Big Stick Energy! News: Sticks are bad weapons.... Quarterstaff, walking stick, shillelagh

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When promoting the idea of sticks, from quarterstaffs to walking sticks, as great weapons, I think people have taken things too far. Let's inject some context.
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[@scholagladiatoria]

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[@Thouhand.]

Hey Matt an update about Texas, about 2 years ago the law was revised so adults can carry any blade over 5.5 inches anywhere aside from restricted areas like schools, hospitals, government buildings etc. So people actually can walk around in public with full size swords now if they want. I regularly have a 12 inch double edged knife on my belt when I go anywhere, I do outdoorsy stuff and dress like a cowboy so it doesn't look out of place anyway. Only things you can't walk around with now are anything involving brass knuckles, axes, or clubs.

[@randlebrowne2048]

Texas weapon laws have recently changed. It is now legal to carry a *sword* in public, should you so desire.

[@MaxSafeheaD]

Ha ha ha ha ha, fair! 😉 Thanks for the work you do 😊

[@MaxSafeheaD]

@@Thouhand. well that's not a surprise. Texas would legalise open carry grenades or missiles if someone mentioned it.

[@josephvisnovsky1462]

"Heyyyyy Mech-arena" Los Del Rio? LOL

[@Mongward]

Us, commoners: "forest" Matt Easton, an intellectual: "staff emporium"

[@longpinkytoes]

75 likes, and not a single dirty comment about 'staff emporium'? :O

[@anthonyhayes1267]

I'm using this instead of sausage party from now on.

[@longpinkytoes]

@@anthonyhayes1267 and thus the revolution began...

[@got2kittys]

Really, you know there's a staff emporium in every livery.

[@stocktonjoans]

you misspelled "polearm shaft" ;)

[@lv26Phoenix]

Yeah, as a weapon of war, the quarterstaff has always been lacking because if you have such a long pole, you might as well stick something dangerous on the end and have a much more lethal spear/glaive/axe. From what I have gathered is that quarterstaves were excellent *commoner's self-defense weapons* (where both combatants are expected to be unarmored) for a few reasons: 1 - Legal Restrictions. As mentioned, some places did have restrictions or obligations about weapons of war and when they could or could not be carried or used. Very few places are able to really stop you from having a walking stick (i.e. a club, cudgel, shillelagh, or quarterstaff). Now, many people did carry a utility knife or maybe a dagger of some kind back then, but a knife has a much smaller... 2 - Reach. Sure, many people carried knives, but to down someone with a knife, you need to get into very close range (basically arm's reach or closer, and not much further than that). If you're in range to kill someone/defend yourself with a knife, they are close enough to also kill you with a knife (which again, numerous people of all levels of society carried). Having a long lever helps keep you further from them. And to get a comparable reach of even a 5ft quarterstaff with a sword, you need a full longsword and that costs... 3 - Money. A sword was expensive (depending on the time and place this fluctuates) for average people to get a hold of. You know what will always be cheaper than a sword, no matter the time or place? A big stick. So, it was something that even the poorest hermit could get his hands on as a weapon. And lastly, a big stick has... 4 - Utility. Swords and spears were weapons of war and (depending on time and place) were generally put away when not at war. A quarterstaff _can_ serve as a weapon, but it also is a fantastic walking stick, a cane to knock apples out of trees with, a tool to check the depth of a river, an implement to hold a lantern, a measuring stick, etc. A weapon of war you might want to keep in good condition, but a stick can do 9-5 work and also be a good self-defense weapon in a pinch.

[@Marveryn]

You miss one more 5- Sticks are easier to make then say a sword or even a knife as all you need is a carving knife

[@Monkforilla]

But let’s face it how could you and who carries around a quarter staff? That’s the thing. Most of these weapon conversations revolve around use in war. (Shads video on nunchuks) setting as encounters outside of war don’t happen often enough and it would be pretty much impossible to work and carry a quarter staff at the same time.

[@MundaneAxiom]

@@Monkforilla on that last point, some stick fighting systems from Africa were developed by and for shepherds, to protect themselves and their sheep from wild animals. Several other professions also carry long staves for various purposes. The situations do exist.

[@Monkforilla]

@@MundaneAxiom very true. Situations where you could use a walking stick on your job or while walking

[@greygoblin9491]

@@Monkforilla Think it would also be good for getting to and from work, especially if you have to climb a hill. Also shad was pointing out that a nunchuck is useless as anything but a yoyo where a stick the same length as a sword can at least defend against the slashes of a sword. Also the meme is all good weapons are modified sticks. Even a sword is just a thin metal stick.

[@bryansmith844]

How you said “you should grab the shaft as much as possible” with a straight face, I’ll never know.

[@Perryluo12]

Have you considered "context"?

[@gavinotheshitpostartist5586]

@@forteandblues Have you considered that he understood the joke

[@forteandblues]

@@gavinotheshitpostartist5586 lol your name gives you away. I’m not gonna waste my time with you or your garbage.

[@gavinotheshitpostartist5586]

@@forteandblues Aight. I'll back off then I never really said anything bad tho

[@thelegendaryklobb2879]

You heard him, girls

[@devin5201]

Real sticks were folded ten thousand times and could crush holes in reality.

[@ailediablo79]

Lol xd. A metal stick, especially spring-steel or spring-steel plus a strong stif stick injected in the center adding more flexibility and making it less expensive, and a strong flexible person combination is very deadly even for armor. Although, legal staff lol. A spring-steel stick is very effective.

[@Angmir]

when you fold a stick you get ... nunchaku Damn your comment was actualy legit.

[@ailediablo79]

@@Angmir lol as well very funny xd

[@erikjrn4080]

A laminated wood quarterstaff... Interesting concept! I don't know about ten thousand layers, though. I feel like the staff would be mostly glue, and also like making it would be a generational project...

