In most D&D games it is just called quaterstaff, and can look like whatever, which is what you wanna give to your wizard. Wizards just love big sticks to swing around and yell "you shall not pass", and whatnot.
What wood you say about this prestickament? Perhaps we should look for its roots in where it originated to come up with a more well oriented name, because I'm pretty stumped at the moment. If you work in an office, you might want to get the staff to log it down.
"I don't think the English can claim to have invented the big stick" Oh yes we did, how dare you! Unpatriotic! Treason! Shame! All sticks were small to medium sized until we came along! Call Yourself an Englishman?! Love your videos btw, thanks for this.
I imagine that sometimes an iron ring would be added on each end, not only for the extra weight, but also in case the wood should start to split on impact, the rings would help hold the staff together a bit longer, which you'd definitely want if you were in the middle of a fight. Same for wrapping cord, or leather strips around it.
All weapons are derived from "The Big Stick". After all, hammers and poleaxes/polearms are "Big Sticks" with tactical attachments. And swords are sharpened "Big Sticks" made of metal, with optional guards. And arrows are short "Big Sticks" that you fling with elasticated launch mechanisms.
I know your joking... but a halfstaff is the English translation for the word Hanbo. Or, 3' (ish) long fighting stick fromJapan. (Pretty much the same weapon as an escrima). ... its half a staff
@@CrystallizedBlackSkull With the whole staff, you'll be able to shatter your opposition's spine and flesh suit; at the cost of turning the staff into a half stay probably.
When I was a teenager, a long time ago, I called it a walking stick or hiking stave. A friend and I hiked with them and they were useful for making our way through brush, up steep hillsides, through swampy water . . . We never needed them for self defense. But we had them.
Hmm, coming from a woodworking background, I believe that 'stave' is a term for a split blank, mostly from the old bodgers/chair makers. That is the proper way to make a staff. The ash one you hold in your hand is obviously not split and has cross grain in the top part of it, which will guarantee a crack following the grain eventually. A ferule on the end, which would have meant the iron rings you mentioned are for preventing cracking on the end, especially under heavy use. This is on all wood lathe tools. I have wondered about the Wing Chung staff, which was long and tapered. I have wondered if the design came from using a branch, which does taper from one end to the other. Bamboo would not work well, but the rattan I have seen is all fairly even thickness. The way it flexes as it is used adds another technique to be used...
@genola icwudt @Loremaster72 That line always interested me. “Lathspell,” meaning “Ill-news” (or bad news), related to the word gospel or godspell, meaning good news.
“I’ve also seen quarterstaffs made with an iron cap on either end, sort of a tube...” OH GOD DONT RUIN IT PLEASE DONT RUIN THE COOL QUARTERSTAFF “...that is perfectly feasible.” OH GOD YES
French engineering = white flag German engineering = anything that was made 50 years ago and still works today Italian engineering = pizza Spanish engineering = ....give it a minute... mismatched clocks? African engineering = mud-huts Greek engineering = choir boys
What would that be? A staff that offered mercy? One of four pieces that clipped together to make a wholestaff? One fourth of the number of people required to run a company?
8:42 "Scouts were scouts in these days, they learned whacking each other with sticks, they got to carry proper knives, they did responsible things and... well, that's been lost". 100% about the Soviet pioneers.
And the scouts when I was in them in the early 80s! I used to borrow my dad's Fairbairn Sykes as a sheath knife. It looked cool but it was crap for bushcraft! 😂
I could imagine a fort or castle having a BOX full of quarter staffs. That way they can be grabbed and used as needed by staff or extra people or for building or whatever. General purpose well stocked amount of staves for your quarters.
I never get tired of these informational videos. I've learned more about ancient weapons and strategy from this channel than I ever did in school. Also the boy scout bit makes me wish I had been a boy scout in the 1890's instead of the 1990's where I basically just learned to shoot arrows and tie knots all day.
JOSHItheDrako There is nothing wrong with a hobbyist. There was a time when most of sciences best achievements came from those who practiced it with no formal training. For example the discovery that all the world once existed in one giant super continent was first made by geological enthusiast/hobbyist Alfred Wegener (www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/wegener.html). It isn't a PHD that makes what you know have merits it is how the person goes about retrieving it that matters most.
Hey, it may just be a big stick but it's OUR big stick. No one tells the mongols off for being the iconic horse archer to most people because a lot of other people had sat on a horse and shot a bow.
Well, the english have some things that make me wonder why would they think they are unique in the first place. Things like drinking tea or fish and chips, I mean seriously? You thought no one ever thought about having fish and potatoes fried? I guess the nick lies in having something, not necessarily unique, but give it a unique name and make it take an important place in your culture, then it's yours. If other people wants to have that thing too, then they should call it by another name and assimilate it as fuck in their culture, eventually both things will differentiate from each other.
5:10 - "It's probably because it's a quarter of a tree" - I've always thought of the term "quarterstaff" as being more closely related to "quarter" as it is used to describe combat - "close quarter combat," "give no quarter," etc.
The quarter in "close quarter combat" and "give no quarter" does not reference combat, it references space (as in land, area, room). Close quarter is a location where everything is close to one another - for example, inside a house our narrow road. "give no quarter" refers to holding your position/prevent your enemy form advancing, thereby preventing them from taking (a part of the) land. So you could basically also say "give no square-foot" or "give no m²", but since the saying comes from a time where measuring was done a lot differently, we still use the old saying.
@@random.3665 I didn't say "close quarter" references combat, I said it describes combat. The term "combat" is the one that references combat. When talking about combat, we don't say "room." We say "quarter." In this case, close quarter combat is probably most relevant, since that's exactly what the quarterstaff is for. Makes a heck of a lot more sense than the staff being a quarter of a tree.
@@RendezvousWithRama Good thinking, but close quarter combat is actually not what a quarterstaff is for, in fact, that is when it becomes impractical as a weapon. A Staff's main advantage over other melee weapons (note that both the name quarter staff AND referring to enclosed spaces as close quarter is older than modern weaponry, meaning most fighting was done with melee weapons) is reach. if you are in very tight quarters, that advantage of the staff is completely negated, and in fact turns into a weakness (its length making it cumbersome). So i would be pretty certain that the phrase "close quarter combat" is not the origin of the weapons name...
I'm a filthy colonist in Florida, And I must say... These must have been an ineffective weapon - because we won. And now you guys pretty much follow us around like an annoying younger sister. Yes, I'm just trying to ruffle your fish and chips. I've been to the UK and it was AWESOME and I'm extremely jealous that you get the EPL and we have MLS. Friggin Millwall would beat most MLS teams. The fat keeper who ate the pie to win that prop bet in the FA cup is MLS quality.
