The beauty is in the Bo itself when done correctly with technique, I so loved and enjoyed the second version, first flashy version is just what it is, flash. Nicely Done!!
Just browsing for some competition inspiration and I saw THIS. Boy oh boy! Thank you so much for your thoughts on MINDFUL movement, and for your ability to communicate clearly and humbly through the camera. P.S. The echo doesn't bother me one bit (as mentioned earlier) I'm too focused on your instruction ... BAM! Cheers
Excellent. Thanks for sharing. I hope you have one complete bo kata, end-to-end, designed for practical application, that I can commit to studying and then practicing for many years. For instance, if I was analyzing your kata, I'm not fond of your opening block because you raise your right foot of the ground. During any real block, you would want your right foot planted solidly behind you in a type of ShotoKan forward stance so that all of your force is driven forward to repel the block and your forward stance would prevent their energy from knocking you backwards. I think that would be a much more powerful block. I'm sorry to dissect your kata, but I'm at the age now where I do exactly that. I find so many kata are taught when people don't truly understand what the move is intended to accomplish these days. So I'm cherry picking out the most practical moves and combining the into one continuous kata I can practice at all ages but is designed from the ground up as a practical real-world fighting kata. People don't pay as much attention to the bo as they should (in my personal opinion that is). Because you're not likely to come across a gun or other weapons if you find a situation brewing that you might not be able to get out of. But you can often find sticks, from pool cues to broken branches, to old 2x4's you can com across. You'll have a much greater chance of finding a stick or pole than any other type of weapon. But you need a solid kata to practice that also applies to street fighting. Most bo kata would get you killed pretty fast because they have become disconnected from solid fighting kata. Thanks for the great overhead stiles you committed to. Well done. Cheers
Nice comments, thanks for chiming in. I agree the opening block on our "BO Kata 1" is not a very realistic or strong idea, since you are standing on one leg, and have an odd base. There are some techniques that we do in our kata(s) for visual or more on the "artistic" side of the martial arts. In our "Combat Bo" curriculum, we only use the most instinctive and obvious techniques that use great economy of motion and body sponsorship. I might end up deveoping a pure 'combat bo kata', that would have nothing artistic, and simply be a collection of kippon kumite more or less tied together, but that is really what sparring is for, but I appreciate your time watching and commenting!
Warning!!! I had no intention of writing this huge diatribe on my research, but your desire to "create" your own kata particularly caught my attention. So I thought I would share much more than I originally had intended. For those not interested in kata, I recommend tuning out at this point. I really like the idea of you designing a pure combat bo kata. In the management consulting they teach that a person should find that one thing that they are the best at, and spend your life becoming exceptional at that one thing. This is in comparison to spreading yourself thin over multiple things and maybe do all OK, but doing none perfect. Jack Welch from GE also used to push this philosophy on his entire executive staff over his tenure at GE. So in this case, one should have one solid fighting kata, with each step grounded in physics, and spend their life perfecting that one kata. This would be so much more practical than learning many katas and never truly mastering even one. I've spent decades deconstructing every move of numerous kata to understand the physics of what each move was intended to accomplish. The most fascinating result of the research is that, North American applications of kata are designed specifically to help students achieve their next belt level. The actual physics of most of the kata are neither understood by most sensei nor taught properly. Every single move in a kata is designed to gain mechanical advantage over your opponent. For instance, I've watched many sensei teach katas that are supposed to fend off multiple attackers. In actual fact, there are NO katas taught in the traditional styles that were ever intended to interact with multiple attackers. In situations where you change your direction to "supposedly" defend against an attacker coming from a different angle, you are actually practicing attacking a solo opponent from a different angle. The same opponent is simply vulnerable in "different and specific" places of the body whether you are attacking from front, side, or back. So even in the most simple white belt kata, your first "so called" block, is actually an attack, not a block. It's a downward attack to the point above the groin. Then, physically, this causes the opponent to bend over in pain. So now you step to the left (or right) and perform something referred to as an "inside block". This is not the case. This "inside block" is actually a strike to the point behind the jaw, or temple, or if the opponent has turned even more than normal, then to the back of the skull (all potentially lethal). The amazing thing I've come to learn after all of these years analyzing