[@alexandruoprica3953]

@@erikjrn4080 no no no, you misread. if you fold a stick 10 thousand times, it doubles its number of layers everytime you fold it. So it has 2 to the power of 10,000 layers!!

[@bani1046]

"Grabbing the shaft is a great thing to do, I recommend doing it as often as possible" I was did he really just say that. Best laugh of the day.

[@ralynedin]

Context

[@leonardomarquesbellini]

It's the seaman in him, as Matt would say

[@liviuursegr]

Especially if the opponent has bigger stick energy than you do X))

[@iapetusmccool]

It's Matt Easton. _Of course_ he really said that.

[@MrBottlecapBill]

I'm 100% sure he tosses these out intentionally these days. :)

[@ModernKnight]

big stick, used lengthways one handed from the back of a fast moving horse can be impactful, lol. Even better with a small metal point on it.

[@DanielWallace]

Galloping penetration.

[@iivin4233]

Broken big stickers are some of my favorite mounted warriors from history.

[@Robert399]

O.o

[@Assdafflabaff]

Modern Hitstuffwithsticks TV

[@ModernKnight]

@@Meevious I think sharpened ones would make you pause much more than blunt ones, though blunt ones would mechanically slow you down or even stop you. Any kind of frontal armour on a horse though would make pointed wooden sticks relatively useless in my opinion. All obstacles will slow you down though, which is the whole point really. more time to hit the enemy before they hit you.

[@coop5329]

Interesting. I came here by accident and have no background in this. However, I have used "sticks" for many years as a farmer and shepherd. In my opinion, a stick is a tool, not a "weapon", but it is a versatile tool, and if necessary can be used as a weapon long enough to either discourage the danger, or slow it down so you can run away. For the MOST versatile stick, let me recommend from personal experience a hickory or oak shepherd's crook with the curve steam bent in rather than cut, carved, or pieced. They are great for catching your sheep, removing snapping turtles from your trough without losing fingers, removing egg-eating snakes of uncertain temper from your chicken coop ditto, helping your flock dog get rid of a big boar raccoon, holding off a determined stray husky from your newborn lamb, lifting your electric fence wire off that ram that just can't give up on the greener grass on the other side, hooking the optimistic but misguided 14 ounce Cooper's hawk off of your 8 lb. duck, pulling down the branch with the ripe peach on the end, and yes, hooking the ankles out from under the strange guy that isn't supposed to be there, surprise, surprise. One size fits all.

[@KastaRules]

My GRANDPA used to say: "Sticks and stones may break your bones but blades will cut you open."

[@bunsonhoneydew9099]

Most times I go hunting it turns out to be a long walk with an expensive metal stick.

[@thedarwinist672]

Brilliant!

[@paavobergmann4920]

THAT´s Gramps humor. Mine would say: "She had eyes like men´s feet: big, black and moist."

[@devin5201]

"You can stick your arm in the way, yes it might get broken whatever." -Matt Easton 2021, out of context.

[@Blaisem]

small losses

[@cahallo5964]

@@Blaisem rather my forearm than my skull tbh

[@seanomygod]

A broken arm is still usable. A cut off arm... not so much.

[@devin5201]

Please do take notice I wrote "out of context" that was for a reason, yes in context it makes sense.

[@alecgrove3702]

@@devin5201 -please do not take my hilarious observation about context out of context- sometime 7 hours ago

[@H0L0DREAM]

Quarter staff implies the existence of a Full staff, a stick so powerful not even shad could wield it.

[@joshm3484]

Nunchaku = 2/8 staff?

[@anathamon]

@@joshm3484 maybe 1/128th

[@kommissarkillemall2848]

but there is !! didn't Skallagrim posted a "Master of the Staff" film , the guy carrying an ultimate selfdefence LOG ( The Full Staff !! ) that only a 150-year trained ancient chi-master can wield !?

[@Loreman72]

😄 It was made of a quarter of a log.

[@PXCharon]

Quarterstaff in fact, is 1/4 the length of a thatching staff.

[@johnstuartkeller5244]

In 1625, there is a documented account of one Richard Peeke facing three swordsmen, Mr. Peeke wielding a quarterstaff. He won the encounter, and one of the swordsmen later died ... of a staff infection.

[@mallardtheduck406]

🤣🤣🤣...that was Gold!!!

[@STVODVIL]

Hahahaha

[@stevenscott2136]

The version I saw made it seem like a formal-ish duel situation. So he beat one at a time, not three at once.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

@@stevenscott2136 According to Richard Peeke's text, he fought them all at once. The tale may be apocryphal, as Matt Easton dismissively puts it, but the details make me inclined to believe. For one thing, the quarterstaff Richard Peeke claimed to have used was a halberd shaft with the head removed but with an iron spike on the butt end. So it was essentially a spear, not a quarterstaff in the modern sense. Peeke claimed he killed one Spaniard by thrusting with this spike & then disarmed the other two, who surrendered.

[@daniel-zh9nj6yn6y]

I know it's a joke, but dirty splinters might actually create an infection.

[@longpinkytoes]

@9:35 ""...the quarterstaff is not a weapon you see on the mediaeval renaissance battlefield." you left out the words "on purpose" lol. the metal reinforcing bands on a lot of polearm heads speaks to the relative likelihood of suddenly finding yourself equipped with a quarterstaff xD

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

According to the Great Ming Military blog, the quarterstaff had a long history of use as battlefield weapon in China, particularly Northwest China. The version from one Ming manual is 7.35ft (7 chi) long & weighs 4.55 lbs (3 jin 8 liang). If those measurements are accurate, that's a rather hefty staff for the length. I've trained with a hickory staff that's about the same length but a bit lighter, & it still feels extremely solid & capable of powerful blows. These staves were sometimes (often?) augmented with a short blade, kind of like the staves common in civilian contexts in Renaissance England.