A gentleman's got a walking stick. A seaman's got a gaff. And the merry men of Robin Hood They used a quarterstaff. On the Spanish plains inside their canes They hide their ruddy swords. But we make do with an old bam-boo And everyone applauds!
+James Lewis Excellent reference! I wonder if there is anyone else old enough to recognize it. There is a very entertaining video here on the youtubes of this for those who happen to find it. :-)
James Howse That movie came out in 1968 iirc, perhaps if people are showing it to their great grand kids. ;-) However, it seems to be more well know these days for being the inspiration for a skit on the animated show "Family Guy" than because people watched it as children, sadly enough.
Bryan Shouse really? because before the current generation of shit tonnes of kids films there weren't nearly as many. I'd have though most parents would have shown their kids all the Disney classics. I was born in 1995 and I must have seen it loads of times. I don't know whether your right and I'm an odd one out, or if your just underestimating it
Another great video! Some points I would add: 1. *Name:* Staff, Bo staff, or long stick. I've never heard people call it a quarter staff before. 2. *Ideal length* (for how I was trained to use one) is up to about the eye level of the user. Why? You have to be able to manipulate the weapon using rotation. If it gets too long, the end will strike the ground while the user is trying to re-position it for another strike or block. 3. *Ideal width* (1 inch, maybe 1.25 inches). It has to fit comfortably in the hands so it doesn't get dislodged during combat. Also, it isn't a heavy weapon because then it can't be manipulated quickly. 4. *Flex:* Some bo staffs are made of wax wood and have flex to them so that they don't break when they hit a solid object. While it may seem counter-intuitive, they have more than enough force behind them to knock a person out. 5. *Battlefield usage:* The staff is a great training weapon which leads nicely into more dangerous battlefield variants like: --- spears --- naginatas --- halberds --- etc. While it wouldn't be used to fight a war, it's a great "general purpose" weapon to have while travelling the countryside in medieval times. Why? The staff could be used as: --- a walking stick --- a way to carry items over the shoulder in sacks --- a tool to reach things in trees (like apples for example) --- a fishing rod (just bring string and a hook) --- a tool to disarm traps --- etc. It's like an ancient swiss army knife. It's hard to imagine something it couldn't be used for. :)
@@mikefule Yeah. OP called it a "Bo staff" which means he's probably referring to an East Asian weapon. Quarterstaff is the usual English name for the European one.
Lindybeige, I love your videos. You have a great sort of charisma about yourself. Seeing you light up when you talk about history and weapons makes me happy. Thank you.
Little John (a giant of a man) and Robin Hood had a fight with quarterstaves on a log bridging a stream. Robin knocked John into the water, won the fight, but thought John had fought so well that he let him join his band of merry men. That's what I learned at infant school. Must be right then.
I have a theory: Quarterstaff refers to "military version" because the military planners meet at the Head Quarters, so they discuss there abour how to war. The staff used by the elder members could help them to stand, the young and not-so-young members could use it to fight. About the length of the quarterstaff: - It cannot be 9 feet tall, a traveler would have problems entering with it into an inn. - It would be better if the height of the user is the base, because one can learn the most adequate skill that fits one's height. Making it less usable in the hands of the opponent. This is an easy weapon to drop if your hands perspirate during the fight. - You could do calculations based on your own height if you know your staff is equal to it. -You can cover it with the same cape that covers you, protecting the staff from the elements (Moisture can affect its stiffness)
Any Boy Scout leader knows that within minutes of a scout discovering a big stick at a camp-out, he will use it to bonk one of his buddies. Long ago, we had to make a rule that the top of the stick never goes higher than the shoulder of your opponent / victim.
"Thank goodness such drivel doesn't matter in videos like this. You know what I'm talking about: big sticks that you hit people with." Just for this, you've earned a subscription.
Eastern versions of "big stick" had some elasticity. I guess that they had different type of wood. That would in turn cause different fight style for such weapons.
I was a boy scout in the 1960's, and yes, we were trained in how to use staffs, it was great fun being in tne scouts then. We were taught how to use and sharpen an ax, how to shoot a 22 rifle, how to shoot a bow and arrow, how to snare animals, and other outdoor skills. We went on camp outs every month, and we even camped in the snow. We all carried boy scout knives wherever we went. Those were good times.
The days we could go out and leave the doors unlocked and let our kids play in the woods . when the only car in the village belonged to the doctor and we all grew our own vegatables . And they call what we have now progress ....mmmm
I suppose whether you prefer a heavy thwacking staff or a thinner sproinging staff would depend upon what school of staff combat you followed; Robin Hood, or Three Stooges.
I love the thwack and crunch comment about 3:15 into the video. It reminds me of an opportunity I had to swing a mere, when I handed it back I said that I wouldn't want to be hit twice with it, the owner told me that it was designed to smash the skull with the first blow, therefore most people didn't need to be hit twice.
This was another very good video Lloyd! By the way I love how you absolutely ignore dishonest people who sometimes disagree just because want to create a sensation and sway your viewers to become theirs. You are an intelligent, genuine and humorous man, and a good researcher, which, regardless of what some are persuaded to believe, is a quality that doesn't come from having swung a sword more times than other people.
Really to Whom are you refereeing? I have seen no one reply to Lloyd who was dishonest or vying for views. I have seen people with similar interests sharing their thoughts and indeed sometimes more experience on a subject Lloyd has spoken of.
Furthermore, swinging a sword around and doing good research are not mutually exclusive. Anyone whom I've seen disagree with Lloyd indeed did their research and swung some swords around.
I'll let Apocalyptic Knights answer you that. He'll probably deny it, but truth is he has just enough sympathy towards Matt to be considered respectful and polite...
Gongasoso In reality I don't hate people, but I do hate certain behaviours, so I don't view it as a valid personal question. Whoever it is, it is easy for them to stop being in that place by stepping out of attitudes, in the same way it's easy for anybody else to go to that place by gaining those negative traits. Of course I recognize that personal change is a difficult thing and takes some time, but the moment someone makes a decision, the signs that he made it start to show from day 1. I don't consider myself perfect, but there are flaws that I consider terrible (because the effect they create is bad), and they mostly revolve around things such as arrogance, dishonesty, lies and greed, and some people just happen to carry all that nasty baggage. Someone else may be more sensitive to other negative traits, such as for instance he doesn't like laziness in people. There are reasons why I'm sensitive to these and he is sensitive to those, but it's not the time or place to analyze that. Of course you may say, the world is full of people with those flaws all over, why focus on what one or a few do? The answer is simple. The others don't occupy themselves with something I directly love and care about. I hope I covered you, and please stop naming names and putting people in the spotlight. You may have noticed I don't anymore. It's not fair because it locks somebody in a position where I don't want them to be, they don't want themselves to be, nobody wants them to be. Every day, tomorrow may be a different day.
