Guys - I need some help here. ANy idea what the strength of a rattan staff is - are they a good ligher replacement for a traditional 6ft Bo? Cheers!
They are lighter but one of the great qualities of Rattan is its ability to absorb impact. I would recommend getting one in the exact same size and trying it out. Are you using this for impact training? Fighting? Or just forms and such? Gruhn
Against what mate ? A rattan staff isn't going to stand up to the hammer of a harder wood, the transmission of viberation through the wood to your hands could be considerable. Whilst light, a rattan staff also has huge amounts of flexibility, although that isn't all together bad, an awful lot of energy is lost in this flex, especially if the staff is likely to come into contact with something harder. Regards
Rattan is damn near impossible to break unless you're really trying for it... The only nice thing about it is the fact it's lighter.. I'll take a heavy oak staff any day of the week.. just watch those ground strikes
If you are going to *practice* staff sparring, rattan is the way to go for both sides. You go through a lot fewer staves that way. For staff spinning, both are good. The heavier staff sort of works the muscles more, but also builds up momentum (maintains the spin easier). For real life, probably hardwood.
rattan all the way. i have used my rattan staff for 8 years now, training with it in forms, spinning, sparring and target/bag work. they are stong and light and take an incredible amount of punishment as well as being able to give it out. i have had no trouble absorbing strikes from heavyer wooden staffs, nor have i had any vibration problems from striking hard bags or other staffs. but ultimately you should try one out and decide for yourself, after all they are quite cheep to buy.
Personally I prefer rattan over oak any day for its ability to take hard hits without splintering. I've seen a number of oak ones come to bits and its not a pretty sight. I have several rattan bo in different thickness and weight, and infinitely prefer the heavy rattan one to an oak one for sparring any day.
Thanks for the help here guys. Well I tried it out and it works ok - ish! THe vibration is ok - well bearable - The flexiblity was unusual - I'm not used to that - does anyone adjust their technique for the rattan bo or do you use the same as for the normal bo. Cheers!
You can use the flexibility to your advantage when blocking, sweeping and hitting with it. A small circular motion with your hands creates a larger circular motion at the end of the staff. We use hardwood before we get our hands on bamboo or rattan. All techniques are based on the more flexible "wood". Good luck.
