Saber Forum

hey guys, have not been on for a while, cos moved house and no internet for over a month. but hey ho, back now.

now i was thinking about saber staff  - and how the major disadvantage to it is the fact you cannot use it like... well, a staff. more like a hilt with two blades.

ok, i get that is what it is supposed to be, but for someone (like me) who uses a staff for training, would it not be better to have a 36" blade one side, and maybe a 20" blade the other? spinning would not work, but it would be a little more pratical duelling wise?

kinda hoping people who use a (wooden) staff would get what i mean.

like this

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i mean, it would give you all the advantage of a staff,  but none of the major defense problems... and would be great in combat.

thoughts?

I'm no expert with using staves, but I've seen a few pics/videos of saberstaves and it seems that 36" blades were cut down to 32" a piece to make the staff a little shorter than the normal 6-7 feet long that the full blades make it. At least the staff would be more manageable, brighter, and equal on both sides, if that's what you're looking for. All you'll need is a hacksaw and a measuring tape.

not quite! not bothered by any of that, its just as a staff user, i find that holding it in the middle tends to mean both blades are attacking from the sides, and you just end up in a very predictable pattern of strikes when in combat.

strike from left, then right, left, right etc etc.

with one blade longer, you keep that one pointed at the opponent, using it as your main blade, the the little one as a sudden attack. plus there is more reach with it this way.

How about using three or four Yari Extensions with just one blade? You get the advantage of using the weapon as a staff, with the unpredictability of having two weapon styles to choose your moves from: staff and saber.

In effect what you have is a bo staff with a blade at the end of it.

That's a cool idea also. Having no staff traing asides the left, right, etc... , I can see how your idea would certainly put you at an advantage in a duel. Yeah, forget the saw; an initiate blade plus a full sized one should suit that purpose exactly.

yeah, i have thought of that, but it still just limits me to one blade. i like to use the other end, and i dont think my mate would like a yari extension in the teeth!kinda what i think, but i would still probably knock another coupla inches off. i would like the whole thing to be as close to 6 foot as i can make it, having trained with a staff that length.

i will cut a spare blade down this weekend a test the idea. hopefully it would screw my sparring mate up somewhat...

One of the problems with having a staff with two blades, yet still trying to use it as a staff, limits your style significantly. Some bo staff techniques have you holding the staff at the end and using the whole length of the staff. But my personal training is somewhat limited. You would know better than I would.

Just some observations and concerns. :)

Very interested in seeing what you come up with though!

I suspect he/she wouldn't know what hit him/her! Whatever you do, please post photos!

A Yari would probably be a great saber for you! I really like the extensions, the grip ability on them is superb! Plus the customizations you can do is amazing too.

Take a look at these 2 threads.  They both discuss the similarities and differences between a bo and a saberstaff.  I'm a novice, but definitely found them very informative.

http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=9487.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=9487.0)

http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=7505.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=7505.0)

The second one covers dual-wielding as well, but still has great info.

i have wondered about sticking a yari extention in between two hilts and cutting the blades a little shorter - would make for a slightly more wieldy staff...

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Not having a saber with which a Yari extension would work, and yet having had some staff experience over the years, occasionally I've tried out "turning off one of the blades" and wielding the full length of the staff with one hand close to the hilt and the other near the end of the de-ignited blade, and using it somewhat like a yari.

In theory, with the blade off, you'd simply be using the Force to help use your staff like that.

In practice, any onlookers thinks you're having technical difficulties and thus wonders why your hand hasn't burned off.

Anyhow, it's okay to try this tactic while practicing - but definitely not at full force, but just for messing around. The problem isn't only audience disbelief but also the fact that you're wielding your staff essentially by the blade - a recipe for it to break at its weakest point. I have an advantage in that with my original PVC Phantom, the hilt is very lightweight, much lighter than a modern Ultrasabers staff. And again - not something I've done often.

I don't think someone can do both bo/quarterstaff and yari styles with the same weapon, unless the mythical duel-ready telescoping hilt/blades are finally fabricated.

I have a fair amount of experience with staff techniques.

I would recommend only one blade at the end and use the rest as a staff... blocking, striking, parrying, etc.

Keep your grip points and modify your favored side as the hot side  :)

This makes actual staff techniques more viable but within the context of the weapons it also makes the weapon itself very vulnerable; that long a hilt assembly is a big target it does not appreciably change the reach on the weapon and you have less striking surface to work with.

For choreo work I expect it would look really exceptional. For dueling work it might be more of a hindrance.
Until it's tried out we wont' really know. I look forward to seeing the results of your experiments.

With my limited staff experience I usually held my staff about 3/5 of the way from the long end:


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I've thought about actually putting 2 Yaris on one end of the staff to get more arm room, but still a blade on each side

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This way I'd have a lot more hand room to work from (although a significant added weight, and a larger target) and it would act a lot more like a traditional staff, at leastin the way I used it, but with a functional cutting edge on the end.

Plus if you put the flush vented couplers on it, it would look amazing with the glow coming from the couplers.

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Combine staff and spear techniques...a drive hand in back with the other as a slide through pivot point for thrusts and a grip when blocking, parrying, and striking.

This is something I'm very interested in trying out.
Just have to get a couple of the yari extensions and then the games begin.

This is staged and kata static but it does show the use of both ends (yes the longer weapon is 2' longer then I would use for this consideration, but still works) as well as shifting center, facing, and positioning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l7FXMDDN6U# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l7FXMDDN6U#)

That is a great find!  And gives some ideas to double-saber styles!