the physics of the movements, is that there are NO BLOCKS. I know, many people will gag with disbelief when they read that. That's fine. However, whether they like it or not, traditional kata moves only contain attacks. When you realize this and test it, you will see that every movement is actually targeting specific deficiencies in the human anatomy. In actual fact, defense can NOT be trained. It's purely a reflex reaction. The only thing that can be trained are attacks. Every move in every kata is a simulation of attacking specific weaknesses from specific angles against a single opponent. If there happen to be multiple opponents, the same attacks apply if you are lucky and fast enough. So if you ever see a sensei teaching a BLOCK, then I will show you a sensei that does not actually understand martial arts. Over the years I have watched many sensei teach, and have been invited to demonstrate how to dissect a kata into it's individual attacks, and where the attack is intended to impact the human anatomy, and the angle at which the opponent will be facing as a result of the way the nervous system automatically reacts to targeted stimuli. When applied properly, an opponent of any size or gender has no choice in how their body responds to an attack on specific points. These are autonomic reactions to protect the body from further damage. So the sequence of the movements of any proper kata teaches the weak points of human anatomy, as well as the bodies autonomous response, and then sets up the next attack to take advantage of a follow-up on the next points of anatomical weakness that become exposed once the nervous system, or mechanical failure (breakage), or mechanical movement (tripping, loss of balance, etc.) is created as a result of the first attack. Many readers will arbitrarily dismiss what I'm saying because it conflicts with their current paradigm. This is normal. I am a scientist and have a Ph.D in Physics. I've devoted my life's pastime to the pursuit of understanding the meaning of kata. I am not asking people to change what the believe. That is their choice to make. I am providing additional information for people to use (or not use) as they see fit in their personal pursuit of learning martial arts. I'm reaching 60 years of age and have been learning, practicing and critically studying kata since I've was very young. So I have about half a century of training and analysis of kata. After receiving my first Dan in my early twenties, (almost 40 years ago) I became more and more disillusioned with martial arts. It seemed that no matter how hard I trained, or how many Kata I learned, I kept getting older, slower and it took longer to recover from any damage that happened (accidents always happen). Meanwhile, the young people where always faster and more supple, making me think that I was getting less and less capable as the years went by. Yet, this was supposed to be an art where the older you get, the better you get. There was somehow a massive disconnect. So I started to analyze things from a physics perspective to understand the actions, reactions and limitations of the human anatomy in response to external stimuli. It's when I began to dissect the most rudimentary kata that I had my "ah ha" moment. From that moment on it was all about analysis and repeatability. Did these experiments produce repeatable results across a large range of men and women, race, size, age, etc. It takes years to collect sufficient data and then test and retest the hypothesis. Eventually, it became more and more apparent that the physiology of kata was the key to becoming better and better at the art. It's what enables the elder master to quickly dispatch the fast, supply young patrons of the art with minimum effort expended. Conservation of energy, so to speak. KEY TAKEAWAY: The truth became obvious, and proved repeatable and sustainable. There are no blocks in kata. Every single move in a kata is designed to attack weak points of the human anatomy exposed by the natural bodily reactions to pain and/or reactive movement. Every move is an attack directed towards, and routed in, natural anatomical weaknesses. Knowing this, one is now able to dissect any kata they have learned and they will see how every action produces a physiological reaction, to which the next step in a (properly designed) kata is designed take advantage of. This helps every sensei route out the weaknesses that have slowly, over generations, been mistakenly injected into most modern kata, as those kata have been reshaped by changing morality, from a killing art to a sport. The lethality of the art has slowly been filtered out or reduced from both the movements in the kata as well as the education passed from one generation to the next. This is why, in the past (pre WWII), kata were closely guarded family secrets. Each family, which have now evolved into what we now call "styles", had it's own kata. ONE kata. There was no need for MANY kata. You only ever need one kata. That kata got tested and extended over generations, but the core of each style only contained one kata. That kata contained every move that that "family" had come to learn worked, based on human physiology. Much of the original testing would be illegal today. Western civilization grew rapidly post WWII and two things happened. Lethal moves in kata, particularly in Japan, were banned by law when the Americans occupied Japan. The second thing is that Westerners have a very difficult time committing