How to Make a Strong Bo Staff

Bo staffs are strong, quick, long-range weapons used by martial artists.

The bo staff is a weapon used in martial arts. It is often called the original weapon, given its simplistic nature and humble origin. According to martialarm.com, "The basic premise of the bo is to increase the force delivered in a strike through leverage. The bo can also be used to thrust, basically letting you punch from long distance." The bo staff has many different looks and compositions. There are three-part staffs, wooden staffs, metal staffs and even bamboo staffs. The only staff that is simple to make is the wooden bo staff.

Things You'll Need

• 5- or 6-foot broomstick
• Hockey grip tape
• Power saw

Instructions

Measuring Your Staff

1. Saw off the slanted and uneven broomstick nubs located at each end of your broomstick with the power saw.

2. Balance the staff by holding it up with one finger to determine the middle of the staff.

3. Mark the middle of the staff with hockey grip tape.

4. Hold the staff out away from your body with both hands, your hands being shoulder-width apart.

5. Mark the staff where your hands grip the wood with hockey grip tape.

Finishing Your Staff

1. Unravel a line of hockey grip tape so that the grip tape dangles.

2. Hold the line of hockey grip tape with one hand and spin or twist the bulky, wrapped, dangling grip tape with the other hand so that the strip of tape is twisted along its length.

3. Tear off the wound line of grip tape.

4. Wrap the wound line of grip tape around the staff between the shoulder-width apart marked areas on the staff.

5. Unravel and wrap hockey grip tape over the line tape that is wrapped around your staff. Cover that section only and completely, to add a grip to your newly completed wooden bo staff. The middle of your Bo staff (which is where you hold the staff) now has a bumpy feel to it. The taped bumpiness allows you to be able to use your staff without having it slip out of your hands. You can now use your Bo staff without fear of launching it and hurting someone. Without the twined and wrapped tape circling your staff, the surface would be smooth, and retaining a hold on your staff would be problematic.

Tips & Warnings

• Demo broomsticks when you shop for them to get a staff that is just the right size for you, given your height and arm length.

• Take precautions when sawing off the ends of you staff. Slowly bring down the saw with one hand and give your other hand clear space between it and the saw. Turn off the saw when you are finished to prevent accidental harm from the moving blades.

References

• Martialarm: Weapons-Bo Staff