Links to durable Bo that can be used for contact training?

[Ivan]

I have looked everywhere to find a wooden Bo that can be used for hard contact training. I wish to to buy a Bo that is:

1. Durable and can withstand full force contact sparring
2. Wooden would be best
3. Preferably on the heavier side (to build up strength) and around 6 foot

I have looked on eBay, Blitz, Amazon... and yet in all the descriptions they claim they are training aids only and shouldn't be used for contact sparring. Does anybody here have any links to staffs or websites that can offer what I am looking for?
Thanks very much!

EDIT: I was recommended to buy a Rattan Staff here:
KIL Rattan 6' Staff
I will be buying a 6 foot staff with 1.5 inches 1.9 inches diameter. I am 6 foot tall. Does anyone have experience buying from here, and if so what were your thoughts? Thanks again.

 

[Danny T]

For training and sparring rattan is best.
KIL is a good company.
Rattan is not a hardwood rather it is fibrous therefore won’t splinter but it become shredded in time.

 

[Ivan]

For training and sparring rattan is best.
KIL is a good company.
Rattan is not a hardwood rather it is fibrous therefore won’t splinter but it become shredded in time.

What do you mean by "shredded"? And could you please say how much time on average please? Although it's good for sparring, I would like it to last long...

 

[wab25]

These guys are worth looking at: Bokken, Jo, Bo, Hanbo, Hiking Sticks and Japanese Wooden Weapons

I have a hanbo from them that is excellent. They make all their wood weapons for paired practice with contact. Very good quality.

The strength of wood

 

[Ivan]

These guys are worth looking at: Bokken, Jo, Bo, Hanbo, Hiking Sticks and Japanese Wooden Weapons

I have a hanbo from them that is excellent. They make all their wood weapons for paired practice with contact. Very good quality.

The strength of wood

Thank you very much. I will save this link for the future. Unfortunately, they can only ship inside of the US, as supposedly "the size of the Bo is too large to ship internationally". I will stick with KIL until I move out.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

What do you mean by "shredded"? And could you please say how much time on average please? Although it's good for sparring, I would like it to last long...

Rattan is what's used in Filipino martial arts for their sticks, and those are used stick-on-stick a lot. The shredding is like grass - it just starts to fray, rather than leaving splinters and cracks. Often, it starts with the skin of the rattan splitting, so you even have advanced notice that the weapon is degrading, though you can continue to use it for a time even once it starts to fray, so long as it's not throwing bits at your partner or in danger of collapse. Folks active in FMA can speak to how long a pair of sticks often lasts. Any weapon used for contact is going to degrade over time. If you want to use it that way, I'd suggest a rattan one (it's lighter, but safer as it degrades, and usually cheaper than hardwood), and a good hardwood one (for non-contact and limited use in contact).

 

[Christopher Adamchek]

the site @wab25 suggested doesnt ship to the UK (which i believe is where you are)

Playwell is a reputable site and in the UK
Red Oak is the minimum standard for martial arts weapons, but doesnt hold up to hard training
I'd get the ash one from them, and non tapered if you want heavier

Alternatively
you can order a custom hard wood exotic dowel for reasonable prices and sand it smooth yourself, this way your getting something very strong, my friend did this to get iron wood bo

Rattan
Durable and flexible, youll feel a tad less blunt force and a bit more of a sting than a hard wood bow when training and hit with it. It will start to crack and splinter into into fibers, under heavy training this can take weeks to months.

 

[Ivan]

Rattan is what's used in Filipino martial arts for their sticks, and those are used stick-on-stick a lot. The shredding is like grass - it just starts to fray, rather than leaving splinters and cracks. Often, it starts with the skin of the rattan splitting, so you even have advanced notice that the weapon is degrading, though you can continue to use it for a time even once it starts to fray, so long as it's not throwing bits at your partner or in danger of collapse. Folks active in FMA can speak to how long a pair of sticks often lasts. Any weapon used for contact is going to degrade over time. If you want to use it that way, I'd suggest a rattan one (it's lighter, but safer as it degrades, and usually cheaper than hardwood), and a good hardwood one (for non-contact and limited use in contact).

Thank you so much. You have really cleared up a lot for me; I am excited to start my journey in weapon based techniques.

 

[wab25]

Sorry, I didn't realize you were in the UK. (nor did I look at their shipping constraints )

If you are going to go the route of making your own from a hardwood dowel, you might consider using hickory as your wood. Refer to the Kingfisher site for info on why they only use hickory now. Also, there is a reason your sledge hammers, axes and picks use hickory for their handles.

 

[Tez3]

These guys are worth looking at: Bokken, Jo, Bo, Hanbo, Hiking Sticks and Japanese Wooden Weapons

I have a hanbo from them that is excellent. They make all their wood weapons for paired practice with contact. Very good quality.

The strength of wood

The cost of having them sent from the US to the UK may make it difficult to buy.
Hickory wood is also going to be expensive in the UK as it has to be imported, we don't grow it here.

The Bos, Jos etc that are sold in the UK are perfectly fine for sparring with, mine is white oak and stands up to a good pounding. The companies put the warning on to cover themselves not because they aren't suitable. However as I said before you do have to be over 18 to buy them, not 16.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Durable and can withstand full force contact sparring

Do you mean full contact sparring or full contact drilling?
Do you mean karate bo or Chinese staff?

 

[JowGaWolf]

For me personally I use wax wood, I have a staff going on 30 years strong and it's not going to break until the wood goes bad (rot)

 

[JowGaWolf]

However as I said before you do have to be over 18 to buy them

You are referring to buying a staff?

 

[Tez3]

You are referring to buying a staff?

Yes, the OP put up another thread about buying a Bo, I told him that suppliers here wouldn't sell to people under 18.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Yes, the OP put up another thread about buying a Bo, I told him that suppliers here wouldn't sell to people under 18.

That's amazing to me. So what's the reasoning behind it? There are so many things that can substitute as a Bo

 

[Dirty Dog]

Yes, the OP put up another thread about buying a Bo, I told him that suppliers here wouldn't sell to people under 18.

How silly. Because it makes so much sense to regulate access to a stick.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

What do you mean by "shredded"? And could you please say how much time on average please? Although it's good for sparring, I would like it to last long...

Not sure regarding a Bo, but I've used the same two pairs of rattan sticks (one for training, one for sparring) and after two years they're both still good to use. I'd imagine they last for a while.

 

[Dirty Dog]

What do you mean by "shredded"? And could you please say how much time on average please? Although it's good for sparring, I would like it to last long...

Rattan doesn't snap. It becomes mushy. Because it's a fibrous material, the fibers will split lengthwise, resulting in a soft, mushy area.

 

[Tez3]

How silly. Because it makes so much sense to regulate access to a stick.

That's amazing to me. So what's the reasoning behind it? There are so many things that can substitute as a Bo

It's not 'regulated' by UK law, nothing to do with that but it's what the retailers have chosen to do, it's probably as much to do with making sure they get paid as anything.

 

[JowGaWolf]

It's not 'regulated' by UK law, nothing to do with that but it's what the retailers have chosen to do, it's probably as much to do with making sure they get paid as anything.

Oh ok. I thought it was a law. I was so happy to when New York got rid of their stupid law that made two wooden sticks on a string illegal. The US has some really stupid laws. Please don't follow our example, lol.