to a lifetime of learning a single kata. We tend to be impatient and want to see visible, tangible signs of progress. So the various "styles" developed the colored belt system to appease the impatient Westerner in western schools. This also enabled the arts to thrive as a sport, where killing is not permitted. So the "Martial" part of the art, the "art of war", or the "art of killing" was diluted to accommodate western morality, impatience, laws, rules of sport, and thereby ensuring the continued survival and growth of the martial arts into mainstream society, albeit in a much more diluted form. So, for all martial artists that have lost their faith in the art, rest assured, there is a much deeper, and much darker capability that lies under the surface of kata. You only need one kata, and you spend your life both training on that one kata, and dissecting it with the realization it is designed to attack (not defend) against one opponent. And each movement is an movement designed to target specific anatomical weaknesses or take advantage of an opponent's misfortune in terms of body movement and spatial positioning. IN SUMMARY: 1. Every kata movement is an attack, there are no defensive movements in kata; 2. Every attack is targeting a single opponent that is in, or has moved into a particular position, either voluntarily, or as the result of the previous kata attack; 3. Kata attacks are primarily designed to attack the nervous system; 4. Kata attacks against any other bodily systems are used to setup an attack against the nervous system; 5. Katas are designed for lethality. EVERY Sensei teaching kata MUST take responsibility for this. Even the simplest kata taught can kill. This must be taken into careful consideration when teaching. Once you know, there is no way to "un-know" this.
The flashy speed nonsense is what turned me away from competitions. The US has turned the bo, and martial arts into little more than a cheerleader competition with the bo as no more than a cheerleader's baton. They have no fighting spirit; just the look of the movement as if it is for a dance competition. This is the main reason why so many American, and European students think that traditional martial arts 'doesn't work' in a real fight: martial arts schools in these places that hold the name karate are training people for cheerleader style competitions.
Absolutely! This video annoys me, but, I filmed it right wheenver we finished building our new dojo. We now have sound absorbers on the ceiling and wall, if you watch our newer videos.
Thanks for the sage advice. I would add to that in saying that you should not do any attack, unless your opponent cannot dodge it. Except for in situations where you feint.
5' 6'' would be a good staff if you want to do spins and tricks, so that it does not hit the ground. For normal fighting and traditional bo, a 6' bo will not hit the ground at your height.
It is a newer style, founded back in 2007, American Style Bōjutsu, the only way to learn it is through the Ultimate Bo course, or at a local certified center, and via some of these youtube videos. Thanks!
+howie's creativity+workouts This particular video and concept is not in my current DVDs...but will be in my new DVD set coming out in early 2016. Thanks for watching.
+UltimateTraining Hey, I'm really interested in your bo staff course but I'm on a pretty tight college budget right now. Would you recommend waiting for the new set or should I do the original white-black chevron course? If I had the extra money to spend I'd get both programs, but seeing that I can only squeeze out the money for one which one should I go for? Thanks!
+Gergely Peter I recommend signing up for the new GMAU Ultimate Bo course on our page: www.gofundme.com/globalmartialarts. By pre enrolling it will only be $15 a month. This will give you new entire new course, new weekly classes, the new website, and the ability to rank and get feedback from me.
Hey just a quick question regarding the gofundme sign-up. Is the $15 a one-time payment which will be followed by a recurring monthly fee once the course launches, or do I need to check the box on the page ("Give this amount monthly") ? Again, I appreciate the help! :)
The beauty is in the Bo itself when done correctly with technique, I so loved and enjoyed the second version, first flashy version is just what it is, flash. Nicely Done!!
Excellent video, thanks. I haven't trained in many years & want to get into Bo Staff at my older age & this is so on the money.
Very helpful, I'll keep this in mind. ^ ^
Just browsing for some competition inspiration and I saw THIS.
Boy oh boy!
Thank you so much for your thoughts on MINDFUL movement, and for your ability to communicate clearly and humbly through the camera.
P.S. The echo doesn't bother me one bit (as mentioned earlier) I'm too focused on your instruction ... BAM!
Cheers
Excellent. Thanks for sharing. I hope you have one complete bo kata, end-to-end, designed for practical application, that I can commit to studying and then practicing for many years.
For instance, if I was analyzing your kata, I'm not fond of your opening block because you raise your right foot of the ground. During any real block, you would want your right foot planted solidly behind you in a type of ShotoKan forward stance so that all of your force is driven forward to repel the block and your forward stance would prevent their energy from knocking you backwards. I think that would be a much more powerful block.
