3 Sectional Staff: A Weapon Of Destruction

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3 Sectional Staff: A Weapon Of Destruction

“	<div class="flexinode-body flexinode-1"> Author: Mike Marshall <div class="flexinode-textarea-5"><div class="form-item"> Article: The three- sectional staff is a weapon of defense, of destruction, of softness, looseness and dynamic force and energy. By Mike Marshall [IMG]images/articles/3staff/marshall.gif[/IMG] Are you searching for a weapon of destruction, a weapon which will help you defend against and defeat multiple attackers wielding lethal weapons [IMG]images/articles/3staff/3sectinalmayikf.gif[/IMG] Then look no further than the three-sectional staff. This traditional weapon has survived the test of time, defeating such formidable foes as swords, bo (staff), and tonfas. Daggers and all types of knives, escrima and whip chains are no match for this reliable weapon. Whether it is used as an elongated nunchaku for relatively short-range application or switched to the more traditional long-range variety, the three-sectional staff more than proves it belongs among the great martial arts weapons of all time. It still is considered more of a long-range weapon than the traditional short-range nunchaku. For short-range application the two ends can be used as double escrima sticks. Always keep in mind you must create the elements of surprise against your opponents in any confrontation. Three Times The Force Each link of the three-sectional creates additional explosive force upon impact. It is fast, smooth, and simultaneously offensive and defensive. One second it can be a flexible whip chain; the next it is a short-range rigid weapon. The three-sectional staff is not necessarily a rare weapon, but those who have mastered its techniques are rare indeed. You can't just pick up a three-sectional and use it well the next day, as is the case with some weapons. That's one way to get yourself hurt in a hurry. Currently, I am a sifu in Dr. Kam Yuen's kung-fu school in Southern California. I trained and taught the martial arts in the U. S. Marine Corp. It was survival training of the highest caliber — a take-it-or-quit proposition — no-holds-barred times ten. Over the years I have seen the evolution of the martial arts, especially kung-fu, which has grown from a traditional martial art to one where the flash of wushu is now the order of the day. Today's wushu, however, combines just a semblance of real martial arts techniques, spiced with a heavy dose of gymnastics. We learn new things one of two ways — either by studying directly from the instructor or reading about it from a book. If we are really fortunate, we can have the best of both worlds. One book I came across two decades ago that changed the direction of my martial arts pursuit was on the subject of the three-sectional staff. It was written by sifu Kam Yuen, the first person in the U.S. to demonstrate the weapon in martial arts expos. I was immediately impressed with not only what sifu Yuen wrote, but how he could put those words into practice on the demonstration floor. A Star Is Born The birth of the three-sectional staff can be traced to the Sung dynasty (A.D. 960-1279) in China. It's not surprising that it was used as a military tool, since its creator was a general. What is surprising is that its usefulness has not waned in the past 800 years. A weapon of refinement with intricate movements and applications, it was developed at a time when your life was dependent on your skills with weapons and martial arts. [IMG]images/articles/3staff/marshall1.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/3staff/marshall2.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/3staff/marshall3.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/3staff/marshall4.gif[/IMG] From a ready position (1), the opponent strikes with a staff (2). Mike Marshall blocks with a left, steps in with a right forward stance (3), strikes down and turns into a spinning backkick (4). Zhao Kuang Yin, a future emperor of China, was a superior staff martial artist. Once during battle an opponent attacked and sliced the staff into pieces. Instead of using shorter sticks, he joined the sliced staff pieces together with a chain. That was the advent of the two-sectional staff. As you can imagine, the next time the two-sectional took another hit, he merely reconnected the loose pieces with another link of chain. Born from this piece of ingenuity was the three-sectional staff. Each section measures up to two feet in length with a diameter of about an inch in thickness. The sections are joined by a link of chain. The staff is made of wood from white oak, rattan or Chinese red maple. It can be folded together or lengthened to its fullest extension of over six feet. [IMG]images/articles/3staff/marshall6.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/3staff/marshall7.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/3staff/marshall8.gif[/IMG] The attacker strikes down toward the head (1). Marshall steps out in a forward stance into a cross-block (2), blocks out with the left and thrusts in with a poking motion into the solar plexus with the right hand (3). The three-sectional staff takes training to execute its faultless techniques. Its training improves all your martial arts techniques and skills by developing good hands, finger dexterity and strength. It also teaches you to direct force accurately and precisely, while offering excellent hand-mind coordination. So when your mind imagines the applications of the technique your hand and the rest of your body executes them without hesitation. The weapon trains you never to hesitate: to respond quickly and precisely, to annihilate your attackers swiftly. It requires your body to be dynamically loose. Kill Or Be Killed [IMG]images/articles/3staff/3sectinalmayikf1.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/3staff/3sectinalmayikf2.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/3staff/3sectinalmayikf3.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/3staff/3sectinalmayikf4.gif[/IMG] [IMG]images/articles/3staff/3sectinalmayikf5.gif[/IMG] The techniques and applications teach you to generate power without effort and excessive expenditure of energy. It gives you quick transitional ability to get out of range just enough to avoid being hit or struck severely but still remain close enough to retaliate in seconds if your opponent makes an unexpected move. The weapon can be used to strike or ward off your attackers without physical contact. It is a weapon of defense, of destruction, of softness, looseness and dynamic force and energy. It is a weapon of many dimensions and multiple directions. It makes precision and accuracy your habit. It leaves no room for sloppiness or error. Either you do it right or it's all wrong and strikes back at you. Preciseness to not be hit; preciseness to hit with pinpoint accuracy. Your desired target will soon become second nature. You will become a master at defensive and offensive attacks in short or long range, with the skill to change at a moment's notice. The training automatically improves your coordination by making you multidimensional in your attacks, defenses and countering during sparring and thoughts. Front to back, up and down, left to right, internal to external, soft and hard, long and short, closeness and distant ties these various elements in a dynamic and balanced fashion. Furthermore, weapons training gives you smooth, explosive power and strength. It gives you precision and accuracy with all your techniques and applications. It makes you dynamically flexible. It makes you unpredictable in thought and action, so sparring opponents can't tell what you will do next. More importantly, it helps you maintain fearlessness during confrontations. It trains you to think in multiple possibilities. Training with the three-sectional staff increases muscle and joint reaction time by conditioning the propriocepters located within the joints and muscles. Conditioning and training these neurological receptors not only enhances the body, but the central nervous system and the brain as well. Through repetitive use, martial artists will benefit from the use of three-sectional staff training methodologies. Because of the high level of training associated with the three-sectional staff, mind, body, and spiritual connections are heightened when practiced on a regular basis. The three-sectional staff not only is a weapon of destruction, but its use encompasses the spirit and philosophy of traditional Chinese martial arts. Every aspect of martial arts training is beneficial. Weapons training is the ultimate test of skill, and the three-sectional staff is one of the best ways to determine your progress. Mike Marshall studies under sifu Kam Yuen at Shaolin West International in Southern California.	”