Bo Staff vs Katana

[cocoab...@gmail.com]

i can't seem to find a good example of a fight between a bo staff and a katana. either the staff is way more experienced or viceversa. or it's just a katana demo that demonstrates the sword kicking someone's ass that happens to be holding a bo staff. i wonder what the outcome would be if they're both highly yet equally skilled within their respective arts. would the staff man have the swordsman on the floor or will the swordsman leave a bloddy mess?

things i've taken into consideration:

advantages or the Staff:
longer= more range
no blade-- weird, i know but you don't have to worry about damaging the edge in battle
speed; it can change range pretty quick too
great defensive and offensive weapon

advantages of katana:
blade=lethality; one good blow and you're done
speed; it can also change range quick and each movement is fast
great offensive weapon
harder to disarm

disadvantages of Bo Staff:
no blade: have to rely on force... which isn't hard to come by especially if it's a light metal like aluminum or titanium. one good knock in the face with even a wooden one will have you on the floor
easier to disarm-- you can grab a staff

disadvantages of Katana:
range; it's good but not as good as the Bo
Blade-- not commonly thought of as a disadvantage but katanas outside the movies are used much more carefully than most would think. they'll be reluctant to hit things that will damage or wedge the blade
though great at offense, it's very difficult to manage as a strictly defensive weapon. if u win a battle u likely killed your opponent... which is also messy

I personally think the staff would win (yeah i'll probably get a lot of shit for this).
i think if the wielder kept his distance, the staff could win. swords have a hard time breaking the staff's range and one good knock to the face would give him enough an opening to set up a finishing blow. a few hits to the arms would tire a katana holder out faster if it doesn't break anything... a katana is heavier than a staff. if the swordsman isn't careful, each strike could just dull at his blade if he's striking a hardwood or metal staff also i think the level of damage taken from a strike is underestimated... especially if it's a light metal staff (it be like getting smacked by a hammer) it be easy to crack a skull open, break and arm or a knee cap.

My friend however thinks the sword would win with the shear lethality. thinks it would cut right through the staff or a master could find easily a way to get in close and inflict a critical blow. but i don't think it bd that easy

That's just what i think and I am not a master. Anyway what are your thoughts?

[Nicole Massey]

<cocoab...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:46893421-5592-4684...@googlegroups.com...

---
Note -- a katana simulator is not that hard to do in SCA combat, while
staves are prohibited, or at least were when I was playing actively. A staff
gives a lot of torque and mechanical advantage .
Also, is the katana fighter armored? A good strike to the upper arm tends to
create a reflex response to drop what's in the hand. They train this in a
lot of martial arts and to populace control forces.
I'll go with the staff. But I'm biased, as I'll take my white cane with the
custom tip (a pencil tip with a golf ball mounted on the end of it) against
a knife in afight, even with my near total blindness, because I can deliver
a fast combination, thanks to my time on the swash field, that will put an
assailant in a lot of pain very quickly.

[eugeni...@gmail.com]

A katana can break a bo staff and also the bo can break the katana.
In a well trained hands both are lethal weapons.
So it depends as allways who atacks before.and who first let an open to the atacker. It's hard to know who win.i think if both have an equal skill level it is probably produced a 50% of wins each fighters.
Any way because of the high risk of dead or serius damage it's hard to see
2 masters fighting seriusly that way.so we can just use our imagination to see what could happen.personaly i like both katana and bo. But if i have to choose one to fight against an oponent i maybe could choose the katana in first place just because the katana could inabilitate the enemy at the firs hit easily.and also the fear factor that produces a katana to the enemy.is not the same to see a man with a stick than to see a man with a blade.that is what i think.but any way i also want to see a combat like that.it could be great.hahaha.no people die just that rule.