I'm sorry to dissect your kata, but I'm at the age now where I do exactly that. I find so many kata are taught when people don't truly understand what the move is intended to accomplish these days.
So I'm cherry picking out the most practical moves and combining the into one continuous kata I can practice at all ages but is designed from the ground up as a practical real-world fighting kata.
People don't pay as much attention to the bo as they should (in my personal opinion that is). Because you're not likely to come across a gun or other weapons if you find a situation brewing that you might not be able to get out of. But you can often find sticks, from pool cues to broken branches, to old 2x4's you can com across. You'll have a much greater chance of finding a stick or pole than any other type of weapon.
But you need a solid kata to practice that also applies to street fighting. Most bo kata would get you killed pretty fast because they have become disconnected from solid fighting kata.
Thanks for the great overhead stiles you committed to. Well done.
Cheers
Nice comments, thanks for chiming in. I agree the opening block on our "BO Kata 1" is not a very realistic or strong idea, since you are standing on one leg, and have an odd base. There are some techniques that we do in our kata(s) for visual or more on the "artistic" side of the martial arts.
In our "Combat Bo" curriculum, we only use the most instinctive and obvious techniques that use great economy of motion and body sponsorship. I might end up deveoping a pure 'combat bo kata', that would have nothing artistic, and simply be a collection of kippon kumite more or less tied together, but that is really what sparring is for, but I appreciate your time watching and commenting!
Warning!!! I had no intention of writing this huge diatribe on my research, but your desire to "create" your own kata particularly caught my attention. So I thought I would share much more than I originally had intended. For those not interested in kata, I recommend tuning out at this point.
I really like the idea of you designing a pure combat bo kata. In the management consulting they teach that a person should find that one thing that they are the best at, and spend your life becoming exceptional at that one thing. This is in comparison to spreading yourself thin over multiple things and maybe do all OK, but doing none perfect. Jack Welch from GE also used to push this philosophy on his entire executive staff over his tenure at GE.
So in this case, one should have one solid fighting kata, with each step grounded in physics, and spend their life perfecting that one kata. This would be so much more practical than learning many katas and never truly mastering even one.
I've spent decades deconstructing every move of numerous kata to understand the physics of what each move was intended to accomplish. The most fascinating result of the research is that, North American applications of kata are designed specifically to help students achieve their next belt level. The actual physics of most of the kata are neither understood by most sensei nor taught properly. Every single move in a kata is designed to gain mechanical advantage over your opponent.
For instance, I've watched many sensei teach katas that are supposed to fend off multiple attackers. In actual fact, there are NO katas taught in the traditional styles that were ever intended to interact with multiple attackers. In situations where you change your direction to "supposedly" defend against an attacker coming from a different angle, you are actually practicing attacking a solo opponent from a different angle. The same opponent is simply vulnerable in "different and specific" places of the body whether you are attacking from front, side, or back. So even in the most simple white belt kata, your first "so called" block, is actually an attack, not a block. It's a downward attack to the point above the groin. Then, physically, this causes the opponent to bend over in pain. So now you step to the left (or right) and perform something referred to as an "inside block". This is not the case. This "inside block" is actually a strike to the point behind the jaw, or temple, or if the opponent has turned even more than normal, then to the back of the skull (all potentially lethal).
The amazing thing I've come to learn after all of these years analyzing the physics of the movements, is that there are NO BLOCKS. I know, many people will gag with disbelief when they read that. That's fine. However, whether they like it or not, traditional kata moves only contain attacks. When you realize this and test it, you will see that every movement is actually targeting specific deficiencies in the human anatomy. In actual fact, defense can NOT be trained. It's purely a reflex reaction. The only thing that can be trained are attacks. Every move in every kata is a simulation of attacking specific weaknesses from specific angles against a single opponent. If there happen to be multiple opponents, the same attacks apply if you are lucky and fast enough.
So if you ever see a sensei teaching a BLOCK, then I will show you a sensei that does not actually understand martial arts. Over the years I have watched many sensei teach, and have been invited to demonstrate how to dissect a kata into it's individual attacks, and where the attack is intended to impact the human anatomy, and the angle at which the opponent will be facing as a result of the way the nervous system automatically reacts to targeted stimuli. When applied properly, an opponent of any size or gender has no choice in how their body responds to an attack on specific points. These are autonomic reactions to protect the body from further damage.
