A Quick Tip For Hanging Sticks

[Phil Elmore]

Anyone who's become enamored of stickfighting will amass a small arsenal of sticks in no time at all. I don't know about you, but I find one of the most aggravating things about rattan sticks (and other flexible sticks prone to warping) is that it's almost impossible to keep them out of your way and unwarped.

Here's a quick tip: Find yourself some pushpins and some light shoelaces. Cut the shoelaces in half. Two shoelaces, for example, will produce four lengths of useful light cord.

Tie a knot around your pinky and then slip your finger out of the loop, leaving a knotted but open loop on the end of the lace. Repeat at the other end of the length. Then slip one looped end through the other looped end. What you've got when you're done is small lasso.

The loop on the free end goes around a pushpin stuck in the drywall of any suitable wall space (inside closets is good and doesn't look visually unappealing). The lasso end goes around the end of each of your sticks. Pull it taut and you'll find most sticks will hang against the resistance of the lace.

Congratulations -- you've take a stick and hung it from the wall without making any modifications to the stick itself. For best results, rotate it once in a while so it won't warp against the wall.

Forgive me if this idea has been posted here before -- I was actually surprised at myself for not thinking of doing this before and thought I would share.

 

[arnisador]

How else do people handle this issue?

 

[Phil Elmore]

I have a friend who uses elastic ties to hold a pair of sticks together, one on top of an another, and then hangs them from that tie on the wall so they are horizontal rather than vertical.

I have some rattan sticks that I keep in a four-stick bag that seems to keep them more or less straight even when standing up in a corner. I'd love to hear some other possible solutions to the problem, though.

 

[Kirk]

I didn't even know it was a problem I just stuff 'em into my
gym bag.

 

[Cthulhu]

I don't have a problem with stick warpage either. Sure, a couple of my sticks aren't perfectly straight, but I think it gives them character.

Besides, they'll eventually start fraying anyway.

Cthulhu

 

[Datu Tim Hartman]

Too much thought into this topic. Any hunk of wood will work for me, but for those who feel this is an issue. Lay them flat on the floor, shelf, what ever.

 

[thekuntawman]

crooked sticks are good for your wrist and hand strength anyway, since the balance is off. it takes a while, but you learn to use any stick when you use sticks that are not so perfect.

 

[bart]

I didn't know that warpage was a problem either. My sparring sticks usually get chewed up or broken after the first few sessions, if they make it that far. Like Kirk, I just stuff them in my bag and go. Neat idea though. I use the broken pieces as training daggers if people forget to bring their own.

 

[Dave Fulton]

Wait ... you mean to tell me that you can get a straight piece of rattan?

Seriously, I don't worry about rattan being a little crooked, but my hard-wood sticks are different. My rattan stays in my bag, never seeing the light of day, unless it's being used. For expensive hard-wood like Bahi or Kamagong, you can get vertical weapons racks pretty inexpensively the last time I checked.

Btw, I have found that the bat/equipment bags that they make for baseball/softball make the best equipment bags and they're easy to find in various styles and price ranges. They're great! They hold a boat load of sticks and gear for convenient carry.

Respectfully,

Dave Fulton

Full Contact Martial Arts Association

 

[Phil Elmore]

I guess I'm just anal retentive about these things.

 

[Datu Tim Hartman]

Originally posted by Sharp Phil
I guess I'm just anal retentive about these things.

That's OK. We all have something that bugs us like that.

Tim

 

[Kirk]

Originally posted by Renegade
That's OK. We all have something that bugs us like that.

Tim

Boooooooy ain't that the truth. Sounds like a new thread to me!
See ya in the Locker Room!

 

[modarnis]

Originally posted by Cthulhu
I don't have a problem with stick warpage either. Sure, a couple of my sticks aren't perfectly straight, but I think it gives them character.

Besides, they'll eventually start fraying anyway.

Cthulhu

I agree. Mine are split and shredded from overuse long before they warp from storage

 

[Datu Tim Hartman]

Originally posted by modarnis
I agree. Mine are split and shredded from overuse long before they warp from storage

You guys need better rattan. My stick will last for at least a couple years. One secret is to rotate them. If they come in a pair, don't use the same one for the single stick drills. Make sure they both get equal play.

 

[Cthulhu]

I've got two pairs that have lasted over a year...obviously a heavier, denser rattan. I have a pair of very light rattan and one FINALLY started getting real bad a few weeks ago.

However, that pair is what I use to spar with, so it most definitely doesn't go under 'normal wear and tear'.

Cthulhu

 

[bart]

The real culprit for my sparring sticks getting shredded is the WEKAF mask. The metal just chews up the rattan, so they tend to go pretty fast especially if I'm gearing up for a tourny and doing a lot of sparring.

As for my training sticks, they last longer, but they don't really last longer than a couple of months. We do a lot of striking against other sticks and against tires. The quality of the rattan will make some sticks last longer than others. Sticks that still have the skin do last the longest, but even the fire hardened peeled ones still don't last more than a couple months even when rotated. The biggest life extender is tape. I use hockey tape when I can and it stops the fraying for a bit.

 

[Kirk]

This thread has definitely been educational. There's a story about
these 2 senior kenpoists. I don't know if it's true or not, but a
LOT of people coast to coast have heard the story. One was a
straight kenpoist who fancied himself as a weapons guy, and the
other was a kenpo master and student of FMA. In about 5
seconds of sparring, the straight kenpoist was disarmed, with a
stick to his throat and told, "Man, you don't know **** about
weapons".

I think any of you could honestly and sincerely do that very same
thing with me. So if you're ever in the San Antonio area, come
over and teach me a thing or two