As thick as your wrist, as tall as you stand and one hand, made from old hazel coppice, strip the bark while green and season, it will be smooth and the nobbles will help you grip. Get fit and strong and go bop 'em. Don't overcomplicate the big stick. Hazle and Ash when thick is not bouncy on the head. My own very old and well-used staff can stop a man in armour (and has).
I note that shorter sticks were popular in Victorian times, often weighted with metal - Doyle devotes an obsessive amount of descriptive prose to wooden metal weighted "lawyers" carried by characters in his Sherlock Holmes stories. Some were walking-stick/gentleman's cane length, others were shorter and couldn't be used as a walking stick and so were blatantly "heavy sticks for some serious thwacking". Whether it's the quarterstaff, a cane/walking-stick or a steel-shod "lawyer", the "+1 Stick of Gratuitous Thwacking" has ever been a popular weapon. Nowadays you'd probably get arrested for carrying a pencil in your pocket.
American Hickory from Tennessee is my preferred wood for making most weapons etc. Though I am nearly half Native American & I grew up in Tennessee so i do have to admit the bias. However it is still a really hard & durable wood that is wonderful for bow making, axe handles etc even if it isnt historical to Europe/UK etc. Though since the Vikings & the Welsh both are said to have come here before Columbus by my Native Ancestors i cant say that some of them werent at least possibly familiar w/ it.
im a scout, what a shame we dont train with quarterstaff.... "hey buddy, stop hitting that kid with that stick.... but im earning my quarter staff merit badge.... ah ok, go ahead"
just a theory from an aussie woodworker; Quarterstave = quarter sawn stave of wood as quarter sawn timber is least reactionary to stresses and the most stable and least likely to warp. once a quarter sawn stave is worked into a round form it may then be referred to as a quarter staff or simply, a staff. (The alternative to quarter sawing is backsawn timber. backsawn has more interesting character however it is much more susceptible to twisting, bowing and reacting to the different stresses and forces naturally occurring in the timber.) just a hunch. Have a great day :)
A big stick is also a part of many Japanese ancient self-defence techniques. They are usually called bo. And the smaller versions are called jo or hanbo (depending mainly of the size). I'm also pretty sure that the English weren't the only ones who thought of hitting people with a wooden stick. Also one reason I can think of practising to use a stick is that in a case of war your weapon of choise (a spear) might break and so you'll end up with a staff instead. It might be then a really handy to know how to fight with one.
That may have had issues with law pertaining to the possession and use of weapons by commons who often lacked the right to carry arms on commons and crown lands. Britain has a history of strong weapons restrictions that continue to this day. A stave with a nice metal head was probably classified as a walking stick rather than a long mace even though it was identical in function.
i guess the point is tha people won't like it very much if you walk through their town with a spear in your hand. probably makes them uneasy about your intentions...
A metal cap (particularly on the bottom end) serves an entirely innocent purpose - it makes your walking stick last much, much longer; a spearhead doesn't make your walking stick any better for walking with (if anything it makes it slightly less useful) and makes it entirely too obvious that it's intended as a weapon...
Hello Sir, I subscribed to you a few years ago. Now, with all this extra time, I've been watching so many things. I love it because it doesn't matter how old the video, the info is still good and accurate. I am so glad i subscribed many years ago and can't wait to see that 1 Mill Plaque someday hanging up! Best wishes - Timmy
The problem with the staff (Big Stick) he's holding, is that it isn't straight-grained. As can be clearly seen, the grain runs out of the side of the staff, so it is more likely to fail, especially if used as a poleaxe haft.
not all monks were martial, many are pacifists, however yes there are monks that were better trained then the miliatries of those days, however in japan and china you also had nobles being taught by monks so some samurai and in china soldiers were probably as well trained.
Davis Green That's what I was thinking. It's probably for people that travel a lot - or even just a fair bit - to keep the ends nice and shapely. I used a walking stick for a week out of material (that's to my knowledge) way tougher than most wood and it went from a flat tip to a damn near bowl shape, so I can only imagine how bad the damage could be on wood, _especially_ considering how long people would be on the road just when going *one* way.
Emphatic yes. In Japan, the bo and jo (relatives of the quarterstaff) are sometimes fitted with metal bands or more often notched all around the staff just above the end then tie it *very* securely with tightly wound cord or, these days, with paracord I should think. That's some honker of a stick Lloyd's waving about. The Japanese "jo" is 15/16ths of an inch and the "bo" is, I believe one inch. I suspect that in jo vs q-staff, by the time you get that whittled-down tree trunk in motion the jo would have left several welts and circular bruises from the end on your forehead...or throat. Mind, q-staff only has to get one really good belt in and Bob's your uncle.
@@kevinmencer3782 Quite possibly, Kev, since I have no direct experience. Given opponents equal in all regards though imho I tend to think the physics of the weapons would favour the jo.
dude1:hey, where did you get this staff? dude2:oh this? i call it a quarterstaff dude1:why do you call it a quarterstaff? dude2: because i ripped it from the furniture of your quarter! dude1:.......
A staff is very useful for hiking or even walking if you're doing a lot of it on rough roads. It's also a pretty practical weapon type to learn since you can find a longish stick almost anywhere if the need arises.
My two bits: It should be about your height, or at least above eye level, so that you are not knocking yourself in the face while you traversing with it. If you should find yourself going into battle with it, the least you could do, would be to sharpen it up into a spear. I have always called it a myakka stick, hard wooden dowel from Home Depot. It is a natural response if you want to go tromp around the flooded parks of Florida. You want enough length to give you some reach, but not so much weight, that you are not strong enough for the stick.
![NLE Choppa - Or What ft. 41 (Orchestra Mix) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/biOFASEgSOM/mqdefault.jpg)
I can’t even imagine how long a wholestaff must be.
4 time both the girth and length.
Probably 24-36 ft lmao
@danger man So a wholestaff is really just a battering ram.
danger man PfFt YoU pEOpLe KnOw NoThInG aBoUt ScIenCE
danger man lmao
quarterstaff the preferred weapon of wizards throughout history.