So the sequence of the movements of any proper kata teaches the weak points of human anatomy, as well as the bodies autonomous response, and then sets up the next attack to take advantage of a follow-up on the next points of anatomical weakness that become exposed once the nervous system, or mechanical failure (breakage), or mechanical movement (tripping, loss of balance, etc.) is created as a result of the first attack.
Many readers will arbitrarily dismiss what I'm saying because it conflicts with their current paradigm. This is normal. I am a scientist and have a Ph.D in Physics. I've devoted my life's pastime to the pursuit of understanding the meaning of kata. I am not asking people to change what the believe. That is their choice to make. I am providing additional information for people to use (or not use) as they see fit in their personal pursuit of learning martial arts. I'm reaching 60 years of age and have been learning, practicing and critically studying kata since I've was very young. So I have about half a century of training and analysis of kata. After receiving my first Dan in my early twenties, (almost 40 years ago) I became more and more disillusioned with martial arts. It seemed that no matter how hard I trained, or how many Kata I learned, I kept getting older, slower and it took longer to recover from any damage that happened (accidents always happen). Meanwhile, the young people where always faster and more supple, making me think that I was getting less and less capable as the years went by. Yet, this was supposed to be an art where the older you get, the better you get. There was somehow a massive disconnect.
So I started to analyze things from a physics perspective to understand the actions, reactions and limitations of the human anatomy in response to external stimuli. It's when I began to dissect the most rudimentary kata that I had my "ah ha" moment. From that moment on it was all about analysis and repeatability. Did these experiments produce repeatable results across a large range of men and women, race, size, age, etc. It takes years to collect sufficient data and then test and retest the hypothesis. Eventually, it became more and more apparent that the physiology of kata was the key to becoming better and better at the art. It's what enables the elder master to quickly dispatch the fast, supply young patrons of the art with minimum effort expended. Conservation of energy, so to speak.
KEY TAKEAWAY: The truth became obvious, and proved repeatable and sustainable. There are no blocks in kata. Every single move in a kata is designed to attack weak points of the human anatomy exposed by the natural bodily reactions to pain and/or reactive movement. Every move is an attack directed towards, and routed in, natural anatomical weaknesses.
Knowing this, one is now able to dissect any kata they have learned and they will see how every action produces a physiological reaction, to which the next step in a (properly designed) kata is designed take advantage of.
This helps every sensei route out the weaknesses that have slowly, over generations, been mistakenly injected into most modern kata, as those kata have been reshaped by changing morality, from a killing art to a sport. The lethality of the art has slowly been filtered out or reduced from both the movements in the kata as well as the education passed from one generation to the next.
This is why, in the past (pre WWII), kata were closely guarded family secrets. Each family, which have now evolved into what we now call "styles", had it's own kata. ONE kata. There was no need for MANY kata. You only ever need one kata. That kata got tested and extended over generations, but the core of each style only contained one kata. That kata contained every move that that "family" had come to learn worked, based on human physiology. Much of the original testing would be illegal today.
Western civilization grew rapidly post WWII and two things happened. Lethal moves in kata, particularly in Japan, were banned by law when the Americans occupied Japan. The second thing is that Westerners have a very difficult time committing to a lifetime of learning a single kata. We tend to be impatient and want to see visible, tangible signs of progress. So the various "styles" developed the colored belt system to appease the impatient Westerner in western schools. This also enabled the arts to thrive as a sport, where killing is not permitted. So the "Martial" part of the art, the "art of war", or the "art of killing" was diluted to accommodate western morality, impatience, laws, rules of sport, and thereby ensuring the continued survival and growth of the martial arts into mainstream society, albeit in a much more diluted form.
So, for all martial artists that have lost their faith in the art, rest assured, there is a much deeper, and much darker capability that lies under the surface of kata. You only need one kata, and you spend your life both training on that one kata, and dissecting it with the realization it is designed to attack (not defend) against one opponent. And each movement is an movement designed to target specific anatomical weaknesses or take advantage of an opponent's misfortune in terms of body movement and spatial positioning.
