Where to store the bo staffs in the dojo?

[Bill Mattocks]

Our dojo is very small. There is no room in the dojo itself to store anything; people would collide with it. There is a tiny back room that we use for storage. It contains various training gear, such as protective equipment for sparring, focus pads for kicking and punching, and etc. It also has our dojo-owned bo staffs hanging from the walls in the back room like tools from a pegboard, using clips to hold them in place. Over time, we've added more students, and more bo staffs, to the point where we are out of places to put them. We don't want to lean them against the walls; they quickly become warped. We have a bit of space over the doorway where we have installed hooks and piled them up horizontally, but only the tallest of our students can reach them. And to make matters worse, when sensei says "Get a bo!" to the class, he expects an instant response; the amount of time it takes for everyone to crowd into the backroom, find a bo, and get back out onto the floor sometimes ends up in pushups being done. Not that pushups are bad, but you get the idea.

One of our senior black belts recently reorganized the back room to reduce clutter, but she is also at a loss as to what to do with all the bo staffs.

Anyone have any clever ideas for bo storage? How do you do it in your dojo?

 

[Cyriacus]

Mm.
How Small is it, exactly?
Could you perhaps Isolate One Wall, and put the Staffs, as well as perhaps any Flags/Formal Parphenalia (Banners, I dont know what else ) on THAT wall, thereby just reforming the Room?

Optionally, is Rearranging the Back Room an Option? Like, getting Drawers, and filling them out with Gear, so you have a whole other Free Wall for Weapons?

I could perhaps gain from a bit more Detail
So, will I get the Measurement in Front Stances, Centimeters, or... Comparison to an Area?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Looks like this:

View attachment $321385_10150439603389392_809244391_11003576_1439043123_n.jpg

I would guess it's maybe 6 feet by 15 feet. The wall with the lockers is on one side; behind the photographer is the furnace and a small bathroom. To the left is the dojo, to the right is the back of the building.

The bo staffs are currently stored on the wall to the left in the photo; you can't see them but they are mounted on the wall. They currently take up all the space on that wall and that's the issue; we're out of space there and I don't see where else we could put more of them. So I was wondering what method other people use?

 

[ATC]

Are the lockers being used?

Our dojang is also small and has no storage room. So what we do is to have each person purchase their Bo, and then we announce or schedule Bo staff training. This way each person will simply bring their staff on that day, and then take them home again after class is over. No need to store anything.

Edit: This way they also have their weapon at home for home practice.

 

[Aiki Lee]

Do you have a weapon rack? If you place a weapon rack or two on the wall it should make it quicker for people to grab them and eliminate clutter from the back room.

 

[Jenna]

Some kind of a horizontal rack I think is needed. Well done too for knowing not to lean them in a corner as many do! Would it be possible to get a few lengths of cheap drainage pipe and assemble your own rack? I am thinking of how plumbers transport copper pipes in their vans (they often put them in large diameter drainage pipes no?) Would you even have enough space? It could be like a giant panpipe thing up near the roof maybe.

 

[Ceicei]

I looked at your photo and saw your storage shelves. It looks like you could move the few items from the bottom ones (like that plastic box and the yellow board to another shelf such as that space at the top). Perhaps use the now empty two bottom shelves to hold the bo staffs. Would that be doable?

Ceicei

 

[Cyriacus]

Looks like this:

View attachment 15394

I would guess it's maybe 6 feet by 15 feet. The wall with the lockers is on one side; behind the photographer is the furnace and a small bathroom. To the left is the dojo, to the right is the back of the building.

The bo staffs are currently stored on the wall to the left in the photo; you can't see them but they are mounted on the wall. They currently take up all the space on that wall and that's the issue; we're out of space there and I don't see where else we could put more of them. So I was wondering what method other people use?

Can the Lockers be Moved to where the Stands are, then have the Stands placed where the Lockers are?

 

[Master Dan]

we have a wooden locked cabinent we can stand 50 in but with your space I suggest you make a simple hangin rack from the cieling atached to your drop cieling supports should be able to handle 30 to 50 pounds go direct with wire hangers through the tile to substantial suport like wire to pipe or eye bolt screwed to wood just 4 wires two at each end to hold a u shaped rack end then maybe 4 foot conector two each side just slidein the bo's should hold 30 or more

 

[Nomad]

We have a "weapons' box" for the dojo sticks... It's roughly 1'x1'x3' tall, and the bo and other weapons stand upright in the box, allowing pretty quick access. Supporting them ~ halfway up instead of leaning seems to help prevent the warping that can otherwise happen.

Of course, students are also strongly encouraged to have their own weapons that they bring to class, since then they'll have the right size and weight weapons for them, and they'll also be able to practice at home.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I do not know if the lockers can be moved; they are bolted to the wall. But consider that the bo staffs are currently hanging all along the wall to the left side of the photo, which is much longer than the wall where the lockers are; there would be less space in the end for the bo staffs, I think.

We are storing some of the bo staffs horizontally over the door to the dojo (on the left about where the photographer is standing), but the problem is that the kids can't reach them; in fact only a few of the adults can reach that high. Yes, you can stand on a chair but when sensei says 'fast' he means 'fast' and not 'go get a chair to stand on and then grub around for a bo' (hehehehe). So the bo staffs stored horizontally above the door are sometimes not used at all as no one can reach them quickly.

With regard to taking the bo home; I have a bo at home; and I'm sure some students do as well, but we do bo practice when sensei decides to do it; no rhyme or reason to it, no schedule. After 30 years of the dojo being open (as of Sept 17 this year!), I doubt he's going to change his ways.