[@longpinkytoes]

@@b.h.abbott-motley2427 the thing the video seems to gloss over, is that SCA swords, axes, and maces have no swing arc restrictions, are not considered actual weapons. yet all polearms and greatswords have a 180° swing arc restriction and are considered weapons through a wider arc. to the point of forfeiting the entire round over it. all SCA weapons are a rattan staff with a little (optional) camping foam for embellishment

[@sarakajira]

Also, as a woman who practices Bo staff: having a hiking stick that can be very effectively used as a weapon is an attractive feature. On the other hand: I most certainly cannot carry a spear with me while hiking or a big sword, etc.

[@aleksythehorse5984]

I wonder- could you use it against a bear?

[@klowen7778]

Yeah, the title was misleading, aka clickbait, and context is everything, and not every effective 'defense' has to involve killing someone. And for practical, inexpensive everyday use, dunno of anybody who's instead gonna tote around a sword, or even a sidearm, which in most parts of the world are still considered legally much more 'problematic'.

[@artofninelimbs5930]

A stick and a knife as a back up weapon are good too

[@jeffreyquinn3820]

Yup. Walking sticks are legal. Mind you, if you're American, you can carry a gun and that's perfectly legal, too. Just not a sword or spear, or even a big knife. This is actually a joke to the rest of the world.

[@hellomate639]

I'm making a walking stick out of one of the toughest, hardest woods known to man, giving it an oval profile, and making it taper down from top to bottom so the the top has this sort of vaguely axe-shape to it so that it can be used as a pole mace. It's also beautiful wood - Katalox. It's got white and brown swirls in it. It's beautiful. Started it today, hope to finish it this weekend.

[@greywuuf]

BTW "knocking some one out" ie: loss of consciousness due to impact trauma is classified in the medical field and triage as a potentialy life threatening injury.

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

Well yeah. Uts a good way to give someone intracranial bleeding.

[@Gustav_Kuriga]

Someone knocked out is as good as a dead person on a battlefield. They aren't able to resist or fight anymore. There is no practical difference.

[@gordonlawrence1448]

It's less dangerous than chopping their head off though.

[@baileydombroskie3046]

In highschool during woodtech 1 of my classmates was a bully. He was well known throughout the school as an asshole but not so bad as to attack or something. But he’d do many things just to piss u off. In woodtech he liked to move others lumber around so they had t9 find it again and waste time. 1 day me and 1 of my classmates had enuf of this bs and after returning both our lumber to where we were storing it during the semester we stood next to our lumber for the rest of class so that dickhead and his 2 goons cudnt move them again. The dumbass decided to antagonize us and try to get us mad by kicking our lumber right in front of us. My buddy had en7f and said to me to pick up the small board laying on the floor and hit him with it. Without thinking it over I just did so. I picked up a dressed 1x3x4 and 1 handed gently whacked the dumbasses right arm. Ya i broke the cocksuckers arm so I and my buddy got some days suspension for it. But after that he smartened the fuck up and became a nice guy for once in his life. Moral of the story: big stick energy? More like vicious stick energy. Lol.

[@kaimagnus5760]

Remember, All weapons are just variations of The Stick. A Club is a Heavy Stick, a Spear is a long pointy stick, a bow is a stick that launches smaller pointy sticks. Even a Sword is just a Sharp, Flat, Metal Stick.

[@DermoNONE]

a gun is a hollow stick that uses chemicals to fire smaller round-ish sticks

[@Leo.23232]

Is a sling a stick?

[@kaimagnus5760]

@@Leo.23232 A Sling is a flat, floppy stick with a pocket in it. Unless its a Slingshot, then its a Forked Stick with a floppy stick tied to each fork.

[@moreparrotsmoredereks2275]

The fist is just a bone stick with fleshy bits

[@Manco65]

I was once in a situation in which I grabbed a "modified stick" baseball bat out of the hands of an assailant. Stupid fight in Junior High School and tossed it on the ground behind me as I picked up the the other kid. And was going to use him as a human shield, 2 on 1 fight with the other kid behind him. Who dropped his bat and ran yelling away from us. Already being about 6ft tall by then and used to tossing hay bales helped. Plus being pumped full of adrenaline.🤣

[@blakewinter1657]

I mean, the fact is, in war, it's so easy to make something that is basically a quarter stuff BUT BETTER, so why would you stick with a stick? Especially since it sucks against armor. Putting a sharp metal bit on the end is a no brainer if you are a soldier. My understanding is merely that people point out that a quarterstaff can beat a rapier if there's no armor involved. A quarterstaff is not a good weapon on a battlefield at all, and I genuinely had no idea anyone claimed it might be! It's really just that it might be a quite good self defense weapon.

[@reubenthomas6889]

I don’t think sticks would suck against armour, since one of the best ways to fight armour is with blunt weaponry. I think a large and heavy enough stick would hurt quite a bit.

[@longpinkytoes]

@@XCodes nearly any blade from southeast asia is meant to do a 9-5 job, could be used for combat in a pinch, and most will chop down small trees

[@colbunkmust]

@@XCodes swords absolutely do cut through wood, it's just not likely going to cut through a polearm with a single stroke.

[@reubenthomas6889]

@captain crankypants oh yeah true, I didn’t think of that

[@genghiskhan6809]

@captain crankypants Again tho, it heavily depends on the measurements of the stick.

[@pauldavey7975]

A staff is a tool with offensive capabilities, it helps you travel through uneven terrain & gives a nasty smack to anything that wants to stop you doing that. Back in the day you wouldn't go to war with it, but you'd certainly want to steer clear of anyone proficient with one now carrying say a spear or halberd :D

[@Spookwriter77]

Yeah, exactly. A guy who is good with a staff is probably going to be pretty handy with a halberd or a battleaxe too.