Those are not wizards staffs. Wizards staffs have a knob on the end :-)
Odds are a street-smart wizard could still give you a good thwack with it.
TheBarser if a wizard physically hits you with his/her staff the wizard has ether ran out of mana or you've really pist him/her off
Yeah, but a Wizard's staff has a knob on the end.
In most D&D games it is just called quaterstaff, and can look like whatever, which is what you wanna give to your wizard. Wizards just love big sticks to swing around and yell "you shall not pass", and whatnot.
Is an expert with a quarterstaff called a quartermaster?
+Carl Street quarterstaff master maybe?
Staff Sergeant, I'd say.
+Blake Hahn To staff or not to staff, that is the sticking point...
What wood you say about this prestickament?
Perhaps we should look for its roots in where it originated to come up with a more well oriented name, because I'm pretty stumped at the moment. If you work in an office, you might want to get the staff to log it down.
The name still isn't quite sticking with me.. If only there were a grain, or branch of hope..
"I don't think the English can claim to have invented the big stick"
Oh yes we did, how dare you! Unpatriotic! Treason! Shame! All sticks were small to medium sized until we came along!
Call Yourself an Englishman?!
Love your videos btw, thanks for this.
to be fair, slightly-larger-than-average sticks did also exist pre the big sticc
I'm pretty sure trees invented big sticks
FUNNY !
It is called Bo or Jo in the Asian martial arts.
maybe just compared to the French and their tiny sticks.
I imagine that sometimes an iron ring would be added on each end, not only for the extra weight, but also in case the wood should start to split on impact, the rings would help hold the staff together a bit longer, which you'd definitely want if you were in the middle of a fight. Same for wrapping cord, or leather strips around it.
All weapons are derived from "The Big Stick". After all, hammers and poleaxes/polearms are "Big Sticks" with tactical attachments. And swords are sharpened "Big Sticks" made of metal, with optional guards. And arrows are short "Big Sticks" that you fling with elasticated launch mechanisms.
Said elasticated launch mechanism is in of itself just a big stick.
How about most weapons are specialisations of either "the big stick" or "the big rock"?
Chemical explosives? What about those?
+Matthew Picchu also nuclear and biological weapons.
u
"You want the shaft to be hard and stiff and be able to slide it around in your hands".
Oooookaaay
+TheRealXartaX I'll show you "ancient poll form" (1:41)
+TheRealXartaX That's how I like my quarterstaves
+TheRealXartaX yeah, i lol'd!
+TheRealXartaX you want it to be smooth rather than rough and knobbly
There's too dick jokes
Quarterstaff: A retired spear that got fat & lost it's point.
Maraak .Nor this deserves way more likes 😂😂
Maraak .Nor Sounds like a fair portion of feminists. Minus the spear part that is.
Drew Dorman I'm not sure that many of them had a point to begin with.
More along the lines the staff is really good versus sword, put a pointy end to it and you got a perfect weapon.
Maraak .Nor
haha. i see this in the mirror every morning!
"Actually, it's a buck and a quarter quarter staff, but I'm not telling HIM that!"
, Daffy Duck
almost 40 years since I heard him say that and it's STILL the first thing I think of whenever a quarter staff is mentioned! 🤣🤣🤣 well played!
Ah, I see you're a man of culture as well
The French were also masters in the Quarterstaff.
Oh wait, those were Baguettes...
Try harder
Va chier
Hey, I have used baguettes in battle! In WWII at the Battle of Vordan, I killed about a dozen nazis
I just watched The King and now I can only see The Dauphin with a baguette.
old, inedible baguettes, perhaps
if you think about it the quaterstaff is one giant pommel.
You could end the fuck outta someone. Rightly to!
ohhhhhhhh my gooooooooood
+shanefm02
If you're going to finish someone rightly by throwing a stick at them, at least go with a caber.
+Luca Carter fucking hell end him rightly is such a well known in joke in the Medieval weapon community
use the pommel to end them righly.
"Big sticks that you hit people with"
That's what brings me to this channel :-)
That's what brings me to p****** too
8:30
2 quarterstaves should be an halfstaff, isn't it.
I know your joking... but a halfstaff is the English translation for the word Hanbo. Or, 3' (ish) long fighting stick fromJapan. (Pretty much the same weapon as an escrima).
... its half a staff
Quarterstaff
Halfstaff
Wholestaff
@@CrystallizedBlackSkull With the whole staff, you'll be able to shatter your opposition's spine and flesh suit; at the cost of turning the staff into a half stay probably.
Four pairs of two quartestaves glued together make a twostaff
dear god imagine a fullstaff
When I was a teenager, a long time ago, I called it a walking stick or hiking stave. A friend and I hiked with them and they were useful for making our way through brush, up steep hillsides, through swampy water . . . We never needed them for self defense. But we had them.
Hmm, coming from a woodworking background, I believe that 'stave' is a term for a split blank, mostly from the old bodgers/chair makers. That is the proper way to make a staff. The ash one you hold in your hand is obviously not split and has cross grain in the top part of it, which will guarantee a crack following the grain eventually. A ferule on the end, which would have meant the iron rings you mentioned are for preventing cracking on the end, especially under heavy use. This is on all wood lathe tools.
I have wondered about the Wing Chung staff, which was long and tapered. I have wondered if the design came from using a branch, which does taper from one end to the other. Bamboo would not work well, but the rattan I have seen is all fairly even thickness. The way it flexes as it is used adds another technique to be used...
"a really big stick is pretty difficult to beat"
That one has to be deliberate :)
@Joel Roy Pretty sure he got it.....
I think the reason there is no evidence of metal capped quarterstaffs is because all who had to face those weapons were ended rightly.
guycxz interesting comment,
Skallagrim and for honor.
Rightly indeed.
Monkey magic had a metal capped wishing staff
De belgian goedendag i guess, but that also has a spike on the metal cap
You would not part an old man from his walking stick?
genola allright Gandof. I agree with you.
Mithrandir :))
I love you for that reference
You bring bad news,Gandalf Stormcrow!
@genola icwudt
@Loremaster72 That line always interested me. “Lathspell,” meaning “Ill-news” (or bad news), related to the word gospel or godspell, meaning good news.
"There's nothing like a nice piece of hickory." ~Clint Eastwood
Unforgiven!
@@donc2446 Technically it's from Pale RIder, but close enough. XD
“I’ve also seen quarterstaffs made with an iron cap on either end, sort of a tube...”
