what is the best material to choose for a bo-staff?

Answer 1

Bo's are meant to be hardwood.
Japanese styles use hardwood and call the weapon a bo. It was originally a farm implement and hand to be sturdy.
A heavy wood used in practices will increase your strength because it offers resistance.

You should ask your teacher what kind of bo to get.

Other styles, like the ones from China, sometimes use soft, flexible woods. But those weapons are not called bo's.

Answer 2

It's not the type of wood that is important but how they are made. Most commercial staffs if used for more than just forms will break very easily. The best staffs are custom made from wood with the straightest grain you can find. The very inside/middle of a tree will make a durable staff because the grain is straight. A staff made from the outside of a tree will break. Anybody who works with wood and has a lathe can turn you a staff. The only difference different types of wood make are weight, looks and price.

Answer 3

Personally....

I'd say either Thai Teak wood, or white Hickory.

Teak is heavy and it's damned near impossible to break.

Hickory is also rather heavy, and it's got a springy quality to the wood that's great for absorbing impact.

Don't do rattan....it's too light and easy to cheat with. Go with a heavier wood so that you know if you're actually doing the movements correctly with the staff in question.

Answer 4

Red or white oak are very good woods for bo, jo, and boken.

Answer 5

For practice I like Rattan... Its light and flexible. For anything else I would say something like oak. But as the old saying goes, practice like you play. So if you plan on wailing on people with one... I would use the oak.

Answer 6

Today it would be carbon fiber but that's just if you are a new age type.

Answer 7

Rattan, or oak.