Sparring Staves

[Matt Bryant]

I have recently taken an interest in the staff and was wanting to construct a few padded sparring staves for our group. I have seen a few videos out there with them in use. I was wanting to make the ones that are padded all over and not just at one or both ends. Any advice on their making will be much apreciated.

Thanks.

[JeanryChandler]

I've made a few padded staves and pole-arms.

What I've done is used heavy (1/2" landau)padding on the striking ends, plus open cell thrusting tips at least 3", then use the thin 1/8" microcell puff in one layer around the haft, plus another layer in areas likely to be striking zones. I usually go over the inner 'haft' part with electrical tape, and make a couple of grips at the most ergonomic grasping points with hockey stick tape. The striking ends I leave covered in duct tape.

I have a staff I made but it's in New Orleans or I'd show a photo. You can get kind of an idea of how to do the haft though from the haft of this long-handled axe.


If you look close you can see how there is one 1/8" layer padding at the short end, and two layers closer to the axe-head.

For a safer version you can use pool noodles instead of the landau or blue camping pad foam. With padded weapons it's always a tradeoff between realism and safety.

JR

[Matthew_Anderson]

Maybe this would work:

http://www.thearma.org/Practice/construct11.htm

I've never tried them, we usually just use wooden staffs with padded ends for thrusting. You have to be really careful with them though, I almost took Shanes's head off one time when we were first trying them out.

[Brian Hunt]

This is the way David Knight has made them for the Miami contingent and showed me how to get on board with his design. Go to the hardware store (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) and go to the closet shelving section. Buy a solid pine closet rod, in most of these stores you can saw them to length and purchase them by the linear foot. Go to the plumbing section and buy some of those foam pipe insulation tubes to cover the rods with. Get yourself some industrial strength duct tape. This is more expensive than the standard duct tape, but it is much stronger and thicker than the stuff you buy at walmart. Go home, place the rods inside the tubes, leaving enough extra length on the tubes for stabbing tips (around 2 - 3 inches), fill in the empy ends of the foam tubes with additional rolled up cut tube, then cover in duct tape and have at it.

I have a set I have been using for a year without any injuries and they hold up to hard freeplay quite well.

Good Luck.

Brian Hunt
GFS

[David_Knight]

Brian pretty much nailed it. The only thing I would add is that when you spiral-wrap the staff, make sure the tape overlaps 50%. Wrap once in each direction. Have fun!

[Matt Bryant]

Thank you gents.
I find it amusing, though, that in the article about making sparring staves it specifically says, "Do not use pipe insulation foam for sparring shafts." <img src="/forum/images/icons/shocked.gif" alt="" />
I think that is what I am going to do never the less. If it is proven to work, then it works. Thanks again for all the advice.