[@nralbers]

The Maori support your thesis in that they were always combat pragmatists, and the moment they had access to them, they swapped their various clubs for firearms, and in extreme cases, artillery they appropriated from the British.

[@juice-loosener]

They never gave up their taiaha, which was one of the few weapons used with great effect against British bayonets

[@Blaisem]

I don't think the point of the video was to compare staves to firearms lol. Every CQC weapon lost out to firearms.

[@josephburchanowski4636]

@@juice-loosener Well bayonets are mostly for psychological warfare; they are meant to convince to enemy to retreat or panic in the ensuing brawl. If you want to commit suicide, do a bayonet charge against a headstrong enemy armed with melee weapons ready to take you on.

[@bjornhauge5173]

And when it comes to psychological warfare, nothing can beat the haka anyway.

[@skeemnave4882]

@@josephburchanowski4636 Bayonet drills weren't just for show. at Rorke's drift, the British fared far better in melee than the zulu because of there extensive training with the bayonet.

[@AidanRatnage]

If a quarterstaff is this powerful imagine how powerful a whole staff would be!

[@UH1Phil]

I thought the Quarterstaff was made for town guards to basically break up (knife) fights, handle (armed) rowdy and drunk people, to protect something against untrained/unarmored swordsmen, stopping a rape etc. It was a first response to a lot of things that didn't require lethal force but you really didn't want to get close to. You don't want to grapple a knife swinging drunk if he's about to throw up from alcohol, nor do you want to brawl with a guy that has 40 pounds on you. Remember - many people had knives, many people were drunk during the day (alcoholics were more common) and anyone could pick up a sword and be drunk with that power of just wielding it. A few friends stealing swords and wanting to rob a lord, with the town guard "just wielding sticks"? Trained quarterstaffers will mince them. Powerful, trained jabs against the face (and hands) is absolutely going to neutralize an untrained/unarmored swordsman, and in the least keep him at bay. Never would I consider a quarterstaff in battle - only if it was a magic focus that shot lightning bolts or some such.

[@TGPDrunknHick]

It's defence or when you aren't necessarily trying to kill people. break his legs maybe but, not warefare.

[@seanrea550]

They could also be used as walking sticks by travelers so for self defense as well, depending on length.

[@seanpackham210]

They can be lethal, theres videos of helmets being dented with them etc

[@TGPDrunknHick]

@@seanpackham210 of course they can. there are just better weapons for lethality available and these are easier to just break bones. Medieval people were pretty good at dealing with broken bones. less so with stabbings and the like.

[@mr.spider6859]

@@TGPDrunknHick I think that's the main point people are mistakenly arguing for here. Matt did not ever imply they were ineffective weapons on their own, just that for warfare there are better options.

[@unknownghost3145]

Remember weapons are anything that can be offensive and maybe defensive , make sure to *stick* to that knowledge.

[@Vyleea]

Sometimes just gotta grab that wood and stroke it... wait

[@Gilleban]

"Anything longer than it is wide can be used as a weapon. This includes the person next to you."

[@Gilleban]

@@shinobi-no-bueno Words are weapons...ask anyone who's ever been beaten senseless with a dictionary.

[@chengkuoklee5734]

@@Gilleban John Wick?

[@mpetersen6]

"He who would pun would pick a pocket." Dr Steven Maturin, Master and Commander

[@WhiteApeMA]

When a person can move in a sensible way using the staff and associate with it's use, sound footwork and body structure (equaling power generation), the world of all other weapons opens up to them. There's also something quite primal about the staff. It is man's original tool/weapon. For that reason it deserves respect and can be seen as an excellent prelude to many other long weapons.

[@carloparisi9945]

The staff is a tool first and a weapon as secondary nature, much like a carving knife. For a tool, it is a good weapon.

[@WhiteApeMA]

Yes. That's a good way to put it.

[@Captain_Insano_nomercy]

There's that saying I heard in the military: "A tool often makes a decent weapon, but a weapon often makes a poor tool"

[@redddbaron]

no no no I remember two years ago watching SCA duels at the Oklahoma State Fair. SCA duels are full-speed, near full-force, full-contact competitions. There are rules and requirements for full armor and blunted edges of course, to prevent injuries. Watching the duels I remember most the combatants were young strong athletic combatants using swords with blunted edges and shields. However, one older fat guy walked onto the center arena with no shield and a very long staff. Surprisingly skilled, he destroyed all comers quickly. One in particular he literally knocked out and sent to the ground with a tremendous blow to the helmet. Sure it did not dent the helmet. But that crack was impressive enough to absolutely get the entire fair's attention and knock his well helmeted opponent out cold and even when he gained consciousness he was fairly incapacitated for nearly 1/2 hour....... So don't tell me that staff is completely negated by a good helmet. The real reason the staff is rare in battlefield is the room needed to properly deploy it. In a duel a frightening weapon, but in battle the area to the right left and behind all need to be free of friendlies in order to make it work.

[@mattmodisette394]

7:40 In Texas we have an bit of technical jargon when it comes to knives: We have "location restricted" Knives which is a knife over 5.5 inches long, these can't be brought to certain public locations (bars, hospitals, schools, etcetera) but can be open carried or concealed carry in other public settings. Knives under 5.5 inches long (As measured by the "Flat edged part of the knife, not including the handle") are not subject to these restrictions. Love the video as always and just wanted the viewer to know about Texas open carry laws. Long story short: the cops can't charge you with a crime for open carrying any length of blade in an open public setting.

[@Vykk_Draygo]

Some cities have further restrictions (like San Antonio), as do some buildings, like courthouses (no knives are allowed). But yes, I was going to post something to the same effect.

[@spastijmc]

Better then my comment, thanks.

[@MaxSafeheaD]

Why the hell anyone needs to carry a blade into a school, a bar, or a shop is a question only thieves and psychopaths have an answer for ... therefore it makes sense that Texas is the only place dumb enough to allow that.

