Wen Hsiu Quan

Now that I have written about some weapons that do not seem to make any sense in actual combat, let's look at something simple. In fact- this weapon is so simple that I am not even going to write anything about its history. Just about every civilisation in history had this weapon. The only difference that we may find is the techniques used from people to people. While Chinese forms are famous for their spectacular staff movements we find that the forms taught by the Okinawan and Japanese schools used more direct and pragmatic movements. The Quarterstaff that we know from our medieval stories was the Western version of this universal weapon. The main reason why one would want to use such a long stick for a weapon is reach.  A staff has longer reach than most swords, definitely more reach than a knife or dagger and also more reach than most blunt weapons that we know. That means that you don't really have to know any special defensive...

Most martial artists know that an opponent using a long weapon like a staff, baseball bat or sword is at a disadvantage as soon as you have managed to get past the weapon itself and close to him. Most of us are more comfortable with using our hands to manage the weapon and stepping past it to get to the opponent. Most adversaries would most likely expect you to do that as well... Now the major advantages of using a kick like the crescent kick I am showing in the sketch are the following: 1. It uses a limb more powerful than the arm; 2. It leaves both hands free to attack; 3. It opens up a path for you before you bring your body in range; 4. It gives you the element of surprise on your side. To me- a weapon that is held poised and pointed toward me is a bigger threat that one that is being swung. A swinging weapon can be timed and often clears the way for you to move in by itself. A poised weapon, however, is a trap! The crescent kick is a good way to c...

The staff can be used for thrusting attacks, but practice mainly involves swinging blows. The grip allows for a section between the hands which is used for blocking and a long section which is left free for attacking. A defence with the staff would involve twisting the hips and turning the torso to avoid straight thrusts to the torso, putting the staff between the head and a descending attack and turning to place the staff between the body and horizontal swinging attacks. Attacks to the legs are dealt with by raising the target leg clear from attack, sweeping the staff downward or a combination of both. The staff is further an excellent tool to strengthen the wrists and grip and to train the body for throws.