# Bo Staff Training Vlog (Demo)



## snake_monkey (Sep 22, 2019)




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## Flying Crane (Sep 22, 2019)

Ok, the sped-up footage makes it annoying to watch.

Aren’t you a wing Chun guy?  Is this bo material Japanese or Okinawan? Honestly, it seemed like fancy flash, not what I would expect to see from legitimate kobudo sources.

You need some instruction.  If this was “inspired” by a visit to a kobudo source, you aren’t doing it any justice.  It looks to me like you were just twirling and playing.


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## snake_monkey (Sep 22, 2019)

Flying Crane said:


> Ok, the sped-up footage makes it annoying to watch.
> 
> Aren’t you a wing Chun guy?  Is this bo material Japanese or Okinawan? Honestly, it seemed like fancy flash, not what I would expect to see from legitimate kobudo sources.
> 
> You need some instruction.  If this was “inspired” by a visit to a kobudo source, you aren’t doing it any justice.  It looks to me like you were just twirling and playing.



The experience that inspired this was simply a Cultural family festival, which I attended as a family outing. 

I use a lot of flairs when practicing bo staff performance.

The main inspirations behind this performance come from my experiences with 'Wing Chun' (Shaolin Based Kung Fu), QiGong (Wudang based Kung fu), and Karate (Shoto-Kai). However, it is important to mention that I am just expressing my own style with my performance material.

I would accept some additional bo staff instruction or tips, I'm always learning!  (especially Kobudo technique in this case).

The material for the staff used in this video is untreated hard-wood from China, I believe.


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## Bill Mattocks (Sep 22, 2019)

What is the purpose of this bo work?


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## JowGaWolf (Sep 22, 2019)

Flying Crane said:


> Ok, the sped-up footage makes it annoying to watch.
> 
> Aren’t you a wing Chun guy?  Is this bo material Japanese or Okinawan? Honestly, it seemed like fancy flash, not what I would expect to see from legitimate kobudo sources.
> 
> You need some instruction.  If this was “inspired” by a visit to a kobudo source, you aren’t doing it any justice.  It looks to me like you were just twirling and playing.


I think he's more into entertainment and showmanship more than martial arts.   He likes the way it looks and not necessarily looking for any function to come out of it.  Or at least that's what I picked up from this statement "*I am just expressing my own style with my performance material*."

The staff flowering and stances pretty much "sing the same tune".

I tried to get a little conversation going with him in his sparring video but it was like pulling teeth lol.  Normally, people would have been happy to talk about the sparring they did. But that conversation never came out.


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## snake_monkey (Sep 22, 2019)

JowGaWolf said:


> I think he's more into entertainment and showmanship more than martial arts.   He likes the way it looks and not necessarily looking for any function to come out of it.  Or at least that's what I picked up from this statement "*I am just expressing my own style with my performance material*."
> 
> The staff flowering and stances pretty much "sing the same tune".
> 
> I tried to get a little conversation going with him in his sparring video but it was like pulling teeth lol.  Normally, people would have been happy to talk about the sparring they did. But that conversation never came out.



I am very much interested in performance yet it is not the only thing that I am interested in. This video is performance of martial arts techniques. Striking is involved. Lots of flairs in this video, yes. And I don’t know what else to say but that I’m interested in approaching the material which I choose to demonstrate from an entertainer’s perspective rather than someone who is teaching self-defense online.


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## Flying Crane (Sep 22, 2019)

snake_monkey said:


> I am very much interested in performance yet it is not the only thing that I am interested in. This video is performance of martial arts techniques. Striking is involved. Lots of flairs in this video, yes. And I don’t know what else to say but that I’m interested in approaching the material which I choose to demonstrate from an entertainer’s perspective rather than someone who is teaching self-defense online.


If you are performing it, would you like to have some technical accuracy with it?


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## snake_monkey (Sep 22, 2019)

Bill Mattocks said:


> What is the purpose of this bo work?



Thanks for your interest. This is just a bit of training for switching stances and flowing with different strikes and techniques. 

And I appreciate the feedback from everyone so far.
P.s. I sped it up to be able to provide more techniques in the video.


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## snake_monkey (Sep 22, 2019)

Flying Crane said:


> If you are performing it, would you like to have some technical accuracy with it?



That is why a train. I’m open to DM if you would like to take this discussion there as to discuss my level. I don’t feel that it would be appropriate or necessary to continue this discussion on the thread. Thank you!


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## JowGaWolf (Sep 22, 2019)

snake_monkey said:


> I don’t know what else to say but that I’m interested in approaching the material which I choose to demonstrate from an entertainer’s perspective rather than someone who is teaching self-defense online.


No need to say anything else.  You are straight forward about what your interest in Martial arts and I appreciate that more than you know.