OH GOD DONT RUIN IT PLEASE DONT RUIN THE COOL QUARTERSTAFF
“...that is perfectly feasible.”
OH GOD YES
Oh Lindybeige you fool. You said hard and stiff in a RUclips video.
Multiple times, too!
***** And how everyone has them
+Nathan C. And that you thrust with them.
Psychosmurf43 And how a proper one is wielded with two hands.
+perochialjoe And that you need something smooth, rather than rough and knobbly.
British engineering = Claims to invent a big stick ;D
oh.. oooh...!!! We invented the Tallystick too I tell ye! *TWO STICKS!*
One of the oldest tally sticks was found in Kongo, was about 20.000 years old. So I doubt that the british invented it.
nice profile pic :)
Peter Marsh thanks
French engineering = white flag
German engineering = anything that was made 50 years ago and still works today
Italian engineering = pizza
Spanish engineering = ....give it a minute... mismatched clocks?
African engineering = mud-huts
Greek engineering = choir boys
I wish a quarterstaff was literally a quarterstaff
What would that be? A staff that offered mercy? One of four pieces that clipped together to make a wholestaff? One fourth of the number of people required to run a company?
Lindybeige a staff of american 25 cent coins welded together
Lindybeige Maybe a metal staff forged together out of american quarters.
***** ding ding ding you win the grand prize
b33lze6u6 what do i get?
8:42 "Scouts were scouts in these days, they learned whacking each other with sticks, they got to carry proper knives, they did responsible things and... well, that's been lost".
100% about the Soviet pioneers.
And the scouts when I was in them in the early 80s! I used to borrow my dad's Fairbairn Sykes as a sheath knife. It looked cool but it was crap for bushcraft! 😂
@@71simonforrester Mora > Most knives. Quite a good bushcraft knife, and for $15, quite a steal.
I could imagine a fort or castle having a BOX full of quarter staffs. That way they can be grabbed and used as needed by staff or extra people or for building or whatever. General purpose well stocked amount of staves for your quarters.
They would have ended up being used for fire wood, broom sticks, whatever. The "quartermaster" (see what I did there) would have had conniptions.
I never get tired of these informational videos. I've learned more about ancient weapons and strategy from this channel than I ever did in school. Also the boy scout bit makes me wish I had been a boy scout in the 1890's instead of the 1990's where I basically just learned to shoot arrows and tie knots all day.
You really should watch scholagladiatoria
Lloyd is more of a hobbyist
JOSHItheDrako I would like to them do a few videos together.
JOSHItheDrako There is nothing wrong with a hobbyist. There was a time when most of sciences best achievements came from those who practiced it with no formal training. For example the discovery that all the world once existed in one giant super continent was first made by geological enthusiast/hobbyist Alfred Wegener (www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/wegener.html). It isn't a PHD that makes what you know have merits it is how the person goes about retrieving it that matters most.
You are lucky you got to tie knots and shoot arrows. I only learned how to turn on a camp stove and set up a tent.
JOSHItheDrako
Scholagladatoria has great info. But man i find him annoying to listen to.
Hey, it may just be a big stick but it's OUR big stick. No one tells the mongols off for being the iconic horse archer to most people because a lot of other people had sat on a horse and shot a bow.
But it's equally iconic in Okinawa.
Well, the english have some things that make me wonder why would they think they are unique in the first place. Things like drinking tea or fish and chips, I mean seriously? You thought no one ever thought about having fish and potatoes fried?
I guess the nick lies in having something, not necessarily unique, but give it a unique name and make it take an important place in your culture, then it's yours. If other people wants to have that thing too, then they should call it by another name and assimilate it as fuck in their culture, eventually both things will differentiate from each other.
Alvaro Díaz I'm quite sure nobody but the English ever thought of frying fish and potatoes. Because that makes absolutely no sense.
Jonathan Cast I know, right? Just like ridding on a horse in the battlefield.
I suppose that in Europe and Asia the Mongols were the iconic horse archers. To those of us in North America however it would be the Sioux.
"...actually, it's a 'buck and a quarter' quarter staff... but I'm not telling him that!"
~ Daffy Duck
Joe Stubbernubbensteingenson Well said sir, I'm glad someone appreciates the classics.
+Joe Stubbernubbensteingenson That cartoon was probably banned for its violence.
"Duck Season!" ~ Bugs Bunny
+gorillaau “Wabbit season!” - Elmer Fudd
Dylan Morgan Why are you hunting rabbits with an elephant gun? You should be hunting elephants.
5:10 - "It's probably because it's a quarter of a tree" - I've always thought of the term "quarterstaff" as being more closely related to "quarter" as it is used to describe combat - "close quarter combat," "give no quarter," etc.
The quarter in "close quarter combat" and "give no quarter" does not reference combat, it references space (as in land, area, room). Close quarter is a location where everything is close to one another - for example, inside a house our narrow road. "give no quarter" refers to holding your position/prevent your enemy form advancing, thereby preventing them from taking (a part of the) land. So you could basically also say "give no square-foot" or "give no m²", but since the saying comes from a time where measuring was done a lot differently, we still use the old saying.
@@random.3665 Quarters are a lost art.
By that logic, you could also call it a quarrelstaff.
@@random.3665 I didn't say "close quarter" references combat, I said it describes combat. The term "combat" is the one that references combat. When talking about combat, we don't say "room." We say "quarter."
In this case, close quarter combat is probably most relevant, since that's exactly what the quarterstaff is for. Makes a heck of a lot more sense than the staff being a quarter of a tree.
@@RendezvousWithRama Good thinking, but close quarter combat is actually not what a quarterstaff is for, in fact, that is when it becomes impractical as a weapon. A Staff's main advantage over other melee weapons (note that both the name quarter staff AND referring to enclosed spaces as close quarter is older than modern weaponry, meaning most fighting was done with melee weapons) is reach. if you are in very tight quarters, that advantage of the staff is completely negated, and in fact turns into a weakness (its length making it cumbersome). So i would be pretty certain that the phrase "close quarter combat" is not the origin of the weapons name...
The dire quarter staff, a 6 foot quarter staff with a 6 foot quarter staff on each end
Always good to have your hands on a hard, stiff object for beating.
TranscendentLion I wouldn't expect anything less from the island dwellers
+The_Paradox__ You wouldn't happen to be a filthy colonist would you?
Dan Bowers oh no you dirty islander European wannabe
You forgot to mention that it's made of wood.
I'm a filthy colonist in Florida,
And I must say...