[@briehart-nutter4357]

Well, now I have two reasons to go to texas: first to help protect the right to women's health care, and second to do so while wearing a saber!

[@Nomercy721]

@@briehart-nutter4357 or just don't come here, we don't need more people like you in Texas

[@zuhalter0071]

The quarter staff is my favorite weapon, not because it is the most offensive weapon, but because it is the most versatile weapon. It's a walking stick. It's overlooked in public. It is actually pretty effective against armor... otherwise helmet to helmet hits wouldn't be illegal in American Football. It's not what I would take into a pre-arranged battle, because a sword, spear, or gun will be better specifically for killing. However, a stick is what I carry in the woods, and is therefore my everyday weapon. Mostly, I'm attacking blackberries though. 🤣

[@kokofan50]

You sound like a bear just spending his day walking around the woods and eating what you find

[@JustGrowingUp84]

"It's overlooked in public" - I wonder where you live that people ignore a quarterstaff. Maybe in the country? Because in cities I find it unlikely that people will overlook someone carrying a giant stick with which they can easily smash one's head. If it's something clearly utilitarian, like a broom handle, that's a different thing.

[@zuhalter0071]

@@JustGrowingUp84 I mean, yes I live on edge of the suburbs and the country. People here take hiking seriously. Honestly, the hiking poles I see are more of an offensive weapon than my walking stick. Those have spikes on the end!

[@aduboo29]

Just because you'd still probably be just fine to finish the fight after being hit with a helmet on by a quarterstaff doesn't mean it's risk free. Exactly the same in American Football; if 1 in 99 helmet to helmet strikes results in a concussion, then it's not suitable for the sport. And of course, the fact you've just concussed someone isn't much comfort when they have proceeded to lash out and lay your chest open with a sword in retaliation. Not harmless, but very unlikely to disable an armoured opponent, who can then proceed to close and chop bits off. It's a cool weapon, but if I had a stick and the other guy had decent armour and a knife I'd run like hell.

[@zuhalter0071]

@@kokofan50 I'll take that as a compliment! 😂

[@philippbobkaufmann4004]

Guys, should we all tell Matt he doesn't need to worry about our grabbing the shaft not often enough? I feel we're mostly safe on that account, aren't we?

[@philvanderlaan5942]

Go take a cold shower.

[@forteandblues]

@@philvanderlaan5942 lol are you Catholic or something?

[@philvanderlaan5942]

@@forteandblues Jules Winfield : I’m not vegetarian, but my girlfriend is, that pretty much makes me vegetarian. ( pulp fiction)

[@forteandblues]

@@philvanderlaan5942 lol. I like you.

[@davidbodor1762]

Who's shaft are you grabbing tho...

[@Lakikano]

As a staff fanboy (trained with a bo for a long time so I’m fond of it) I’m deeply offended but as someone who is aware of the existence of the spear I know you’re right.

[@patximartel]

Is not like you can't use the spear with staff technique.

[@torg2126]

@@patximartel The Mandalorian that demonstrated on several occasions

[@greggs1067]

Whenever people brought up the “what weapon would you grab against an intruder” discussion, my brain would spend hours going through scenarios. I decided that if you didn’t want to kill someone, a shorter quarterstaff would seriously mess people up at a safe distance, and you can claim it is a spare closet clothes hanging dowel, not a planned weapon. No, don’t swing it, just spear people in the groin, gut, sternum, neck, or face. Any one of those will ruin a person’s day. In dim light they might never know what hit them.

[@Lakikano]

@@greggs1067 that’s true. Those conversations go a bit differently here in the US lol. Here it’s a debate between the handiness of a pistol, the power of a shotgun, or the ease of use of a rifle.

[@greggs1067]

@@Lakikano I am in the U.S., but not from an area where they post automatic weapons for sale on bulletin boards. Less gun happy than some cities.

[@DavenportNB]

Can you imagine the looks you'd get showing up to the shield wall where all the boys brought spears and you bring a stick?

[@LordNeros]

maybe the guy next to you will be so kind as to lend you a knive to sharpen it, boom stick became spear

[@Lucius1958]

@@LordNeros "Pointed sticks!? Want to know all about pointed sticks, do we? Fresh fruit not good enough?"

[@vigbjornblaskeeg5813]

@@Lucius1958 cannot thank you enough

[@ailediablo79]

A metal stick, especially spring-steel or spring-steel plus a strong stif stick injected in the center adding more flexibility and making it less expensive, and a strong flexible person combination is very deadly even for armor. Although, legal staff lol. A spring-steel stick is very effective.

[@6principlesforcartography61]

@@Meevious “Yes，and only the wise can see the spearhead... ”

[@markfergerson2145]

"A wizard's staff has a knob on the end" Nanny Ogg Expecting a reply video from Shad in 3... 2... 1...

[@carlericvonkleistiii2188]

Bonus for Terry Pratchett reference!

[@markfergerson2145]

@@carlericvonkleistiii2188 Hey, Matt started it with the "grip firmly" references...

[@RiderOftheNorth1968]

@@carlericvonkleistiii2188 May he rest in peace.

[@Diekyl]

@@RiderOftheNorth1968 a man is not dead while his name is still spoken.

[@thexalon]

I don't think Shad would disagree with any of this, just the idea that broken stick (a.k.a. nunchucks) is better than stick.

[@Ranstone]

7:35 Slightly off topic, but you can open carry swords in Texas for self defense. There are currently no limitations on knife length for open carry.

[@longpinkytoes]

if you count machetes as swords, there probably aren't many countries that prohibit that small subset of swords

[@InSanic13]

Matt was probably thinking of Texas prior to the newer blade law.

[@agentvx8320]

9:40 "What are those three main reasons?" Surprise, fear, and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.