IN SUMMARY:
1. Every kata movement is an attack, there are no defensive movements in kata;
2. Every attack is targeting a single opponent that is in, or has moved into a particular position, either voluntarily, or as the result of the previous kata attack;
3. Kata attacks are primarily designed to attack the nervous system;
4. Kata attacks against any other bodily systems are used to setup an attack against the nervous system;
5. Katas are designed for lethality.
EVERY Sensei teaching kata MUST take responsibility for this. Even the simplest kata taught can kill. This must be taken into careful consideration when teaching. Once you know, there is no way to "un-know" this.
Because of you I'm doing great with the Bo Staff, I think it's more powerful than the sword.
Also the Bo is more versatile. Swords are only better in tight areas.
Very Good...!
this is nice advice
The flashy speed nonsense is what turned me away from competitions. The US has turned the bo, and martial arts into little more than a cheerleader competition with the bo as no more than a cheerleader's baton. They have no fighting spirit; just the look of the movement as if it is for a dance competition. This is the main reason why so many American, and European students think that traditional martial arts 'doesn't work' in a real fight: martial arts schools in these places that hold the name karate are training people for cheerleader style competitions.
Thank you,, liked it very much
Gail White
i am going to start bow staff training very very very very very very very very very soon so thanks for the help :D XD
Excellent video. In future videos, could you address breathing?
I will keep this in mind. Thanks! I do have a video that I recommend on breathing here: ruclips.net/video/y6mcc9tXTA4/видео.html
How is that wall not scratched
Well done. However, hang something on the walls or something to cut down on echo.
Absolutely! This video annoys me, but, I filmed it right wheenver we finished building our new dojo. We now have sound absorbers on the ceiling and wall, if you watch our newer videos.
OK, will do!
You don't jab with a staff unless your opponent can't dodge that attack.
Thanks for the sage advice. I would add to that in saying that you should not do any attack, unless your opponent cannot dodge it. Except for in situations where you feint.
Or in situations where you faint. You shouldn't make any attacks then.
I stand 5 feet 9 inches tall,how long should my no staff be I keep hitting the ground with it.
5' 6'' would be a good staff if you want to do spins and tricks, so that it does not hit the ground. For normal fighting and traditional bo, a 6' bo will not hit the ground at your height.
hi, i have a question: wich style of kobudo is this? i would like to practice it
It is a newer style, founded back in 2007, American Style Bōjutsu, the only way to learn it is through the Ultimate Bo course, or at a local certified center, and via some of these youtube videos. Thanks!
but the Eco makes it hard to hear u
Where can I get a Bo Staff of this lenght?
Anywhere online?
Pretty must anywhere. This is a 6' staff.
Why are some bo tapered at the ends and some not?
These are for speed not combat.
the room is way too echoey I can't even hear him.
Check out some proprioceptive staff work here - ruclips.net/video/cPENF5Nu49g/видео.htmlm18s
hello I always wanted to learn bo staff, is this training in your dvd's
+howie's creativity+workouts This particular video and concept is not in my current DVDs...but will be in my new DVD set coming out in early 2016. Thanks for watching.
+UltimateTraining Hey, I'm really interested in your bo staff course but I'm on a pretty tight college budget right now. Would you recommend waiting for the new set or should I do the original white-black chevron course? If I had the extra money to spend I'd get both programs, but seeing that I can only squeeze out the money for one which one should I go for? Thanks!
+Gergely Peter I recommend signing up for the new GMAU Ultimate Bo course on our page: www.gofundme.com/globalmartialarts. By pre enrolling it will only be $15 a month. This will give you new entire new course, new weekly classes, the new website, and the ability to rank and get feedback from me.
Michael Hodge Thanks, that's great!
Hey just a quick question regarding the gofundme sign-up. Is the $15 a one-time payment which will be followed by a recurring monthly fee once the course launches, or do I need to check the box on the page ("Give this amount monthly") ? Again, I appreciate the help! :)
Hey I’m 6’3 what length bo should I get ?
I would get a 6'6'' staff if possible. If not, a 6' will also work.
If you really want to learn how to handle a Bo suggest you take up Yamani Ryu. Google Sensei Toshiro Oshiro.
Thanks for the recommendation!
nul le bois ne rend pas les coups