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Description of Materials

STICKMAN® products are designed by martial artists for martial artists and strive for the highest quality. Since 1990 our line of sticks, staffs and training knives have been made from the toughest, longest lasting materials available without compromising the balance and feel for top performance. Our plastics are chosen for weight and density similar to hardwoods that are used for martial arts, woods that are becoming increasingly rare and which now are often cut too young, affecting the hardness and quality of the wood. In addition, we choose materials that are attractive, so that you will appreciate and enjoy your STICKMAN® products.

Our synthetic sticks fall into 3 general categories: clear, represented by our unique light-weight hollow HITS and by the heavier solid SHADOWS; black, represented by the popular Panther and Panther-II sticks and the COMMANDO training knife, and our unique gray and black ‘snakeskin’ sticks, the COBRA. Most of our sticks are sold in 7/8” diameter, except the HITS, which are 1”. Our longer staffs are all 1” thick, while the shorter cane lengths can be either diameter. Any material listed with a ‘+’ (such as Cobra+) refers to the thicker 1” version of the basic stick.

This product line is optimized by experience of selling these for over 10 years. However, custom sizes are also available upon request. Prices listed separately.

Weight and thickness

Thicker ‘+’ sizes are recommended in all materials for 36” and longer to withstand the greater impact longer staffs get from leverage in circular striking. Heavier single sticks are best suited for bigger individuals or those with especially large hands and/or strong wrists. Some people think that heavy sticks are necessary to make them stronger, but the centrifugal force of swinging a stick makes them feel heavier anyway, and heavy sticks put more stress on the wrist and elbow joints and over time may cause tendonitis.

Speed

Stick fighting arts require quickness, especially in the kinds of sparring drills found in the Filipino arts. A fast fighter will usually beat a slow, ponderous one by getting in his shots first and frequently, and that’s even more true with a stick. Furthermore, a lighter stick makes power by being fast. This is how bullets work. They are very small but extremely fast. If you throw one, it does nothing, but fired from a gun it has tremendous power. For this reason we generally recommend the lightest stick with which you feel comfortable.

Lengths

Many arts traditionally have specific criteria for the lengths of their weapons, as this affects balance and therefore is a defining factor in how techniques are expressed in a particular martial system. Measurements are generally proportionate to one’s individual physical size. For example, Serrada practitioners measure from their shoulder to the wrist or palm, giving them a weapon that is balanced for inside fighting by being proportionate to their arm. Many Filipino systems measure from the shoulder to the tip of the fingers, which is why most stick makers only provide 28” sticks, as this is the most commonly used size. A largo mano (long range) specialist may choose a weapon that reaches from fingertip to chin or from the ground to the wrist. In Aikido, jo staffs generally go from the ground to the armpit, or to the chin, while lahti staffs from India are measured up to the nose. Bo staffs were once supposed to be as tall as the practitioner, though now these are generally 6’, resulting in a very different effect depending on whether the practitiner is 5’6” or 6’6” tall!

Stickman was a pioneer in offering a wide range of stick sizes for martial artists. This generally means that sticks are custom cut upon order, so it sometimes takes awhile to get sticks made because there is often little back stock. The sticks described on this website are the ones that have established themselves since 1990. If you have specific requirements, contact Stickman for custom sizing.

Kalis Seka from Mindanao

Sticks are not toys! Even in controlled drills or sparring, people can be injured by a weapon. What a stick does is amplify the speed and power of your movement through extension and leverage. Respect your weapon and show respect for your training partners.