Staff Combat

[Terra]

This might sound weird, but any quarterstaff fighters out there? Anyone know the best martial-art to learn or best way to self teach staff fighting? Found a few books on Amazon but no videos besides some LARP videos on Youtube.

For some weird reason i've had this overwhelming urge to learn a martial skill outside the use of guns. So I choose to go with the most versatile weapon I could think of. That and the least likely to get me picked up for public display. 

[Vision]

You might think of escrima instead, I think it would be much more versatile, and probably a bit easier to find an instructor for.  Failing that, you can probably still learn some transferable techniques from kendo.

[tekla]

That and the least likely to get me picked up for public display.

Really?  See I've never seen anyone with a quarterstaff in public.  Never.  And I have seen a few swords even, but a quarterstaff?  Not even in San Francisco where people really think they are Peter Pan or Robin Hood. 

Now, most martial arts that are not sports versions (judo and ti kwon do are sports, Sholin is not) teach weapons at the very high levels.  They think it's best to learn the basic dicipline and master the basic techniques before moving into something that has much worse consequences.  See, in order to be any good you have to have at least one person to practice with.  And practicing with quarterstaffs is going to hurt.  Big time. 

That's why most people don't get very advanced in martial arts is they underestimate how much it really farkin hurts to learn that stuff.

[Randi]

Find a good martial arts school that teaches empty hand techniques then graduate to weapons when you're proficient with empty hand techniques.

Randi

[Vision]

Really?  See I've never seen anyone with a quarterstaff in public.  Never.  And I have seen a few swords even, but a quarterstaff? 

A guy I went to school with in the south carried one.  He called it a "walking stick" but it was as tall as he was.

We called him "Redneck Gandalf"

[Pica Pica]

I've done quarterstaff, only as a one off.

Try this website http://www.maisters.demon.co.uk/

[Arch]

That and the least likely to get me picked up for public display.

Really?  See I've never seen anyone with a quarterstaff in public.  Never. 

I have, actually. Twice. Once downtown during Comic Con about...heh...twenty-five years ago, maybe. And once during a tiny little Ren Faire around the same time frame. I suppose it could have been the same guy, though.

Or maybe it was a buck-and-a-quarterstaff.
Post Merge: February 19, 2010, 11:39:40 AM

A guy I went to school with in the south carried one.  He called it a "walking stick" but it was as tall as he was.

Did he go to college in SoCal in the eighties?

I also knew a guy who sometimes carried a big walking stick of about the same size. I think they were advertised in Smithsonian a number of years ago.

[Silver]

Or if you really want versatile, go for something that doesn't require a weapon.

Kung fu, aikido, judo. . . the list goes on.

[V M]

Studied when I was young and still go through the exercises...

It's amazing how quickly your ability to block improves once you get dinged a few times.....Grasshopper!!!