[@tttITA10]

Oh, a ruthless efficient comment right here.

[@iangarrett741]

I didn’t expect that’

[@tttITA10]

@@iangarrett741 No one expects the spanish inquisition.

[@DarkSoulSama]

I hear a japanese quarter-staff can cut clean through a rifle barrel.

[@seanhenry8030]

It's actually everything from Japan that can cut clean through a rifle barrel, even the landmass of Japan itself.

[@justin_y1454]

very funny hahaha

[@mrkiky]

But only one made traditionally by a Japanese carpenter that works with real authentic wood from the Tamahagane tree.

[@astridvallati4762]

@@mrkiky naginata: a staff with a short katana blade on the end; a preferred woman's weapon.

[@act.13.41]

If sticks were all powerful weapons, we never would have progressed to other weapons.

[@davidpavlovic4612]

Aren’t all weapons just sticks. A sword is a metal stick. Axes are sticks with metal branches. Guns are short metal sticks that shoot even smaller metal sticks 😆

[@TheTyrial86]

Well we used sticks for a very long time.

[@michaelpettersson4919]

Plenty of those weapons where enhanced sticks thou such as spears. Then someone figure out that placing a long knife at the end of a musket would turn it into a short spear. Even with a knife tied to the end of your firearm you still have a usefull club, a variation of stick, to whack your opponent with.

[@TheMudwatcher]

I am a grey haired old guy, (with a sometimes dodgy knee) and habitually carry one of a range of sticks in my collection. Not a weapon of choice in a formal confrontation, but a bloody useful item when dealing with any less organised attack, such as dog ,intruder or unfriendly animal or person. Probably a golf club is the handiest item to have handy, or hockey stick, baseball bat, but I feel quite well armed with a stick with a hiking spike or a bit of weight in the head. A time to grip a stick in the middle is indoors, a restricted space - I have kept somebody at bay in an alley with this technique, as a New Zealander familiar with Maori weapons I know their wooden 'clubs' were actually shaped to a bladed edge and the fighting staff - called a taiaha - was pointed at one end but again with a shaped blade at the other end ,used two handed with a whirling, feinting technique with a favoured fatal disembowelling sweep.

[@ImperialistRunningDo]

A walking stick is the only martial arts weapon I can walk into a courthouse with. Even a small pocket knife would be confiscated. As of last month, there was a change in policy. "Excuse me, sir," the guard said, "you can't walk through with that." Before I could protest, he handed me a similar cane. "Use ours to walk through with. We will x-ray yours and return it as soon as you're through the metal detector." Remarkably sensible request.

[@Spookwriter77]

I keep a baseball bat in my bedroom just in case I, er, feel the need to play baseball in the middle of the night. I can't walk around in public carrying it though, but my shillelagh is the nearest street-legal thing. It doesn't have quite the same hitting power as a bat, but certainly enough to break bone if swung hard and fast. Of course, the only reason I carry it is strictly as a walking aid, but if I were unfortunate enough to be attacked by some thug, I imagine I might be quite glad of it.

[@Ireallymissmymind]

@@ImperialistRunningDo As an elderly, HEMA-trained ex-police officer I have needed to walk with a stick for the past 20 years or so. It has always amused me that security personnel at airports and courthouses who will quibble about a 2 inch nail file in my wallet are at the same time happy to re-arm me with my perfectly weighted, steel-shod blackthorn stick on the 'secure' side of the barrier - often with an apology for the inconvenience.

[@willek1335]

I use a "quarterstaff", shoulder height, as a walking stick. It's especially important to ford rivers and keep my tarp up. (There are no trees on Hardangervidda plateau)

[@littlekong7685]

Drive a double pointed nail into the top and you've got yourself a hunting tool as well. A few into the side and now it is a real weapon of war =p

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@littlekong7685 use some barbed wire to tie two circular saw blades to it and you have a Fallout weapon!

[@Goldenhawk583]

While a sharp, metal point sticking out one end might work well, The 2 other modifications may just cause a tad of an issue with the tarp.. 0.o

[@relativisticvel]

Shoulder height is a bo, a quarter staff is typically 6 to 9 feet long

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@relativisticvel I'd rather use a buck-and-a-quarter staff. Just don't tell the duck.

[@fsmoura]

Sorry, but big stick, only if it has a pointy blade at the end . . . gotta have that ｐｅｎｅｔｒａｔｉｏｎ.

[@xLeechcraftx]

I agree with darn near everything, except for a couple important points. I think you underestimate (or at least exaggerate the ineffectiveness of) how hard you can ring someone's bell with a quarterstaff when they're wearing a helmet, and I think you undersell how easy a blow to the head or neck from a truncheon can kill someone if you were in a civilian setting (such as the police example you used), and you really wanted to do the deed. I agree it's certainly less effective than just about any other weapon, and getting a headshot isn't necessarily easy, but the damage you can inflict with a headshot doesn't take too much to cross into being lethal.

[@longpinkytoes]

the rule in SCA that prohibits a swing arc more than 180° for any 2H weapons bears this out. (rattan sticks) also the eventual adoption of integral gorget/helm designs that direct overhead strikes onto the shoulders

[@miketheskepticalone6285]

The way I look at it, it's a lot harder to ACCIDENTALLY kill with a stick. If you pull it off, you are swinging with intent, overpowering the blow, or using improper technique.

[@mnk9073]

People fall into this "Doesn't kill you = absolutely harmless"-falacy all the time. You can wear mail over a gambeson and taking a blow on your arm or your chest will still suck MASSIVELY leaving you bruised and maybe with cracked or even brocken bones. The head is even worse becaus the helmet negates the edge but the momentum is still there and your brain is still going to play pong inside your skull for a second or two.

[@williamjenkins4913]

@@mnk9073 This is why the "nonlethal" category of weapons has been renamed "less lethal".

