Do any of you have experience with the three section staff? Were you ever taught applications? I am very curious what practical use the figure eight technique is. Starts at about 0:27 in the example video.

YouTube - 3-section staff demo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzxSeGaW_D4)
Sorry about the vid. Tried to find something on youtube that wasn't too claw-my-own-eyes-out bad.

The movement seems to be included in just about every form for the three section staff, but if the end parts actually hit anything, it sends the ends, like homing missiles straight for the practicioners own face and hands. Is it just an intimidation thing? Is it supposed to have a different application? I love the weapon, but . . . that move. . .

It's a challenging exercise. My theory is that is was originally a cheap weapon to swing and knock a guy off a horse and someone else finishes with a sword. If you lost it, it wasn't like losing an expensive sword, just some sticks and a little chain. I mean, if you wanted a two handed weapon, why not Double Swords or Butterfly knives? They're effective and they won't come flying back at you. Still, cinematically, and form wise, it's pretty hard to match,

Now, my brother in law, who is Chinese, but never practiced "kung Fu" ( a yellow in judo, though) once said, while watching a guy use one in a movie, "they really didn't use that in real life, right?"

I suspect maybe some shock factor too. If you've never seen one and suddenly had to face one, it would be pretty hard to figure what was going to happen next. The length of it changes pretty quickly.

Everything I've seen in video sucks, but I have a book that seems to have some really nice effective ways of handling it. I made some padded weapons and my friends and me spar with them.

I've always thought the three-section staff was invented to disprove the conjecture that nunchucks are the most useless weapons in martial arts.

However, the surprise factor mentioned might be worth something. I can't imagine it being more effective than a regular spear or staff.

That exercise is designed to make sure you hit your own forearms a lot and then drop the staff and when you reach down to pick it up again, WHAM, brick right to the head!

Works every time too. Just be sure to be the guy with the brick, not the staff, eh?

Well, its pretty useless as a striking movement. Maybe it is to swing the end parts around an obstruction for a trapping type thing.

Um... threshing rice, maybe?

If I remember correctly, the figure eight is supposedly a defensive maneuver designed to knock away thrusts to the body. Either way, I believe it was primarily used by bodyguards since it was easy to conceal. Now, whether it was effective or not in combat is another story.

If I remember correctly, the figure eight is supposedly a defensive maneuver designed to knock away thrusts to the body. Either way, I believe it was primarily used by bodyguards since it was easy to conceal. Now, whether it was effective or not in combat is another story.
Easily concealed ? Please tell me you just thought of that , it could not have come from any reliable source .

Body Guards ? Why the hell would a body guard use a weapon which may or may not work ?

Defensive maneuver ? What exactly is a free swinging stick suppose to block or deflect except another free swinging and light weight item .


In summation ...

What the **** ever .

If I remember correctly, the figure eight is supposedly a defensive maneuver designed to knock away thrusts to the body. Either way, I believe it was primarily used by bodyguards since it was easy to conceal. Now, whether it was effective or not in combat is another story.

Tried it out with foam and halloween play weapons. It did hit the opponet in the head or back after they successfully duck-lunge-stabbed me a few times. Not a good defense against a thrust. Did well with slashes though, and even knocked the weapon out of the opponet's hand a few times. Suprisingly, none of this caused the ends to fly wildly in random directions.

Sorry, no video. It was too dark out.

Easily concealed ? Please tell me you just thought of that , it could not have come from any reliable source .

Body Guards ? Why the hell would a body guard use a weapon which may or may not work ?

Defensive maneuver ? What exactly is a free swinging stick suppose to block or deflect except another free swinging and light weight item .


In summation ...

What the **** ever . I'm just going by what I remember reading. The three-section staff could have been invented for the sport of Wushu or opera troupes for all I know.

To be honest, I don't remember the sources where I obtained that information or whether they were legitimate. It's difficult finding sources that doesn't mention Shaolin in every other sentence.

Just so you guys know, Sifu Abel is going to post a video of him using the three section staff in sparring ANY DAY NOW!

Is he the Yin Bagua guy?

Is he the Yin Bagua guy?


No. Just let that one go. Do a search.

An old kung-fu teacher of mine used to have a joke:

How do you knock out a guy with a three-sectioned staff?

Hand it to him and stand back.

Anyway you're all wrong. Gordon Liu invented it while training in the Shaolin Temple.

YouTube - Gordon Liu vs Lo Lieh The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin End Fight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8zz37oAIaE)

I use to do a three person fighting set with a three-section staff vs two spears. Indeed the "flowers" figure eight was used block spear thrust (pokes). The three section can also be used like kali sticks using the two ends almost like separate sticks with the middle section protecting the torso. Of course there is limitations to this. Another fun application is using the three-section over a high block with a long weapon (staff, spear). Middle section strikes opposing staff and first section goes over block and strikes the opponents back. Of course I never actually used one to spar with, but fight set was full speed with some power. I always heard the three section (Sanjiegun) came from farmers thrashers which look a lot like two-section (Dashaozigun). So the comment about beating rice sounds good to me.

I read somewhere, I think it was in Wikipedia, that a three-section staff is a bitch to block; when you swing it so that the middle section is going at the opponent, if they block it the far end spins around, with greater speed, and still strikes the opponent. I'm not sure how it would work out if they blocked the far end, though, but it would at least bring the guarding weapon behind them.

EDIT: Seems that cestdavid already made the point.