martial arts weapon review: Jo staff

The jo staff is usually 52 inches in length and made from wood. Of course you can get the performance graphite models that are extremely lightweight to manoeuvre but the power of a wooden weapon is incomparable.

Holding a weapon in your hand gives you a sense of power, but when it feels like a broom handle do you still have that influence?

The answer is a most definite yes. Just holding it the way you would carry a weapon safely from your home to training will give your posture a boost that unconsciously moves people away from your path.

But what about the way it moves, the way it feels when you swing it towards an invisible target?

Similar to that of a sword the jo staff is held at one end at; swiping at the enemy target with the edge or jabbing with the other end. Although the size and blunt end shape makes it more comfortable to use the ‘blade’ as it were.

Is it a singular weapon or can it be doubled up?

To counter the length weight it is necessary to grip with both hands, so the jo would become your shield as well. It would be near impossible to execute attacks with enough power only holding with one hand, so unless you were to use it more like a bo staff with hand in the middle you could not use it alongside another weapon simultaneously. Even then you would be compromising the power and accuracy of attack.

However even though it is 20 inches shorter than the bo it is still a long staff that can easily be held similarly in the middle and protect two sides.

Weapon factor: 7/10