[@miketheskepticalone6285]

There's the rule of escalation, @@mnk9073 ... "Check before you hurt. Hurt before you harm. Harm before you kill. Kill only if your need be great." People always seem to forget the steps between a harmless-but-effective Check, blocking your opponent's actions, and the final destruction of the Kill exist. Someone comes down on your collarbone with the end of seven feet of hard ash swung with authority, that will be well into the level of Harm regardless of any armour a person can carry. At the very least it will stun the arm, loosen the grip, and disrupt any actions under way. The same blow to the neck or head can certainly reach Kill with any skill behind it at all, and, sorry Matt, unless we're talking about a full cavalier's greathelm, bolted into the shoulder fittings of a full plate suite, anything short of that will accomplish very little.

[@hic_tus]

i'd like to add that even in the ancient times, depicted like bloody and terrible and violent and scary, the majority of people were actually decent people. not everyone was a frickin psycho that aimed to kill their neighbor for a sideway look and celebrate afterwards, even common criminals maybe preferred to get the gold easy and run, with no dead bodies behind them. so, maybe sticks were so popular because they are very good as non lethal weapons. sounds like our ancestors were killing each other in the streets every single minute.. how we are nearly 8 billions now is a mystery :P

[@hic_tus]

@@troublesome9654 no mate you missed my point. I'm saying that even if a sword or a knife were indeed carried pretty often, if not at all times, by the upper or middle class, we tend to forget that the majority of people, in numbers, have always been common folks. folks that at peace, when not forced to march for the local lord or king, mostly just wanted to finish working, go to the local shop, go home, kiss their kids and wife and have a pint with their friends. on the internet seems like everybody wanted the most offensive weapon at all costs. i believe a stick was enough for many people, a knife is already very deadly. people had feelings just like us nowadays, even some of the earliest cases of possible murders studied from the stone age showed bodies hidden in caves out of sight and difficult to reach. that means something. war is war of course, western society is changed, morality and laws too, but in the end, no people liked to go to war. even if society always praise the military and we like the megaswords in videogames. war sucks and weapons are terrible things! but cool, i know. fascinating stuff. ah i forgot, to incapacitate someone, you don't need to send them into a coma, you can just hurt them very very badly. i got hit by a football once when i wasn't paying attention and i spent good minutes on the ground wondering what bus hit me.. so..

[@Rokaize]

They actually changed the law here in Texas fairly recently. You can indeed walk around with a Bowie knife. Or a long sword even if you want.

[@sgtflintlock6904]

I think you might have overstated the effectiveness of a helmet a touch. While wearing a helmet would almost certainly keep the staff from knocking you out cold, getting a hard knock to the helmet would still be discombobulating at the least. I would argue that while armor is indeed a very effective counter to "big sticks", I think saying it makes it "completely benign" might be taking it a little too far.

[@philhughes3882]

Try getting stabbed in the face with the end of one. Probably going to hurt.

[@aduboo29]

It will absolutely suck to get hit in the helmet with a quarterstaff - but the question is 'would it discombobulate you enough to stop you stepping forward and impaling the guy with your sword' and the answer is probably no. If hits to helmets still dazed you too much to be offensive then they wouldn't actually be much use, would they? Certainly not my own experience of being hit with a helmet on, though I appreciate nobody has actually tried to kill me while wearing one.

[@longpinkytoes]

@@aduboo29 i have seen a rattan halberd with camping foam mat blade put a grown man in full armour on his knees in a heartbeat (>270° swing arc, for context)

[@panhandlersparadise1733]

Again, context. He's talking about professional medieval/ Renaissance soldiers wearing real helmets. That's different than a few office workers discussing D&D and seeing what it feels like to hit each other with a plastic broomstick or toy lightsaber while wearing cooking pots and bicycle helmets on their heads.

[@longpinkytoes]

@@panhandlersparadise1733 so your assertion is that SCA rules are fine with bicycle helmets?

[@andrescrespo2514]

Sticks are only good weapons if you have no access to any other “real” weapons. It is a tool with many uses, one of which can be to fight, but it’s real utility is all the other things it can do

[@libertyprime6932]

That's not necessarily true if a quarter staff fits your definition of "stick". You could smack the shit out of a machete user from a safe distance and use it to grapple him more safely. Big stick energy can be very effective.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

Even a simple staff or stick has advantage over any sword or other real weapon that's significantly shorter, for unarmored fighting in the open.

[@Altrantis]

If I wanted to hurt someone badly I'd choose a knife over a stick, but if I wanted to not be hurt by someone coming at me with a knife I rather have a stick than countering with a knife of my own, specially if the other person is very determined.

[@captainnyet9855]

this, knives are basically useless for self defense; they're almost exclusively good for attacking someone, especially in the hands of someone who is reckless; if somebody is determined to kill you with a knife and they get close, it's probably too late for you. A staff lets you keep people away from you, and while you probably won't magically kill somebody with it, you might break the arm of a guy with a knife before he has a chance to turn you into shashlik.

[@AnotherDuck]

@@captainnyet9855 The only good self defense use a knife has is intimidation.

[@a-blivvy-yus]

I'm now imagining a fight between Skallagrim, Metatron and Shadiversity, where each has their own appropriate weapon: Skall gets a pair of nunchaku, mostly because it's the most offensive weapon against Shad, but also because sticks. Metatron gets a quarterstaff, because it has to be there to compare to Shad's weapon. ...and of course, Shad gets to wield Matt Easton as his weapon and prove he's better than a quarterstaff.

[@thundermarkperun1083]

Thank you for mentioning that self-defense and warfare, while having their overlaps, are not the same thing. I would also like to add that dueling is not the same thing as either self-defense or Warfare, and I think a lot of the frustrations and arguments about the effectiveness or lack thereof of certain weapons comes from people not understanding the specific *context* in which they are meant to be used.