These must have been an ineffective weapon - because we won.
And now you guys pretty much follow us around like an annoying younger sister.
Yes, I'm just trying to ruffle your fish and chips.
I've been to the UK and it was AWESOME and I'm extremely jealous that you get the EPL and we have MLS.
Friggin Millwall would beat most MLS teams.
The fat keeper who ate the pie to win that prop bet in the FA cup is MLS quality.
A gentleman's got a walking stick.
A seaman's got a gaff.
And the merry men of Robin Hood
They used a quarterstaff.
On the Spanish plains inside their canes
They hide their ruddy swords.
But we make do with an old bam-boo
And everyone applauds!
+James Lewis Excellent reference! I wonder if there is anyone else old enough to recognize it.
There is a very entertaining video here on the youtubes of this for those who happen to find it. :-)
+Bryan Shouse old enough to get it? Pretty much everyone has seen the film, unless they were born in the 2000s
James Howse
That movie came out in 1968 iirc, perhaps if people are showing it to their great grand kids. ;-)
However, it seems to be more well know these days for being the inspiration for a skit on the animated show "Family Guy" than because people watched it as children, sadly enough.
Bryan Shouse really? because before the current generation of shit tonnes of kids films there weren't nearly as many. I'd have though most parents would have shown their kids all the Disney classics. I was born in 1995 and I must have seen it loads of times. I don't know whether your right and I'm an odd one out, or if your just underestimating it
Don't worry, some of us have
Lindybeige
talks 10 minutes about sticks and we are listening :) such an amazing speaker!
Another great video! Some points I would add:
1. *Name:* Staff, Bo staff, or long stick. I've never heard people call it a quarter staff before.
2. *Ideal length* (for how I was trained to use one) is up to about the eye level of the user. Why? You have to be able to manipulate the weapon using rotation. If it gets too long, the end will strike the ground while the user is trying to re-position it for another strike or block.
3. *Ideal width* (1 inch, maybe 1.25 inches). It has to fit comfortably in the hands so it doesn't get dislodged during combat. Also, it isn't a heavy weapon because then it can't be manipulated quickly.
4. *Flex:* Some bo staffs are made of wax wood and have flex to them so that they don't break when they hit a solid object. While it may seem counter-intuitive, they have more than enough force behind them to knock a person out.
5. *Battlefield usage:* The staff is a great training weapon which leads nicely into more dangerous battlefield variants like:
--- spears
--- naginatas
--- halberds
--- etc.
While it wouldn't be used to fight a war, it's a great "general purpose" weapon to have while travelling the countryside in medieval times. Why? The staff could be used as:
--- a walking stick
--- a way to carry items over the shoulder in sacks
--- a tool to reach things in trees (like apples for example)
--- a fishing rod (just bring string and a hook)
--- a tool to disarm traps
--- etc.
It's like an ancient swiss army knife. It's hard to imagine something it couldn't be used for. :)
Quarter staff is a common name for it in England and has been for a long time.
@@mikefule Yeah. OP called it a "Bo staff" which means he's probably referring to an East Asian weapon. Quarterstaff is the usual English name for the European one.
when you put 4 quarterstaffs together, do you get a whole staff?
You get a tree.
@Thomas S. Thanks for making me laugh! 😂
@@jabberw0k812 welcome to minecraft: the English version
Just a staff.
If you put 8 together you get 2 staves.
Get with the plan.
Hybrid quarter staff/ morning star= morning wood?
quarterstar
Mark van Werven well done?
Medium rare.
A quarterstaff with a mace head on each end.
@@balintkristof8442 I'm using that for something. It's to good to let it go
Now a days we scouts cant even throw snowballs at eachother. DARN YOU INSURANCE COMPANIES!!
Nowadays boy scouts are actually girls!
@@captaintimcurry1713 The world is a strange place indeed.
"Now I think it'd be best to remind ourselves; It's a big stick"
Lindybeige, I love your videos. You have a great sort of charisma about yourself. Seeing you light up when you talk about history and weapons makes me happy. Thank you.
I also do Wing Chun, so I am delighted to listen to your excellent and witty commentary as a brother-in-arms, as it were.
"Actually, it's a buck and a quarter quarterstaff. But don't tell *him* that."
The only reason I clicked on this vid was to make this comment if someone hadn’t.
Little John (a giant of a man) and Robin Hood had a fight with quarterstaves on a log bridging a stream. Robin knocked John into the water, won the fight, but thought John had fought so well that he let him join his band of merry men. That's what I learned at infant school. Must be right then.
Other way round in the Errol Flynn movie.
Quarterstaff: Proof that a weapon is just anything with enough force.
Due to inflation, they shall now be known as Two Ninety-Nine Staves.
That's a smart move having that lego man come out and yell "Lindybeige!" I remembered your channel from videos I had seen a couple years ago
I have a theory: Quarterstaff refers to "military version" because the military planners meet at the Head Quarters, so they discuss there abour how to war. The staff used by the elder members could help them to stand, the young and not-so-young members could use it to fight.
About the length of the quarterstaff:
- It cannot be 9 feet tall, a traveler would have problems entering with it into an inn.
- It would be better if the height of the user is the base, because one can learn the most adequate skill that fits one's height. Making it less usable in the hands of the opponent. This is an easy weapon to drop if your hands perspirate during the fight.
- You could do calculations based on your own height if you know your staff is equal to it.
-You can cover it with the same cape that covers you, protecting the staff from the elements (Moisture can affect its stiffness)
it was always my understanding that a pike being 24' long and the quarterstaff being 6' the staff is 1/4 of the pike staff
I told myself I’d be productive today, and here I am. Watching a video about big sticks.
The stick has come a long way in humanity's one million or so years existance.
Rick Regina tree bring life, but tree also end life.
Any Boy Scout leader knows that within minutes of a scout discovering a big stick at a camp-out, he will use it to bonk one of his buddies. Long ago, we had to make a rule that the top of the stick never goes higher than the shoulder of your opponent / victim.
so... the wood must be hard and stiff to make a good staff... makes sense to me!
"Thank goodness such drivel doesn't matter in videos like this. You know what I'm talking about: big sticks that you hit people with."
Just for this, you've earned a subscription.
English Quarter staffs are the best. Ours are the biggest, the quater-est, and the sticky-est.
Eastern versions of "big stick" had some elasticity. I guess that they had different type of wood. That would in turn cause different fight style for such weapons.
