Ted Gambordella - Mastering The ...

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Mastering the Staff
Introduction
I began my training in the martial arts over fourteen years ago in the little town of
Alexandria, Louisiana. From the first I was interested in weapons, but I had great difficulty in
finding any but a handful of people who knew anything about weapons. For many years I was
only able to acquire little bits of weapons training from various teachers here and there. I tried
to learn all that I could from books, but found that the number of books on weapons is almost as
short in supply as the number of instructors with a knowledge of weapons. I also found that
most of the books about weapons were written by the same man and were incomplete in their
depth, for no books were available on the tonfa or the yawara, and only a few were available on
the staff, the bo, and the knife. There seemed to be numerous books on the nunchaku, most
poorly done, and a few books on the sai; but all in all the books available for the martial art
student who was interested in weapons were few and far between.
So I decided to write my own books. I spent the last four years doing research and
training with weapons, learning their use and applications. I was able to achieve a fourth degree
black belt in weapons (kubojitsu), I had already written four other books and a movie script,
"The Leopard," so I was familiar with what was necessary to write a good book. I wanted my
book to have techniques that a beginner could learn, but that a teacher could also benefit from.
I wanted to make the book easy to follow by avoiding any overuse of photos or confusing text.
I wanted to include a basic practice Kata for each weapon, as well as techniques for the weapon's
offensive and defensive use. Finally, I wanted to write a book that would serve as a manual on
weapons for years to come-a book that a student or a teacher would be proud to own and would
refer to whenever they had a question on weapons or wanted a new technique.
I feel that I have accomplished all of these goals in this book, The Complete Book of
Karate Weapons. It is a book that I am proud of and one that you can be proud to have in your
library. If you will read this book with an open mind and follow the techniques and exercises
described herein, you can make yourself one of the few experts with weapons in the worldtoday.
I could never have written this book without the help of many friends and fellow martial
artists who appear with me in the instructional photos, both as technique partners and tech-
nical advisers. These men, some of the most outstanding black belts in the South, include:
Keith Yates:
fourth degree black belt. Winner of many kata championships and weapons kata
championships at the top tournaments of the South. A master artist who also designed the cover
of the book.
James Toney:
fifth degree black belt. Teacher extraordinaire and tournament champion for
many years. One of the most respected teachers in Texas.
continued…
Mastering the Staff by Dr. Ted Gambordella, 5th Dan
www.MartialArtsBooks.com
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Mastering the Staff
Barry Guimbellot:
third degree black belt. Probably the most successful teacher in
Dallas, an outstanding example of character and leadership in karate.
Steve Weiss:
second degree black belt. A modern jiu-jitsu expert who is also an expert
in karate.
Ross Comerski: first degree black belt. A giant of a man and a giant of a teacher.
Finally, I must thank all of my teachers through my years of training for their help and
knowledge, such great men as: Soke R. Sacharnoski, Soke A. Church, Soke K. Marx, Master
HeYoung Kimm, Shihan B. Pearson, Dr. J. Marler, and Sensi B. Hathorn. These great men and
excellent teachers gave the knowledge and training that enabled me to get to where I am today.
I am forever grateful to them and their arts.
Last, let me take a moment to thank the most important force in my life, my Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ, Who gives me the strength and ability necessary to write this book and to
share my knowledge with my fellow martial artists.
Dedication To Keith Yates, Jim Toney, Barry Guimbellot, Steve Weiss, Russ Comerski,
and Steve Rich, without whom this book would never have been written.
Photos by Steve Rich
Mastering the Staff by Dr. Ted Gambordella, 5th Dan
www.MartialArtsBooks.com
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Mastering the Staff
The Staff
The staff is called by many names, the baton, the jo, the night stick, the bat, but all
refer to a stick of wood that is approximately two to three feet in length. It is a very
common weapon of defense and is carried by most of the police in the world because of
its effectiveness.
It can be used to strike, to block, to jab, to hold, and to throw an opponent and is
easily made and maintained. With a little practice you will be able to twirl the stick in
your hands and around your body and make yourself into a formidable weapon of de-
fense.
Because the staff is hard, and because most of the strikes go to soft and vulnerable areas
of the body, I recommend that you practice most of your techniques with a rubber stick or
hollow tube until you have mastered your basics and acquired enough control for safety.
Mastering the Staff by Dr. Ted Gambordella, 5th Dan
www.MartialArtsBooks.com
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Mastering the Staff
Holding the Staff
The staff should not be held in the middle
but rather held so that much more of the
stick extends out one end of the hand than
the other. Usually this can be done by holding
approximately twelve inches, then the grip,
and the other twenty four inches extending out.
Grip the staff holding it with
all four fingers wrapped around it and the thumb riding on the top,
or wrapped around the fingers. Here we see the staff being held out
in front of the body (where the thumb is wrapped on top)…
…and held to the side (where the
thumb is around the fingers) -
Mastering the Staff by Dr. Ted Gambordella, 5th Dan
www.MartialArtsBooks.com
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