My Bo instruction was not the best in the world but in my current system, I am set to receive Bo instruction when I receive my Black Belt in the Spring. Once I acheived 1st Dan, I was thinking about purchasing a Saber Staff...
First, good luck (and impending congratulations) on that 1st Dan.
Second, as Nonymous said, staff techniques are very limited with the saber "staff". I actually got more out of the process by thinking of it as a two handed sword with a really long butt-spike.
The advantage of having 2 striking surfaces were pretty amazing, as long as you let your opponent commit to an action. There's so little time to react to that second blade as it comes around after your initial attack has been displaced.
...but now I am thinking that I'll hang back on that for the time being and get another saber for myself and one for my wife.
Excellent, always make sure your spouse is also on board with your plans.
...dual sabers and double blade sabers should only be used by those with a great deal of experience and those of us with lesser experience need to stick to single blades?
As with many skills you can start "in the middle" so to speak; it's certainly possible to learn how to juggle by starting with 5 balls but it will probably take longer to become proficient than if you start with 3. Using a 2 handed weapon to begin with isn't necessarily more difficult than starting with a single handed weapon. In this case treating it like a staff is not the best approach. It's a different kind of weapon than most of us (myself included) have worked with and needs a different tactical perspective to apply it effectively.
One does not get from "lesser" to "greater" experience by not practicing. How you practice is entirely in your own hands.
