Traditional English Quarterstaffing
In my final year at University I decided to try some weapon training, but instead of doing
Kendo or Fencing, I joined a small group of people studying Traditional English Quarterstaffing.
Traditional English Quarterstaffing consists of fighting with big sticks! The sticks being about
the a foot higher than the fighter and being made of any type of wood, as long as it was strong! Of
course with such lethal weapons care had to be taken with all aspects of training, even simple
partner work.
The philosophy was based around animal stances, movements, strengths and weaknesses. For example,
the boar, which had a strong horse-riding stance and very powerful blows, but also consumed a lot of energy.
Each individual figher could be characterised using these animal forms.
The training however consisted of much more than just hitting each other. Training was given
to observing posture, and the senses more carefully. I found the training rewarding and useful and now apply
some of the lessons learnt in my Karate training.