I was a boy scout in the 1960's, and yes, we were trained in how to use staffs, it was great fun being in tne scouts then. We were taught how to use and sharpen an ax, how to shoot a 22 rifle, how to shoot a bow and arrow, how to snare animals, and other outdoor skills. We went on camp outs every month, and we even camped in the snow. We all carried boy scout knives wherever we went. Those were good times.
The days we could go out and leave the doors unlocked and let our kids play in the woods . when the only car in the village belonged to the doctor and we all grew our own vegatables . And they call what we have now progress ....mmmm
I was born in 1991, and was in Boy Scouts. Lemme tell ya, if the scouts were like you described, I would've had a lot more fun....
"You want it to be HARD and STIFF."
Lindybeige 2015
Instead of calling it a quarter staff, why not give it a joke name, like "Biggus Stickus"? (He has a wife you know.)
+bpccDCin2020 Well done
+bpccDCin2020 A JOKE NAME!!! I have a friend in Rome named "Biggus Stickus!"
Incontinentia, yes, I dated her once ... just once.
That sounds Scottish
What’s so funny about BIGGUS....... STICKUS?!? Lol
I suppose whether you prefer a heavy thwacking staff or a thinner sproinging staff would depend upon what school of staff combat you followed; Robin Hood, or Three Stooges.
That comment made my day!
The latter technique is properly called "Shtick Fu".
christosvoskresye I prefer to learn the ways of Eckie Thump.
What do you call a quarterstaff with a hammer on the end?
A quarter pounder.
I love the thwack and crunch comment about 3:15 into the video. It reminds me of an opportunity I had to swing a mere, when I handed it back I said that I wouldn't want to be hit twice with it, the owner told me that it was designed to smash the skull with the first blow, therefore most people didn't need to be hit twice.
This was another very good video Lloyd! By the way I love how you absolutely ignore dishonest people who sometimes disagree just because want to create a sensation and sway your viewers to become theirs. You are an intelligent, genuine and humorous man, and a good researcher, which, regardless of what some are persuaded to believe, is a quality that doesn't come from having swung a sword more times than other people.
Really to Whom are you refereeing? I have seen no one reply to Lloyd who was dishonest or vying for views. I have seen people with similar interests sharing their thoughts and indeed sometimes more experience on a subject Lloyd has spoken of.
Furthermore, swinging a sword around and doing good research are not mutually exclusive. Anyone whom I've seen disagree with Lloyd indeed did their research and swung some swords around.
Gongasoso
Curiosity got the better of me. Why does he have a grudge against Matt?
I'll let Apocalyptic Knights answer you that. He'll probably deny it, but truth is he has just enough sympathy towards Matt to be considered respectful and polite...
Gongasoso
In reality I don't hate people, but I do hate certain behaviours, so I don't view it as a valid personal question. Whoever it is, it is easy for them to stop being in that place by stepping out of attitudes, in the same way it's easy for anybody else to go to that place by gaining those negative traits.
Of course I recognize that personal change is a difficult thing and takes some time, but the moment someone makes a decision, the signs that he made it start to show from day 1.
I don't consider myself perfect, but there are flaws that I consider terrible (because the effect they create is bad), and they mostly revolve around things such as arrogance, dishonesty, lies and greed, and some people just happen to carry all that nasty baggage. Someone else may be more sensitive to other negative traits, such as for instance he doesn't like laziness in people. There are reasons why I'm sensitive to these and he is sensitive to those, but it's not the time or place to analyze that.
Of course you may say, the world is full of people with those flaws all over, why focus on what one or a few do? The answer is simple. The others don't occupy themselves with something I directly love and care about.
I hope I covered you, and please stop naming names and putting people in the spotlight. You may have noticed I don't anymore. It's not fair because it locks somebody in a position where I don't want them to be, they don't want themselves to be, nobody wants them to be. Every day, tomorrow may be a different day.
So many moment where you can add a quick, "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!"
Sir, You are a proper gentleman.
As thick as your wrist, as tall as you stand and one hand, made from old hazel coppice, strip the bark while green and season, it will be smooth and the nobbles will help you grip. Get fit and strong and go bop 'em. Don't overcomplicate the big stick. Hazle and Ash when thick is not bouncy on the head. My own very old and well-used staff can stop a man in armour (and has).
The battlefield version is the one with a pointy metal end on one side
I note that shorter sticks were popular in Victorian times, often weighted with metal - Doyle devotes an obsessive amount of descriptive prose to wooden metal weighted "lawyers" carried by characters in his Sherlock Holmes stories. Some were walking-stick/gentleman's cane length, others were shorter and couldn't be used as a walking stick and so were blatantly "heavy sticks for some serious thwacking".
Whether it's the quarterstaff, a cane/walking-stick or a steel-shod "lawyer", the "+1 Stick of Gratuitous Thwacking" has ever been a popular weapon.
Nowadays you'd probably get arrested for carrying a pencil in your pocket.
6:20 This is why the Japanese Jo(2.5ft-4ft) and Bo(5ft-6+ft) have different martial systems attached to them.
New here, but does Lindybeige always look like this or has he just survived a intense night of drinking?
Yes, he always look like that.
These options are not mutually exclusive.
First thing I noticed.
Both
It seems that he has some Irish blood in him, then.
I carry a quarterstaff only so that I can speak softly.
American Hickory from Tennessee is my preferred wood for making most weapons etc. Though I am nearly half Native American & I grew up in Tennessee so i do have to admit the bias. However it is still a really hard & durable wood that is wonderful for bow making, axe handles etc even if it isnt historical to Europe/UK etc. Though since the Vikings & the Welsh both are said to have come here before Columbus by my Native Ancestors i cant say that some of them werent at least possibly familiar w/ it.
[07:17] - Capping the ends with iron would also makes the staff harder to splinter.
"Iron-mongery" is my word of the day.
im a scout, what a shame we dont train with quarterstaff.... "hey buddy, stop hitting that kid with that stick.... but im earning my quarter staff merit badge.... ah ok, go ahead"
The original handbook actually included a section on basic quarterstaff techniques
Radioactivesquirrel2 why wasn't i told about this??!!!
Perhaps it is part of the sealed forbidden arts of the scout. :-)
the girls came in and told all the boys that fighting is mean so they got rid of it
Went to the hardware shop to get one, but the assistant told me you can't get the staff nowadays.
They were obviously short staffed at the time.
just a theory from an aussie woodworker;
Quarterstave = quarter sawn stave of wood as quarter sawn timber is least reactionary to stresses and the most stable and least likely to warp.
once a quarter sawn stave is worked into a round form it may then be referred to as a quarter staff or simply, a staff.