I will give some warning on some of the stuff that you are doing.  You want to at least get your stances correct as you would from a self-defense perspective. The reason I say this is because you can really do some damage to your knees if you have bad stances.  So just from a safety  perspective, get those stances to be functional.  But other than that. Keep enjoying what you do.


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## snake_monkey (Sep 24, 2019)

I would like to give a more detailed overview of the benefits of this training however this training is part of my Stunt Troupe which is private as such that type of discourse is typically reserved for members.

Here are a few bulletpoints on the subject:

-Flairs are for switching hands and sides or staff position
-Spinning is made up of rapid flairs in succession
-Spinning is a good wrist exercise (not to be overworked)
-each flair can be turned into a strike or block
-stuntmen use ‘beats’ in order to perform stunts hence I work to a beat
-striking from different positions and with different motions produce different techniques
-as noted by others stance training is not to be overworked
-my troupe trains ‘Monkey King’ as the main act
-spinning can attract attention
-as far as martial arts applicability this style is not necessarily a ‘safe’ style but it can be used at close range and it may keep the opponent guessing to a high degree. (I.e. highly unpredictable)
-this is just a video of myself training after a family outing when the babies were asleep (I’m a dad)


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## geezer (Sep 24, 2019)

I'm glad you enjoy swinging a staff around the house and can do so without breaking things. I like doing that too, and I haven't broken anything lately. Hope I didn't just jinx myself!

Other than that, I'm heading pretty much in the opposite direction with my staff work. I keep trimming it down and making it more and more simple, functional, and hopefully, powerful. I favor a double palm-down boxer's grip, a southpaw boxing stance ("power side forward"), and direct, repeated hits and thrusts powered by my whole body  ...and with no twirls. Just what i enjoy.


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## snake_monkey (Sep 24, 2019)

geezer said:


> I'm glad you enjoy swinging a staff around the house and can do so without breaking things. I like doing that too, and I haven't broken anything lately. Hope I didn't just jinx myself!



I take GREAT PRIDE in this! 
(now I've done it...)

More Power is always good!!! I won't get into it too much, but I'm sure some of you can think of how these moves can be used, in addition to the striking capabilities.

(I can pull up a clip or do more work in my close-quarters alley if anyone is interested in seeing this.)


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## JowGaWolf (Sep 24, 2019)

snake_monkey said:


> I would like to give a more detailed overview of the benefits of this training however this training is part of my Stunt Troupe which is private as such that type of discourse is typically reserved for members.
> 
> Here are a few bulletpoints on the subject:
> 
> ...


I would reach out to these guys and get some advice from them.
MartialClub

They can probably provide some useful information to help you..  I would also probably start looking to get into a Wushu School in your area. Out of all the Martial Arts systems out there it is the most "flowery" meaning that in terms of entertainment it's the system that has all of the exciting moves.

The problem you are going to get yourself into "you are already there in my opinion"  is that anyone who has studied martial arts will look at your performance and say "That's not how you do it."    For example, when I watched you use the staff, the first thing that came to my mind was that the stance was bad.  I didn't look at anything else because the stance stood out so much, that it made me blind to anything else you were doing.  I think there is something like 3 million people in the U.S. that takes or trains martial arts.  It's probably higher because the Internet makes it easier to access martial arts.  There are hundreds of videos on stances just alone.  So if you get that wrong, it won't take long for people to find out.

This video may help you.  I really don't think you can short cut martial arts techniques even if it's just for performance.  Many stuntmen and actors who do martial art stunts usually have training in a martial arts.  My big thing are stances because a bad stance can literally destroy your knees.  It's easy to do when it comes to martial arts.


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## Flying Crane (Sep 24, 2019)

JowGaWolf said:


> I would reach out to these guys and get some advice from them.
> MartialClub
> 
> They can probably provide some useful information to help you..  I would also probably start looking to get into a Wushu School in your area. Out of all the Martial Arts systems out there it is the most "flowery" meaning that in terms of entertainment it's the system that has all of the exciting moves.
> ...


I’ve got a private conversation going with him, sharing some of these kinds of things.  Helping him navigate the issues.


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## snake_monkey (Sep 24, 2019)

JowGaWolf said:


> I would reach out to these guys and get some advice from them.
> MartialClub
> 
> They can probably provide some useful information to help you..  I would also probably start looking to get into a Wushu School in your area. Out of all the Martial Arts systems out there it is the most "flowery" meaning that in terms of entertainment it's the system that has all of the exciting moves.
> ...



I'm a huge fan of Martial Club. Thanks for your recommendations. As stated, this was a training vlog, so I don't think we need to beat the nail on the head about what you are posting about. In my opinion, it's not necessary to comment on what's wrong, I can take a look and see as I am a martial artist as well. I'm not really sure what the purpose is, but it doesn't look good on my thread. What stands out to me is the comments on the thread which imply that I am on such a level that I can't hold a basic stance, yet I am just letting you into my living room to view some things that I do during my own training sessions, which includes stance training and that may not look perfect. If you would like to see more, subscribe to my channel, and/or comment here!


