Bo Staff

Week

Warm Up

Exercises

1

Staff Handoff:

With a partner, hand your staff to them while they hand their staff to you. Focus on your partner!

How to Hold the Staff Properly: Find Halfway point, place hand, then find halfway between hand and end for other hand. Tuck under armpit.

Striking: Up/Down and Right/Left

Thrusting: Step forward. Dot & staff-end accuracy

2

Staff Toss: With a partner, do Staff handoff. Then, have them take a step back, count to 3 and toss. Then have them do it on their own.

Identifying Levels (Striking): Strikes to the head level, body level, and leg level. (High/middle/low)

Blocking: Keeping the staff vertical, hands dividing the staff into thirds. Turning with the hips, not overextending the arms.

3

Staff Handoff with spin: Do Staff handoff. Then, add a spin behind the back between each handoff.

Overhead Strike: Strikes downward on the crown of the head.

Blocking Overhead: Horizontal or Vertical

Thrusting Targets: Eyes, Pectorals, Belly-button 

4

Staff Toss with spin: Do Staff handoff, then Staff Toss. Then, add a spin behind the back between each handoff & toss.

Moving & Striking: Strikes high/middle/low while moving forward and backward with a partner, who blocks these motions. Repeat around in a circle.

Front spin: Spinning the staff in a circle in front of you. Emphasize hand and wrist movement.

5

Staff handoff while moving in a circle: Do staff handoff, but partners move around in a circle (around a ring?)

Moving and Thrusting: Thrusts (eyes, pecs, belly) while moving forward and backwards with a partner, who blocks these motions. Repeat around in a circle.

Combo: Block/High Strike/ Low Strike/ Thrust

6

Staff toss while moving in a circle: Do staff toss, but partners move around in a circle (around a ring?)

Over the head strike: After striking on a side, without switching hands, swing the staff over the head to strike on the other side of the target.

Figure 8 side spins: Spin the staff in a circle on the side of the body, then spin a circle on the other side of the body.

7

Front Spin.

Over the head spin.

Over the head long strike: Holding in a striking position, back hand up to front hand, switch wrist position of front hand and grab the end in front, swinging around the head for a long reach.

Combo: Block/High Strike/ Low Strike/ Over the head Strike

8

Moving around one person does strikes, the other does blocks.

Pole vault kicks: Draw the backhand to the back end of the staff while stepping forward, planting the front end of the staff into the ground into a jump with a kick.

Combo: Strike/ Over the head strike/ (step back)Thrust/ Over the head Long Strike

9

Moving around one person does thrusts, the other does blocks.

Combo: Thrust/Block/Middle Strike/ Over the head Strike

10

Moving across the mat one person does strikes & thrusts, the other does blocks. Alternate back and forth between attacking and blocking.

High Thrust to the eyes: Pick both ends of the staff up so it is horizontal, making a forward thrust towards the eyes.

11

Moving around one person does strikes & thrusts, the other does blocks. Alternate back and forth between attacking and blocking.

Combo: Block/ High Strike/ Low Strike/ Block/ Thrust

12

Moving around one person does strikes & thrusts, the other does blocks. Partners may strike at will.

Combo: Block/ Thrust/ Over the head Strike/ Block/ Strike