Bo Staff

Self-defense is a crucial tool to have.  As a child, my parents enrolled me into karate classes after being abused by bullies at school.  For two years, I began to grow on this fighting style from China.  But more important than learning how to protect myself, I learned self-discipline.  Yet with all this new self- control, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting more out of the art.  I can remember most notable the obsession to wield some sort of weapon like a lightsaber.  But with hundreds of ancient weapons to choose from, how is one to choose?  It’s simple.  Just get yourself a bo staff.

The bo staff, properly known as the bo, was originally made from hardwoods, typically white oak or bamboo.  A traditional bo is exactly 1.82 meters in length.  Today, many are metal or plated with metal to enhance their strength.  The most common shape, the maru-bo, is round while other polygon shapes exist (squares-octagons). 

Did you know?- The first bo was called ishibo and was made of stone.

The Japanese art of wielding the bo staff is bojutsu.  The bo is gripped in thirds, and when held horizontally the holder’s right palm faces outwards while the left hand faces the body.  This enables the bo to rotate; its power generated by the left hand pulling back towards the body with the right hand used for guidance.  When striking an opponent, the wrist is twisted, like turning the hand over when punching.  The staff’s techniques include a wide variety of blocks, strikes, sweeps, and entrapments.  It can even be used to sweep sand into an opponent’s eyes.

Like most weapons, the bo staff was once an everyday item.  It was used to balance buckets or baskets; one at each end of the pole which was balanced behind the neck on the shoulder blades.  But with all the advancements of modern technology, the weapon has become obsolete.  If you are interested in learning the art of bojutsu, I encourage you to look for instruction.  Please do not purchase this weapon without understanding its raw capability to harm.  To learn what type of bo staff is right for you, go here to view a complete guide.

I want to know…If you could wield any human powered weapon in existence, what would be?  Leave a comment below.