Can't store the bo staffs in the racks to the right; the bo staffs are all 6 feet long and the racks are maybe 3 feet deep. So they'd stick out.

I like the idea of the ceiling, but I wonder how we could do it and still have the kids be able to reach them when they are told to get a bo. Any thoughts? Something that could go up and down like a set of curtains or blinds kind of thing?

How do other dojos do it?

 

[jks9199]

Can't store the bo staffs in the racks to the right; the bo staffs are all 6 feet long and the racks are maybe 3 feet deep. So they'd stick out.

I like the idea of the ceiling, but I wonder how we could do it and still have the kids be able to reach them when they are told to get a bo. Any thoughts? Something that could go up and down like a set of curtains or blinds kind of thing?

How do other dojos do it?

A couple of ideas... You want to hang them from the ceiling, but still have some form of easy access -- then my idea would be ropes and pulleys. Staves hang in bights formed by tying off one free end, then passing the lines through pulleys and lengthening or shortening the loops to raise or lower the sticks. (Think along the lines of some weight machines, if that makes sense...)

Can you use one wall of the dojo for weapons? See, for example, here.

Otherwise, I'd also suggest using a smallish box to contain them and keep them more or less vertical. You could use a couple of loops or rings further up (if the box is 1 ft high, maybe at 3 and 5 ft) that would contain and sort of steer any lean that might warp them.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

A couple of ideas... You want to hang them from the ceiling, but still have some form of easy access -- then my idea would be ropes and pulleys. Staves hang in bights formed by tying off one free end, then passing the lines through pulleys and lengthening or shortening the loops to raise or lower the sticks. (Think along the lines of some weight machines, if that makes sense...)

Can you use one wall of the dojo for weapons?

Otherwise, I'd also suggest using a smallish box to contain them and keep them more or less vertical. You could use a couple of loops or rings further up (if the box is 1 ft high, maybe at 3 and 5 ft) that would contain and sort of steer any lean that might warp them.

I am liking the idea of the giant umbrella stand; this might work! Thanks to the several who have suggested it.

The notion of raising and lowering them from the ceiling might also work if I can figure an easy way to build such a contraption.

With regard to storing in the dojo itself, no. The place is VERY small; we crash into the few things that are in there now. We regularly bounce off the walls (and sometimes the mirrors, thankfully haven't broken any yet) and if we hang bo staffs there, we'll smash into them, guaranteed.

 

[Flying Crane]

everyone who is or has trained in Bo must own his/her own, and must bring it to class. Don't know which days will include Bo training? Bring it every time.

get rid of the "dojo-owned" Bo. Sell them to the students and stop stockpiling for the students. Make the students take responsibility for their own training.

after all, how can a student improve his bo if he does not practice outside of class? And how can the students possibly practice their Bo outside of class if they do not own one? There's a logical progression here...

 

[Bill Mattocks]

everyone who is or has trained in Bo must own his/her own, and must bring it to class. Don't know which days will include Bo training? Bring it every time.

get rid of the "dojo-owned" Bo. Sell them to the students and stop stockpiling for the students. Make the students take responsibility for their own training.

after all, how can a student improve his bo if he does not practice outside of class? And how can the students possibly practice their Bo outside of class if they do not own one? There's a logical progression here...

I appreciate the comments, but it's not my dojo and I'm not the sensei. So, no. We do it his way. I understand your logic, though.

FYI, I have a bo at home and practice at home; but I could not bring my bo to class even if I wanted to. I have a very small car, it won't fit in it. Driving down major highways with a bo sticking out of my window is more or less asking to be pulled over around here.

 

[Flying Crane]

I appreciate the comments, but it's not my dojo and I'm not the sensei. So, no. We do it his way. I understand your logic, though.

FYI, I have a bo at home and practice at home; but I could not bring my bo to class even if I wanted to. I have a very small car, it won't fit in it. Driving down major highways with a bo sticking out of my window is more or less asking to be pulled over around here.

understood, and valid concerns there.

 

[Cyriacus]

I appreciate the comments, but it's not my dojo and I'm not the sensei. So, no. We do it his way. I understand your logic, though.

FYI, I have a bo at home and practice at home; but I could not bring my bo to class even if I wanted to. I have a very small car, it won't fit in it. Driving down major highways with a bo sticking out of my window is more or less asking to be pulled over around here.

That is quite possibly the funniest thing ive visualised in a long time.

 

[harlan]

Three suggestions:

1. Distribute the bo differently. LIne up, one person in back and do the fireman thing...pass the bo out the door and down the line.
2. If the bo can be hung horizontally, I'd put three bars from the current wall (near ceiling) the to opposite wall. Then, get a lot of canvas/duck cloth and create hanging curtains with pockets sewn every few inches. Slide bo into pockets, and suspend the whole thing from the three bars. Repeat as needed. This way, you can have multiple bo hangers collapsed against the wall for storage, and pull them out to the center/other wall for access. This depends on the length of the room being sufficient so that the bo can be pulled out of the curtain pockets.
3. Same thing, but make the bo pockets vertical, maybe 6 to 10 per bag, and roll it up and tie closed to suspend...like a cocoon. This wouldn't work for little kids, too heavy to get down, but for adults would be okay.

 

[tayl0124]

First off, how many bo's are we actually talking about??? If you don't have room to store them in the dojo, how do you have room to practice when everyone has a bo in their hand? A few things here trouble me. First off, your sensei knows that it is difficult to get the bo's but still "disciplines" you for not getting them fast enough? Secondly you mention that the bo's over the door don't often get used. Could it possibly be easier to have bo's separated out by size?? The easiest ones for the kids, and the higher ones for adults?? These are just some of my suggestions. I mean no disrespect with my questions or suggestions.