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Sep 24, 2019)

snake_monkey said:


> I'm a huge fan of Martial Club. Thanks for your recommendations. As stated, this was a training vlog, so I don't think we need to beat the nail on the head about what you are posting about. In my opinion, it's not necessary to comment on what's wrong, I can take a look and see as I am a martial artist as well. I'm not really sure what the purpose is, but it doesn't look good on my thread. If you want to talk about what stands out to me it's the comments on the thread that are so focused on my abilities and training, yet I am just letting you into my living room to view some things that I do during my own training sessions. If you would like to see more, subscribe to my channel, and/or comment here!


Part of that is the result of you posting this thread/video with no additional information. Not having that information lets people make their own assumption about why youposted it. And typically people posting videos on here are asking for constructive criticism/advice (as this is a forum primarily for discussion, rather than primarily a place to advertise), so if you are not looking for criticism, it's good to specify that in the initial post.


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## snake_monkey (Sep 24, 2019)

kempodisciple said:


> Part of that is the result of you posting this thread/video with no additional information. Not having that information lets people make their own assumption about why youposted it. And typically people posting videos on here are asking for constructive criticism/advice (as this is a forum primarily for discussion, rather than primarily a place to advertise), so if you are not looking for criticism, it's good to specify that in the initial post.



I asked for comments such as constructive criticism to be directed via DM earlier in the thread. I will attempt to provide more info in the future. I am new to this, Thank you.


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## JowGaWolf (Sep 24, 2019)

Flying Crane said:


> I’ve got a private conversation going with him, sharing some of these kinds of things.  Helping him navigate the issues.


Great.  He definitely get some good stuff from you.  



snake_monkey said:


> In my opinion, it's not necessary to comment on what's wrong, I can take a look and see as I am a martial artist as well. I'm not really sure what the purpose is, but it doesn't look good on my thread.


You shouldn't take what I say as if it was a personal attack because it wasn't.  As far as "what doesn't look good on your thread" 

1. No one is perfect.  
2. Everyone learns from zero and improve.  
3. People make mistakes and get things wrong.  I've made tones of mistakes and got tons of things wrong and a lot of those instances were some of my best learning experiences.  I still get things wrong, but that's just life.  It happens and it's nothing to be ashamed of, embarrassed about, or angry about.  
4. Nothing I've said has made you look bad in anyone's eyes.

This is what I said about you "*No need to say anything else. You are straight forward about what your interest in Martial arts and I appreciate that more than you know*."
Not sure how a statement like this "doesn't look good on your thread." 



snake_monkey said:


> If you would like to see more, subscribe to my channel, and/or comment here!


 No thanks.  I'm on the opposite end of the Martial Arts scale.  Martial arts performance really isn't my thing.


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## JowGaWolf (Sep 24, 2019)

kempodisciple said:


> Part of that is the result of you posting this thread/video with no additional information. Not having that information lets people make their own assumption about why youposted it. And typically people posting videos on here are asking for constructive criticism/advice (as this is a forum primarily for discussion, rather than primarily a place to advertise), so if you are not looking for criticism, it's good to specify that in the initial post.


This is the second time in 2 weeks where my statements have been focused on the safety of the person in the video, and in both occasions the person has gotten upset with me. lol.  Dang. shoot a brother for caring about someone's knees.  

I just won't comment anymore lol.


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## snake_monkey (Sep 24, 2019)

JowGaWolf said:


> Great.  He definitely get some good stuff from you.
> 
> 
> You shouldn't take what I say as if it was a personal attack because it wasn't.  As far as "what doesn't look good on your thread"
> ...



Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate it, and look forward to hearing more from you in the future. Your advice means a lot to me! Here's to training


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## snake_monkey (Sep 25, 2019)

Here is something a bit different but related. This is some more basic training that I do just to give a better picture of the overall training that I do. Any input is appreciated


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## geezer (Sep 25, 2019)

snake_monkey said:


> ...As stated, this was a training vlog, so I don't think we need to *beat the nail on the head* about what you are posting about. In my opinion, it's not necessary to comment on what's wrong, I can take a look and see as I am a martial artist as well. I'm not really sure what the purpose is, but it doesn't look good on my thread....



Dude, if you post it here, it ain't your thread anymore._ It's everybody's thread _to discuss. Yeah we try to have good manners, but if you pos't it, you can't control the comments. People have a right to express their honest opinion. Just sayin'.

BTW, the expression is "hit the nail on the head", and that means to hit the mark or get it right. Normally, that's a good thing! Maybe your are thinking of the phrase, "to beat a dead horse"?


