mehndi
Member
Member #17206
Reged: 26/02/05
359762
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Heya : )
I'm a poi user myself but my son after seeing a staff in action has been bugging me to get him one so he can learn  lol
Any recommendations on a beginner staff for him I have no clue on what would be best... long, or short, type, weight etc.
I'm a pretty crafty person so I'm not afraid to tackle making one if I have to.
Any help would be much appreciated 
Thanks !
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ben-ja-men
gay model poet aka derik troy
Member #4889
Reged: 12/06/03
Loc: Adelaide
359806
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09/03/05 05:41 AM
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i find shoulder length is good, not to heavy not to light  depends how old your son is really
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Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?
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mehndi
Member
Member #17206
Reged: 26/02/05
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09/03/05 05:52 AM
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He's 14 and bigger than me now lol 5' 8" . So shoulder length would probley work well I imagine.
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roberts
Member
Member #7585
Reged: 30/05/04
Loc: knoxville, tennessee, usa
359852
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09/03/05 06:51 AM
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im 5'8" and i use a 5 ' staff. i would make a few kinds of practice ones first. that way he would have a light aluminum, a heavier wood one, one a bit longer, one a bit shorter. this way he can see what he likes best but he may also want to use one type for a certain style and another for, well you get the point. the added bonus there are always extras for friends to play with.
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if anyone orders Merlot, i'm leaving.
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mech
maker of pointless avtars
Member #4853
Reged: 09/06/03
Loc: "In your ear"
360239
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09/03/05 09:33 PM
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best advice
get a wooden pole, like a brrom handle, put some tennis grip in teh center to make a grip, and put lts of tape on the ends or a couple of cloths taped onto each end for weight
now you have a staff that has prob cost you less then 5 notes, meaning if he does not like it then you have not spent to much money
the general consensos is that a staff is a foot shorter than the person, ie, im approx 6 ft, a little under and i use a 5ft staff, to allow clearence form teh ground easily
go for maybe a 5ft staff, and if its not right, cut it down
staff come in a huge range, i have seen 8-10ft right down to 2 ft staffs being used, it dont matter as long as you love it
loads of us, inc myslef started out like this, and then progressed to new staffs amd fonally moved to fire and contact staffs.
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Step (el-nombrie)
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Elemental666
member
Member #17107
Reged: 22/02/05
Loc: Bville, OK
360295
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09/03/05 11:28 PM
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Yer, that's basically what I got...
I bought 2 3/4" dowels about 5' long (I'm 5'6"). Grippy type tape in the middle and wrapped the ends in old towel ripped into 2.5"-3" strips. It's worked out well the towels have helped me avoid a few concussions and they got spray painted bright pink so they are really visible. I like them alot for practice, and I just ordered my aluminum 3piece fire staff to light up with... Nice n cheep way to get the sizing and movements down. You might see if you can get one a little long then you can adjust by sawing off the end until the length feels right...
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mehndi
Member
Member #17206
Reged: 26/02/05
360444
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10/03/05 03:14 AM
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Thanks bunches! Great idea's on making them. Going to try to get one done today for him now that I know what to do : )
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disrest
newbie
Member #16927
Reged: 16/02/05
Loc: Woking, Surrey, England, UK
379527
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07/04/05 05:32 AM
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I've had good enough practice using a practice staff, without wicks. But I find this lacking weight at the ends and therefore it doesn't spin as well as it would if it did have wicks at the ends. I managed to solve this problem by cutting holes into tennis balls and sticking them on the ends giving it the weight. Just a hint for if you don't trust your son (or yourself for that matter) with fire! 
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Stongsfire
member
Member #7296
Reged: 11/05/04
Loc: Nevada/Alaska
379574
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07/04/05 06:43 AM
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I'd have him play with both short and long staffs....see which he likes.....I like the longer ones myself. and make sure you mark the center....it'll save you a lot of time
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And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war
for a lead role in a cage?
--Pink Floyd
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quiet
analytic
Member #12436
Reged: 15/09/04
Loc: bristol
379615
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07/04/05 07:17 AM
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broom handles. let him stick/nail/screw bits on as required [foam grip, cloth on the ends]
if he likes it, i'd show him the way to the nearest hardware store and leave him to it. i'm sure that at 14 he's competent to build stuff, and it's always much more rewarding if you make your own gear . . .
e
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ture na sig
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loki.c1687
jedi
Member #9662
Reged: 13/07/04
Loc: manchester....uk
400308
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05/05/05 12:22 AM
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have you got a fire meet near you...coz you could always go to one and have a go of different kinda staff to see what hes likes then buy or make one....plus he will pick up lots of moves in prosess!!
mike.c
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Rules and responsibities:
These are the ties that bind us.
We do what we do,because of who we are.
If we did otherwise,we would not be ourselves.
I will do what i have to do
And i will do what i must..
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SickpuPpy
Ninja Rockstar!
Member #944
Reged: 27/11/01
Loc: Denver, Co. U.S.A.
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31/05/05 11:29 PM
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I'd use something lighter at first, and about shoulder length as previously mentioned.
Once you learn a few moves and start to settle in and get comfortable with it though, I reccommend getting something much heavier like a peice of thick steel pipe for practice. It's much harder, but in the long run it will make you stronger, faster (if you wish), and give you much better control over what will be undoubtedly a much lighter performance staff.
