Forums > Help! > what size staff is appropriate for my size?

Posted: 6th Jun 2011
Sounds like a good length for contact staff work.

Most things I have read suggest between shoulder and head for a single staff. Mine is just less than chin high. I am not very proficient at this though.

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Posted: 6th Jun 2011
I've always used the measurement up to the chin for a good length and that seems to have worked very well. Of course as you get more proficient you may desire a shorter or longer one depending on the type of complex motions you like. But floor to chin level is a good place to start.

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Posted: 7th Jun 2011
longer staffs have more balance and less speed for contact and shorter ones are more conducive to spinning / doubles.

My Contact staff is about shoulder height or a bit under.

To be fair though best length is the one you feel comfortable with. if you find the wick hits the floor when passing behind your back you may need a shorter one

A couple of balls short of a full cascade... or maybe a few cards short of a deck... we'll see how this all fans out.

Posted: 12th Jun 2011
hm. thanks for the feedback guys. I'm trying to think of an easier way, besides spending all this money on a staff. Do any of you make your own?

Posted: 12th Jun 2011
I will be trying to find materials to make my own sometime when I'm not working. Here are some directions on how to make one: [Old link] You will have to scroll down a little bit to find the staff one. You can also search the internet and find some things on other sites. Hope this helps =)

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Posted: 21st Jun 2011
I have made my own but unless you plan to make quite a few the cost of sticks out there is comparable to the cost of making just 1 fire staff yourself.

practice sticks are easy and cheap to make - broom handle cut to length add grip of your choice and I suggest rubber tyre inner tube split and wrapped around the ends to give the same weight as wicks.

or metal tube of your choice, gripped with rubber wound round the top or kevlar if you want a fire stick, be warned kevlar's a bugger to cut

A couple of balls short of a full cascade... or maybe a few cards short of a deck... we'll see how this all fans out.

Posted: 21st Jun 2011
the best way you can find your apropiate size is by experimenting!

make some practice staves yourself and then try diffrent sizes

I'll tell you how I've made it. I just went to a local bike repair shop asked if they had any inner tubes they wanted to get rid of and if i could have some

You need to get 2 that are the same and one extra that doesn't realy matter much.

then go to your local hardware store and buy a piece of wooden dowel (aka round piece of wood) of your prefered size. (get several lenghts so you can try out diffrent lengths, or get the longest you think you'd be comfortable with and then if you think it's too long you can cut a piece of it )

and buy some grippy tape at yer sports store.

you'll also need some ductape and colored isolation tape to decorate it


you start by cutting of the vents on the inner tubes and cutting them open (either with a knife of scissors, I recomend the scissors) do that with all your tubes.

now mark the exact center of your staff with a bit of tape.


then put a bit of ductape on the end and tape it on the end of your stick then just wrap it around the stick as tightly as possible and secure it with ductape.

do this with both sides. if you are happy about the weight then you can start decorating if not cut the 3rd innertube in half and wrap in around the stick next to the other ones.

still not happy add more or remove a bit

remember the bit of tape you put in the center? now you can wrap the grippy tape around that but make sure you remember where the center is and then put another bit of tape on it so you know where the center is.

try to balance your stick by adding extra ductape to the ends till is nice and balanced

and then you can start decorating just remember to keep it balanced.

anyways I hope I didn't confuse you too much and good luck!

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