Your Baston

[Shaun]

Mang Ben once told me you can tell a good Arnisador by how he looks after his sticks.
Many,many years later I have found this to be true.

[arnisador]

I don't get too attached to my rattan sticks--they're training tools. My nice hardwood sticks I do take care of!

[Shaun]

I know what you mean Arnisador.I stiill do lament the passing of a really good rattan stick,lol
Sad,but true.

[Muad Dib]

I don't get too attached to my rattan sticks--they're training tools. My nice hardwood sticks I do take care of!
Just curious as to WHY that is? Are the hardwood sticks not training tools??

[arnisador]

I know what you mean Arnisador.I stiill do lament the passing of a really good rattan stick,lol
Sad,but true.

I know what you mean! Some pairs are better than others. I do have a pair of very thin rattan sticks (Mr. Hartman calls them my "micro-sticks") that I've had for years and do like.


Just curious as to WHY that is? Are the hardwood sticks not training tools??

Well, I suppose so, but not partner training tools--they get dented if you hit hardwood-to-hardwood, after all--so I think of them differently since so much of my practice is partnered practice. I like to keep my "good" sticks looking nice! I use them for solo training but also for show-and-tell when I teach people unfamiliar with the FMAs ("Now here's a real stick..."), so I tend to think of them as part of demo package.

[silat1]

I still have the first set of sticks I received when working with the modern arnis guys in the Philippines.. 1.5 inch in diameter (size of the old Philippine peso), octagon shape shaved into the length of it and 29 inches long.. Just like swinging an old louisville slugger.. I have retired these several years ago, but they are brought out from time to time for younger student attitude adjustment when they think they can swing a fast stick.. (HA) Give them these ballbats and go for 10 minutes of sinawali practice then ask them how they feel about fast sticks..

My favorite sticks are those that I have now, 9 joint with skin intact and 1.0 inch in diameter, 29 inch in length.. Light but faster than hell..

I just got a few sticks from the Province when the family was there in March, still sitting in the box, just begging to be treated and used.. I specifically ordered 10 sets of 29inch long and 10 sets of 26 inch.. Going to cut a couple of them down to serrada length for those close and personal training times when a student feels his oats at largo mano..

[Shaun]

I still have the first set of sticks I received when working with the modern arnis guys in the Philippines.. 1.5 inch in diameter (size of the old Philippine peso), octagon shape shaved into the length of it and 29 inches long.. Just like swinging an old louisville slugger.. I have retired these several years ago, but they are brought out from time to time for younger student attitude adjustment when they think they can swing a fast stick.. (HA) Give them these ballbats and go for 10 minutes of sinawali practice then ask them how they feel about fast sticks..

My favorite sticks are those that I have now, 9 joint with skin intact and 1.0 inch in diameter, 29 inch in length.. Light but faster than hell..

I just got a few sticks from the Province when the family was there in March, still sitting in the box, just begging to be treated and used.. I specifically ordered 10 sets of 29inch long and 10 sets of 26 inch.. Going to cut a couple of them down to serrada length for those close and personal training times when a student feels his oats at largo mano..

Like them with the skin intact. I also like to chop and change lengths,either 27 or 32 inches (32 inches is 81.5 cm).

[PG Michael B]

I like them from palm size to the 9ft.Long Pole..WC style...I figure one never knows what he can put his hands on in the times of stress..might as well be able to use any size....it's all good. Billy your 9 joints are nice...I need to find me some of those bad boys...We primarily use the 28" X 1"....

[Ryno]

I prefer 30" by 1", skin intact, no burning. My best sticks ever lasted a little bit over a year with a lot of help from duct tape. Most of the guys from our club carry a roll of the tape in their bag, as we just kill too many sticks with bigaytama and contact drills.

[Shaun]

Hey Ryan,where would we be without duct tape.

[The Phalanx]

A stick is just a stick... It kinda irks me when I'm told I have to treat better than anything else I own... I mean it's a stick, buy another one if it gets damaged or duct tape the thing...

I was told one time I have to respect my sticks and not just throw it around... Whatevers...

[geezer]

I was told one time I have to respect my sticks and not just throw it around... Whatevers...

Random thoughts in response:

...Sometimes I really like throwing a stick... If I've got two. You know, throw the first one hard as you can, nail 'em good, and rush inside, corto with the other!

...With enough tape, tightly wrapped, a cheap piece of average rattan lasts a long time. But with tape, i miss that burning smell...

...Finally, if you have some kind of beautifully burned or carved "art" sticks, ...or if they were a personal gift from somebody very important to you, I could see that "respect" thing making sense. But otherwise, a stick is just a stick. What matters is inside your head!

[LegendLoLo]

I have 2 Rattan sticks passed to me by my Grandpa from Ilo-Ilo.

5 burns no color but with crack marks already T_T

[lhommedieu]

Sometimes a stick is just a stick....

Best,

Steve

[Carol]

I recently picked up a pair of rattan sticks that were not in the best of shape. They had some warp to them and were a bit thin. I picked them up because I figured most of the kalistas at the school where I bought them would prefer sticks that were a bit more consistent. I was using mine for underwater and outdoor practice in the elements (rain/snow), so it didn't matter much to me that they were a bit warped to begin with. They were going to get even more warped by the time I was done with them. :D

On the other hand, blades and trainers often need basic maintenance (wiping them off), and firearms must be cleaned on a regular basis. If anyone remembers the story of Pfc. Jessica Lynch's capture in Iraq, she reported that her gun jammed -- most likely because it wasn't kept clean, the desert sand can interfere with normal operation.

I do think basic mindfulness of the sticks are important (ie, keeping them in a stick bag and/or gear bag when in public), but as far as when on the mat....we bought them for hittin' stuff, and IMO there is nothing wrong with sticks showing signs of use. ;)

[sjansen]

If you get used to a pair of sticks, it's probably time to get rid of them any way. I have had many stick I like to use and many I don't. I probably learned more from the sticks I didn't like than the ones I did.

That being said, I like rattan because it smells good and you can tell when you've been training hard. You can't get attached to a rattan stick either if you train hard because they won't last that long. Although Simon's tumalin lasted 4 months.

[Raw_Prime]

At most I just wipe them down with a resin cloth after practice.

[eskrimakaliarnis.com]

Thanks Scott.

I just hope the new batch of Palasan we're due to get this weekend are half as resistant. I will see if I can through in a free stick with your next order so you can road test them for me.

[Brian R. VanCise]

Yes those Tumalin really do last! http://www.fmatalk.com/images/icons/icon14.gif

My good kamagong are treated pretty well. Still I am a hard worker so it is up to the stick to keep up and hang with me. With rattan they are just to easy to burn through. However, when the fraying starts the wrapping with cotton tape begins. That way you have a stick for a lot longer. I have literally hundreds of sticks! http://www.fmatalk.com/images/icons/icon6.gif