(The alternative to quarter sawing is backsawn timber. backsawn has more interesting character however it is much more susceptible to twisting, bowing and reacting to the different stresses and forces naturally occurring in the timber.)
just a hunch. Have a great day :)
0:35 No, no, no; it's big sticks WITH WHICH you hit people. No dangling participles here in the Kingdom of Pedantia, sir.
That is something up with which I will not put.
StraightOuttaJarhois Gah! *head explodes*
Bogus rule again >.
diceman199 Speak backwards you do, hmmm?
Fun fact: Yoda's basically just speaking German, but with English words.
A big stick is also a part of many Japanese ancient self-defence techniques. They are usually called bo. And the smaller versions are called jo or hanbo (depending mainly of the size). I'm also pretty sure that the English weren't the only ones who thought of hitting people with a wooden stick. Also one reason I can think of practising to use a stick is that in a case of war your weapon of choise (a spear) might break and so you'll end up with a staff instead. It might be then a really handy to know how to fight with one.
Jukka-Pekka Tuominen depends on the break, a broken spear staff could be quite formidable when jabbed into an exposed fleshy bit of the enemy.
If you are going to put iron on the end of your stick you might as well do it properly and put a spearhead on it.
Yeah this is what I consider a proper English quatterstaff to be and 9ft long.
That may have had issues with law pertaining to the possession and use of weapons by commons who often lacked the right to carry arms on commons and crown lands. Britain has a history of strong weapons restrictions that continue to this day. A stave with a nice metal head was probably classified as a walking stick rather than a long mace even though it was identical in function.
i guess the point is tha people won't like it very much if you walk through their town with a spear in your hand. probably makes them uneasy about your intentions...
A metal cap (particularly on the bottom end) serves an entirely innocent purpose - it makes your walking stick last much, much longer; a spearhead doesn't make your walking stick any better for walking with (if anything it makes it slightly less useful) and makes it entirely too obvious that it's intended as a weapon...
rmsgrey
I was talking about the section where he talked about a battlefield quaterstaff
I love this channel, I drive 3 hours+ a day and it makes it so much nicer listening to these
Don't know why i enjoyed watching a video about a man talk about sticks for 10min.
best use of a quarterstaff on film is Daffy Duck vs Bugs Bunny.
That poor duck such a maroon
Hello Sir, I subscribed to you a few years ago. Now, with all this extra time, I've been watching so many things. I love it because it doesn't matter how old the video, the info is still good and accurate. I am so glad i subscribed many years ago and can't wait to see that 1 Mill Plaque someday hanging up! Best wishes - Timmy
The problem with the staff (Big Stick) he's holding, is that it isn't straight-grained. As can be clearly seen, the grain runs out of the side of the staff, so it is more likely to fail, especially if used as a poleaxe haft.
I'm working my way up to swinging a whole trunk of tree! hehe
This is the MOST informative and humorous videos on the Staff I have EVER seen! Brilliant!
Shao Lin monks could kick ass with this.
A single well trained monk could hold off a dozen attackers with one.
except the staff they use is much different then a europrean style staff, they use flexible staffs for the most part.
not all monks were martial, many are pacifists, however yes there are monks that were better trained then the miliatries of those days, however in japan and china you also had nobles being taught by monks so some samurai and in china soldiers were probably as well trained.
And a guy with a proper weapon could hold off a shit ton of bald people with sticks.
Odd Luck a gun is cheating in this instance.
"Walk softly, and carry a big stick."
"Speak softly and carry a big stick and you will go far." --- Teddy Roosevelt
Could the iron things on the end have been so the pole did not split?
Davis Green That's what I was thinking. It's probably for people that travel a lot - or even just a fair bit - to keep the ends nice and shapely. I used a walking stick for a week out of material (that's to my knowledge) way tougher than most wood and it went from a flat tip to a damn near bowl shape, so I can only imagine how bad the damage could be on wood, _especially_ considering how long people would be on the road just when going *one* way.
Emphatic yes. In Japan, the bo and jo (relatives of the quarterstaff) are sometimes fitted with metal bands or more often notched all around the staff just above the end then tie it *very* securely with tightly wound cord or, these days, with paracord I should think.
That's some honker of a stick Lloyd's waving about. The Japanese "jo" is 15/16ths of an inch and the "bo" is, I believe one inch.
I suspect that in jo vs q-staff, by the time you get that whittled-down tree trunk in motion the jo would have left several welts and circular bruises from the end on your forehead...or throat.
Mind, q-staff only has to get one really good belt in and Bob's your uncle.
@@deltavee2 it's far faster than you'd think.
@@kevinmencer3782 Quite possibly, Kev, since I have no direct experience. Given opponents equal in all regards though imho I tend to think the physics of the weapons would favour the jo.
ash is what every baseball bat is made of.
Very natural enthusiasm.
Very infectious
I enjoyed that. Well done.
dude1:hey, where did you get this staff?
dude2:oh this? i call it a quarterstaff
dude1:why do you call it a quarterstaff?
dude2: because i ripped it from the furniture of your quarter!
dude1:.......
Boy Scouts in Britain no longer carry pocket knives?
I was disappointed that my nieces didn’t have ones as Girl Scouts
I might be scared of swordfighting, but a staff, that is a lot less lethal when something goes wrong.
Also, more reach, so less close.
For stick (jo) vs. sword (bokken) in a dojo, watch this, it's quite interesting:
ruclips.net/video/VNjQT-EjMxQ/видео.html
A staff is very useful for hiking or even walking if you're doing a lot of it on rough roads. It's also a pretty practical weapon type to learn since you can find a longish stick almost anywhere if the need arises.
"actually, it's a to buck and a quarter staff, but I'm not telling him, that", Daffy Duck
The disappointment in your face when you looked down as you were talking about scouts...
pfffft.
Unduckin belivabol. He just skipped the spellcasting part!!!
Dealer: "Four of these form an ordinary staff, duh!"
As an English man I can in fact confirm we did actually invent the big stick.
Finally somebody covering the Quarter staff skills.
My two bits: It should be about your height, or at least above eye level, so that you are not knocking yourself in the face while you traversing with it.
If you should find yourself going into battle with it, the least you could do, would be to sharpen it up into a spear.
I have always called it a myakka stick, hard wooden dowel from Home Depot. It is a natural response if you want to go tromp around the flooded parks of Florida. You want enough length to give you some reach, but not so much weight, that you are not strong enough for the stick.