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## snake_monkey (Sep 25, 2019)

geezer said:


> Dude, if you post it here, it ain't your thread anymore._ It's everybody's thread _to discuss. Yeah we try to have good manners, but if you pos't it, you can't control the comments. People have a right to express their honest opinion. Just sayin'.
> 
> BTW, the expression is "hit the nail on the head", and that means to hit the mark or get it right. Normally, that's a good thing! Maybe your are thinking of the phrase, "to beat a dead horse"?



You're totally right about that, and I wasn't trying to be 100% serious with all of that. Thanks for sharing. I'm trying to get used to it over text communications. As you can tell I like to communicate with some of my video footage, and I'm working out the best way to communicate and express my ideas with more clarity.

Yeah that's it - 'beat a dead horse'. Now I feel like a righteous stooge!

edit: forgot to mention that I am really enjoying this discussion, thanks all.


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## snake_monkey (Sep 28, 2019)

After discussing this topic publically on this thread and privately, I have taken your recommendations seriously and enrolled in a Contemporary Wushu class 1x/week for 3 months. I joined a class and found the school to be accessible, the teacher and all the students were welcoming. It was a large group, I could tell everyone was there to practice Kung Fu, but the students were casual enough to make it seem like a good atmosphere for me to train in.

When the higher-level groups performed forms the teacher seemed to call out 'ques' and I was wondering if this was how they do it in a Wushu demonstration competition.

I was also invited to try a Sanda/Sanshou class which appeals to me as I enjoy a good spar from time to time, so instruction in this could be a good experience for me. I have been looking for some good (safe/friendly) sparring partners in my area.

Thanks and I will be looking forward to updating you how my training is going and any questions/comments are appreciated!


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## JowGaWolf (Sep 29, 2019)

snake_monkey said:


> After discussing this topic publically on this thread and privately, I have taken your recommendations seriously and enrolled in a Contemporary Wushu class 1x/week for 3 months. I joined a class and found the school to be accessible, the teacher and all the students were welcoming. It was a large group, I could tell everyone was there to practice Kung Fu, but the students were casual enough to make it seem like a good atmosphere for me to train in.
> 
> When the higher-level groups performed forms the teacher seemed to call out 'ques' and I was wondering if this was how they do it in a Wushu demonstration competition.
> 
> ...


Because you are more into performance.. Document your Journey and thoughts like a video diary.  I sometimes wished I would have documented mine, but back then smart phones weren't a thing.

If you want me to watch something.  I'd watch that.  To hear what it's like to be a beginner and to hear your perspective as a beginner.


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## snake_monkey (Sep 29, 2019)

JowGaWolf said:


> Because you are more into performance.. Document your Journey and thoughts like a video diary.  I sometimes wished I would have documented mine, but back then smart phones weren't a thing.
> 
> If you want me to watch something.  I'd watch that.  To hear what it's like to be a beginner and to go through what the experience is like as a beginner.



Sure thanks for the recommendation, I will consider it. I'm still trying to work out how to express my thoughts in digital media format. 

My background is in traditional self-defense focused Kung Fu, and I am a beginning performer. This means that I am interested in Performance, but not 'more' interested in it as you have stated several times throughout this post. I have previously responded to this saying that performance 'is not the only thing I was interested in'. The material which I choose to share is for performance, but personally I study martial arts for self-defense. I don't want to share self-defense techniques online, or even talk about my formal training in my videos because it's very personal to me and I don't want people to make assumptions about me or my self-defense training. Performance is a whole different ball-game and I have decided that I am willing to put myself out there for these types of demonstrations as opposed to speaking on traditional martial arts, etc. That is to say, I have my work cut out for me physically and mentally, but I just thought I would share. Thanks again for the recommendation, I am happy that you would watch me vlogging about my training, and I'm thinking about the best way to do this already!!


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## JowGaWolf (Sep 30, 2019)

snake_monkey said:


> The material which I choose to share is for performance, but personally I study martial arts for self-defense. I don't want to share self-defense techniques online, or even talk about my formal training in my videos because it's very personal to me and I don't want people to make assumptions about me or my self-defense training.


Good to hear only because I'm biased when it comes to how to train martial arts.    I wouldn't worry about people making assumptions about you are  your self-defense training.  Accept that it is going to happen and just correct that assumption as you have here.   Now matter how hard I train or how good I get.  People are going to make assumptions about my training.  I just accept it as part of what Martial Artists have to deal with.

The only real way to lessen this is to share what your perspective and understanding of Martial Arts.  But with that said, a lot of stuff will have to be cleared with your school as to how much you can talk about or share on video as what you say and do in regards to techniques represents your school and your instructors / teachers.  If you explain a technique and then get it wrong, then it makes the school look as if they aren't teaching you correctly.  Out of all the videos I've done and made. I still haven't posted an instructional video.



snake_monkey said:


> That is to say, I have my work cut out for me physically and mentally, but I just thought I would share.


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