*OH!*
But keep the light happy one on hand for learning brand new moves and throws and things like that. That will save you a lot of pain and bruises.
Edited by SickpuPpy (31/05/05 11:30 PM)
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SirEggo
member
Member #15863
Reged: 05/01/05
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09/06/05 04:45 AM
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I would sujest for you pick up a 6lb bar and begin some basic figure 8 tricks,
this will build your muscles to get used to winging sticks around
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where there are ashes from those burnt by flame
the phoenix rises again and again.
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Fidens
newbie
Member #20795
Reged: 13/06/05
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13/06/05 03:53 PM
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I guess I started out with a jo staff for martial arts, they're cheap and readily available without looking too much like a broom handle (psychology of teenager: Want staff, not broom handle!!). Once he's been practicing with that moves with a lighter, thinner fire staff will be a lot easier.
But for most people (even in martial arts training) a broom handle does just as good.
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Bender: I read the script, and I think it would help my character's motivation if he was on fire.
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Sargoth
newbie
Member #20875
Reged: 15/06/05
Loc: Arizona
434378
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16/06/05 04:58 AM
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I'd have to agree with SickpuPpy on this one. Let him try out different staff lengths with something cheap and light, but if he comes back to practice, set him up with something heavy. A hollow but relatively thick steel bar works wonders. My first staff was a 6ft steel tube, and let me tell you: it made tricks easy.
Weight gives you a quick start on muscles and general performance endurance, and due to the amazing amount of momentum, you are forced to learn a trick properly (without muscling planes, like lighter staff users like to do in my experience) or you don't learn it at all. Just tell him not to hit himself too hard, it hurts and leaves marks if you don't pad the ends well.
Edit: For reference, once you use the heavy staff, using any other staff, including wicked, gives you inherent speed. I am currently looking for something ~35 pounds and ~70 pounds just for muscle development.
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I will teach you everything I know, save for my patented drop trick...
Edited by Sargoth (16/06/05 05:10 AM)
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Ariad
member
Member #10580
Reged: 02/08/04
436019
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18/06/05 02:36 AM
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a wood broom stick is the best.
if youll give him something "medium", not to long, not to short, no specific weight and strait, then after some practice he would know what to improve, what he wants his staff to be. then look for what he wants.
worked for me :S
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blink182_girl
newbie
Member #21179
Reged: 23/06/05
Loc: swindon
440394
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23/06/05 01:38 PM
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i use a plastic broom handle covered in black mascing tape, it works for me. lol not sure how long it is tho, just broom length i guess
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IgnitionTerminals
Member
Member #12635
Reged: 21/09/04
Loc: Eastbourne, England
442240
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25/06/05 11:12 AM
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Still use my same practice staff for learning and soft spin - Wooden broom handle, electrical tape grip and strips of matting nailed to each and then taped. My favourite staff. And as was previously stated personal preference is best length - i'm 6" and use a 4" stick.
Was same stick i used to practice staff kata with when i did martial arts...
It's named to. A close friend named it with a biro - Marc's Gay Stick. Ah, the fun when people notice...
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FORCE CHIP - IGNITION!
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Crimson_Fyre
member
Member #5944
Reged: 02/10/03
Loc: Pacific NW, USA
442363
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25/06/05 04:52 PM
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I was playing with quarterstaffs since I was really little and that's what I attribute my skills to. if you start him out with something that's larger in diameter and heavier it will be easier for him to pick up an actual staff later on.
starting at a disadvantage means you have to get better faster, so you do.^^
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I'm not strange... I'm just not like you.
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CraZee
newbie
Member #13593
Reged: 20/10/04
Loc: Jhb
442392
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25/06/05 08:58 PM
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I think when you first learn, you should go heavy. That way u learn to control the stick extremely well and can recover from difficult situation when spinning with fire
I started with a fairly heavy rake handle with the sharp end cut off, and wrapped in insulation tape
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Growing old is mandatory,
Growing UP is OPTIONAL
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Lianna
newbie
Member #21595
Reged: 03/07/05
Loc: Redcliffe, Brisbane Qld
453873
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11/07/05 10:33 AM
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Hi all.
I recently decided to make some practise staffs for myself and group and i came accross some silver look holographic book covering and I have stuck it on the practise staffs and they look quite effective especially if you are in a busy street and practising in your front yard cause the dog wrecked the back, lets just say , it looks alot better than just a stick with socks on the end! putting the mind to it it is amazing what can be done to a stick.
Lianna
In the element of fire shall we play
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In the element of fire shall we play.
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psy_pyro
member
Member #21882
Reged: 10/07/05
Loc: london
454245
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11/07/05 11:28 PM
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ok what u need is a ton of uv active wool some pva glue and a broom stick.
bear with me on this, brush on some pva ans wrap the wool alll the way down... and there u go a great looking staff(well if ur near a uv light anyway...) but u can get it so its colourd so nice colors in the day nice at a party....also for added effect really long ribbons on each end and they look stunning.
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"if it wasnt for the last minute nothing would get done"
"inspiration comes from every experience of life"
"a life rich in soul is never tuneless"
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