Helping People grow!

I have never been very good at conventional ways of doing things, especially if I don’t agree with what I am told to do or I see a better, easier, more efficient way to do things.

The Staff is exciting because you are attacking the opponent with both ends of the staff and also using both ends to blocks their attacks.
Because of this your opponent is always wondering from which side you are going to strike them, keeping the opponent guessing at all times.

Popular for warmups are the figure 8.

Learn to adapt to what is happening fast and then react by striking an open (unprotected spot) on your opponent.
If you pretend (Feint) to strike your opponents head, because the staff can pivot in a sense, you can pull back from that strike as your opponent fully commits himself (or herself) to blocking the strike that they think is coming to the head, and then you hit the groin because that area has become an open spot to attack due to your opponent being fully committed to protecting the head area.

When I do training as others do, like on video’s I tend to get bored with them quickly so I find out what would make the tasks ahead more interesting, more effective, enjoyable (if it is not enjoyable and motivating it is not effective), so in general I try what others suggest and then I do my own thing and adapt and change what I am doing on a regular basis to keep it enjoyable and a challenge.

Pell:
It is virtually a compulsory piece of training equipment.  A pell is simply a target usable for practicing strikes that roughly simulates a human target. Pell or pel, is from the Latin for Palus, Palos, Palorum, a pale or stake. It is essentially a “post quintain,” a tree trunk or a wooden post of man height placed in the ground and used for striking against. The pell is used to learn proper striking technique, including power, energy focus, accuracy, and range. In the same way that boxers use the heavy bag and Eastern Martial Arts practitioners use striking targets to train, ancient Roman and Medieval European swordsmen used the pell.

You can see in the video that I make up how I train as I go (on the fly) therefore making each training session different each time. This is what I love about martial arts, it is the changing, new moves, strikes, blocks,there is always something new to try and then challenge yourself to doing them and quickly and effectively.
The Staff’s I use in the video are relatively new, I have others as well. The new Staff’s still have the plastic on them which I decided to leave in place to protect the wood even though the wood now has dents and scratches on the surface.
It is recommended that one should rough up the surface of the Staff if the Staff is too slippery or shiny, as a smooth surface can be harder to hold, easier to come out of your hand if the Staff is struck by your opponents Staff.

A stake was planted in the ground by each recruit in such a manner that it projected six feet in height and could not sway. Against this stake the recruit practiced with his wickerwork shield and wooden stick just as if he were fighting a real enemy. Sometimes he aimed against the head or the face, sometimes he threatened from the flanks, sometimes he endeavored to strike down the knees and the legs. He gave ground, he attacked, he assaulted and he assailed the stake with all the skill and energy required in actual fighting.… —Roman General Flavius Renatus, circa AD 400

Knowing our strengths and weaknesses, the weapons strengths and weaknesses, you can train and do warmups to suit only you, or if you train with someone else both can bring something new to each session each day keeping the workout fun, challenging, and pushing your own body to the max.

The most thrilling feeling I have is a workout of any sport when I am exhausted happily at the end. Its a wonderful feeling to give it your best, especially sparring with someone else.

People who challenge the martial artist has no idea that the person who they are challenging, who is acting quiet, humble and looking weak is just dying to try out their techniques in a real life situation against someone who really intends on hurting them.

The most important thing during warmups is enjoying what you are doing.

All the best from
James Martin Sandbrook.
19th of January, 2022.