What is a Bo Staff?
The super-basic explanation? A Bo staff is a pole. Generally 6' long, it's used in many martial arts styles as one of the weapons to learn and compete in. The thing is, there are a lot of cool martial arts weapons, this one is perhaps the coolest! Yeah, swords and such are fun, the bo staff is amazing!
Checkout the Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C5%8D
Are there may types of Competition Bo Staff?
Yes. There are the basic cheap bo staff, the low end competition bo staff and then the custom or semi-custom professional competition bo staff. All these variations are valuable! It's just that you have to use them in the right ways.
If you are just starting out and are still growing, you may want to think twice about investing in a bo staff that could easily cost more than $100. You'll use it for a bit until you grow out of it, but, perhaps more likely is it will break. I just posted up about the reasons they break and here they are:
1) Hitting the ground with it.
2) Hitting objects with it such as walls or other bo staffs.
3) Dropping the bo staff.
If you are just starting out and are still growing, you may want to think twice about investing in a bo staff that could easily cost more than $100. You'll use it for a bit until you grow out of it, but, perhaps more likely is it will break. I just posted up about the reasons they break and here they are:
1) Hitting the ground with it.
2) Hitting objects with it such as walls or other bo staffs.
3) Dropping the bo staff.
How do I decide based on what they are made of?
If you're very into competition, skip right to the lightest and most tapered. Pay more. I believe the Ultra styles like the thin versions 3/4" max diameter are the most popular. If you're just starting out, you may want to get the cheaper versions, just try to avoid anything too heavy.
I have yet to see people starting with foam so I recommend skipping that option.
I also recommend not getting the authentic and heavier wood Bo staffs unless you have a reason to. If you're school recommends them or something. Otherwise, they may be cool and old-school and legit, it's just that they are heavier, bulkier and probably will hurt more when you hit your head with it.
I have yet to see people starting with foam so I recommend skipping that option.
I also recommend not getting the authentic and heavier wood Bo staffs unless you have a reason to. If you're school recommends them or something. Otherwise, they may be cool and old-school and legit, it's just that they are heavier, bulkier and probably will hurt more when you hit your head with it.
Where to buy a competition Bo Staff?
Let me get back to you on that one. If you read the rest of the site, you'll see that I just started relatively recently and have been borrowing a Bo staff. I bought 2 from my school that were used. Just today I made a purchase online of 4 Bo staffs. I won't release the details on that since I'd really like to write a review before I get into it. Check back and if you'd like to reach me, just use the comment box below!