds bad but is true) is that hitting the end into the ground for fun is probably the reason people chime in to me saying they have damaged and broken staffs.  I think that hitting the end on concrete or pavement cracks the wood inside to the extent that the staff is ruined.  Our family was very aware of this and did not hit them into the ground.

Ok, thanks for all your comments:

Bryan chimed in that he would love a bo staff!
I  received several messages with what sort of bo staff people would get next and it was overwhelmingly wood.

Annie chimed in saying:
"I  asked one of my Senseis, and he said he didn't like two-piece bos because they would come unscrewed in the kotas very easily."

Quick update.  It's definitely possible to get better at Bo staff regardless of age or ability.  Me and my 6 and 8 year old have both improved significantly in just a month or so of practicing with our new bo staffs.  It's definitely a challenge.  Here are a few thoughts:

The first thing is the space required in order to practice.  You really have to be careful not to hit things - especially tv's and glass things.  You also can hit yourself in the head and even give yourself a black eye (my instructor tells me he's done this several times).

Secondly, if you know a few moves to practice, you can practice them repeatedly and really pick up speed.  I have noticed that I am at the point where I am dropping the bo staff quite a bit.  I'm going pretty fast, but perhaps not with finesse.  I have not broken the staff yet even though it's crashed hard on the ground a bunch.

I am glad I don't have a very expensive one for this reason - I just can't see breaking an expensive competition bo staff in practice.

Ok, keep it up or just get a cheap bo staff and you can't go wrong.  Remember, until you know the difference, any bo staff will do!

I purchased 2 staffs for me and 2 for my kids.  They were all low end staffs so we could get started.  My review is that the cheapest of the cheap are very heavy.  The slightly more expensive ones are pretty decent.  So, I will get a better review to you!  The gist of it is, even the cheapest Bo staff is great to practice with when you are a beginner!  The heavy staffs are not necessarily bad because the weight helps train you.  Ok, I will get the in-depth review your way soon!

My mission continues.  I have been finding out what I can about Bo staffs and just made my first purchase today.  I bought 4 Bo staffs and will probably have them delivered by the end of the week.

I'm really tall so I would have purchased one that was over 6' but I've yet to see a place that has the machinery to make one so I got a 6' staff.  That seems to be the longest Bo staff on the market.

So, when I get them, I'll review my purchases.  Excited!

Me and the two boys just tested for our Purple Belts.  Wow, how time flies.  Here's where we're at with our Bo staffs:

• Me - have the aluminum one the school lent me (happy that it's sturdy and free).
• Oldest - loves the gray graphite bo staff (it really is light).
• Youngest - has grown out of the wooden staff (mentally at least) because it's to bulky and heavy.

Summary:  I really think the cheapest of the cheap wooden bo staffs are just too heavy.  I do not recommend them even for kids just starting out.  The graphite is vastly superior.  I think there just has to be some budget talk that surrounds this topic.  Right around this time, you're very likely going to be buying sparring gear too.  For me and the two boys, that's 3 sets of gear.  Good luck rationalizing that one let alone the added expense of good weapons.
 
I have this website and still haven't given back the aluminum bo staff lent to me by the school if you catch my drift.  Wouldn't change it for the world though!  More at you soon!  Ok, until next time!

I've had a chance to practice lately.  What I can tell you is that it's hard to look fluid and smooth.  The experts make it look EASY!

I've learned a few basic moves, the 9 lines and a few cool looking tricks (almost).  The deal is, if someone looks legit with this weapon, it's because they have practiced A TON!

Hey, if you're working on improving your skill here's a suggestion.  Have someone teach you a handful of moves, then practice them over and over.

I am.  I think it's paying off.  Just yesterday I was in front of the entire school showing off my moves for what seemed like forever (30 seconds or so).  Although it was a bit embarrasing, I got through it looking somewhat professional.  Next time, it's going to be even better.  Thanks for reading my bo staff blog and I'll catch up with you later!

Recently, I took a look at a martial arts supply ordering catalog at my martial arts school.  Am I the only one that has a hard time deciding on something as important as a competition bo staff purchase?

When it comes to a difference in price from $30 - $100 or more, it requires more than one look at a catalog.

At this point, I've borrowed an aluminum bo staff from the school and I am able to take it home.  I purchased a used tapered hardwood bo for my youngest son and a nice used graphite staff for my oldest son.

Both together used don't even come close to what I'll very likely be spending on mine.

So, just to quickly recap.  I am somewhat new to the martial arts.  Despite the fact that I have always thought myself a ninja, I have nearly just begun my journey.  The first hiccup was choosing a weapon to buy.

I decided that the coolest thing in the world was the bo staff so that's what I want.  I quickly realized that it was a lot harder to find out what the best staff is and where to get it. 

That's when I decided to turn to the people that know best - YOU!  I'm hoping to discover what the best staff is for me and my family members.  I've already asked my instructor if I could leave my staff at the school and he said yes.  So, my thought is to get a bo staff for home and another that I will leave at the school.  That way I don't have to lug it back and forth.

What do you think?  Please chime in and give me any advice you can think of... Thanks so much!