[@jellekastelein7316]

Matt: "Let me sell you a video game!" Me: "Yeah yeah, but get back to the interesting sticks!" Some might say I'm regressing but I like to think I've come full circle since my childhood.

[@iank6897]

underrated comment

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

Well, tons of mobile video games are psychologically manipulative and full of hidden transactions, a big stick is honest.

[@alecgrove3702]

This is the most frighteningly aware thing I’ve ever seen on the internet, and this comment section actually looks full off reasonable people so far I may have to frequent if I am forgiven for what I’m here to do…I picked up my phone for one reason and that’s to argue about sticks and the ridiculous invalidity of his point that I generally do agree with overall but is a terrible case being made. Stay tuned for my best attempt at not hitting the character limit without sounding like a condescending ass or oversimplifying things too much that I sound like i don’t know what I’m saying from first hand experience both in training and semi serious combat using against drunks I let use my swords to prove a point before also drunk but also alive still. Lol range weapon is hard to use to keep someone away that was one of his arguments in very unaware phrasings towards the end. I’m not here to be mean please forgive me guys and let him know if he takes it insult cause that’s note intent and I don’t know if I’ll ever open the comments section for this channel again as I tend to write these long ass things, and it bugs me.

[@kokofan50]

They’re an important and weapon for self defense, but with limitations, like all weapons is what I got from this.

[@micahiwaasa9304]

Another reason why there's a stick brotherhood is that you can feel the mass of it in sparring. (You don't tend to feel the effects of gushing arteries in hema.)

[@ericaugust1501]

18:09 "recommend you grab the shaft as often as possible" hahaha. good one. snuck it in so seamlessly, and droll, you almost miss it. [you were right Norby, an extra second earlier makes the difference :) ]

[@ZeroAnalogy]

Many others qouted, but did not provide timestamp. Thank you. Starts around 18:09, but mostly qouted line specifically 18:13.

[@mikestanmore2614]

A short stick, thicker at one end and held from the narrow end, wielded from the back of a ute, is the nemesis of letterboxes everywhere.

[@memyself637]

Bowie knives and just about every other edged and impact weapon are now legal to carry concealed in Texas thanks to a change in the law a couple years ago. No permits required. I personally carry a push dagger and an 11" sap during my delivery work every day here in Austin, along with my pistol.

[@jeffprice6421]

You can carry a staff anywhere. It is quick to deploy. The only man to beat Miyamoto Musashi was a Bo master... It must be good for something? The staff has lots of other uses, two can be linked to form a litter. Baden Powell required every scout to have a staff.

[@holyknightthatpwns]

The second duel between Musashi and Gonnosuke probably never happened. It's only recorded in records of his own bo-using school, which is obviously a bit of a biased source.

[@lamnad]

The main reason I practice with clubs, Staves and "Sticks" is that I'm more likely going to be able to get something of that like in a pinch than a sword.

[@-Zevin-]

That's a nice piece of ash, really giving off some big stick energy, just don't try to poke me, unless you want me to grab the shaft.

[@D-B-Cooper]

Woody references.

[@TheCaniblcat]

So in Texas, as of 2017, it's fine to carry a Bowie (or any) knife on your belt. Apparently prior to 2017, a Barretta was fine to strap on, but a Bowie Knife was a no go. Yeah, makes perfect sense.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Yeah, it's a funny one :-)

[@Mustard_Seed777]

For anyone wanting to use a staff defensively, whether that is a hiking stick or whatever, there are some useful considerations in facing resistance, specifically the 'grabbing the shaft' issue. Firstly of course, you should train to understand positioning and leverage etc to avoid having it grabbed in the first place. Subsequent to that, if you want a benign but effective grab-resistant modification, try the following: elect a 'business-end' of your staff weapon (this works for anything that resembles a polearm). Apply multiple elastic hair ties to the last 10-12". If they grab, the weapon can be very easily wrested free from them. This will work at least once, because obviously the ties may slip off. You can also use tiny lengths of broken wire or staples. No one is going to get much force behind grabbing that. This also works in conjunction with the hairties - you can have multiple layers of defense that way WITHOUT turning it into a lethal weapon

[@leonardomarquesbellini]

Polearms are just glorified sticks. Change my mind. Pro tip: you can't.

[@Yellow.1844]

nice tip bro😏

[@leonardomarquesbellini]

@@Yellow.1844 y-you too

[@Yellow.1844]

@@leonardomarquesbellini 😈

[@aaronyoung8301]

It's more like a long stick with "teeth" A Danger Stick is if you will

[@caseydubois3645]

All weapons are glorified sticks

[@junichiroyamashita]

I remember seeing a similar discussion years ago,and how a guy commented that staffs and such were used by themselves in battlefields of china,with a famous general that fought against the Wokou using it as his weapon of choice.

[@thehulkster9434]

Sticks are hardly top end weapons, certainly not battlefield weapons. However, they would be easy enough to find/make, and they may be a bit more passable as not being a weapon than a sword or polearm, and for self defense against a single, unarmored opponent, it's pretty decent. If you want a designated weapon, particularly in a battlefield, you may as well put something on it to turn it into a polearm of some variety.

[@chadfalardeau5396]

They can be heavier on one end if you start off with a thick enough limb and trim one end thinner than the other. I've made more than one

[@gustavchambert7072]

Honestly, I suspect a man with quarterstaff has pretty even, at least, chance against a man with a sword. At least as long as they are of reasonably equal skill.

[@voltekthecyborg7898]

I think shillelagh are better at denting armor as they're two handed clubs. They're also the National Weapon of Ireland

[@leichtmeister]

So...you basically summarized the video.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

Staves without sharp points apparently saw some use as battlefield weapons in Chinese, though they sometimes (often?) had a sharp point added.

[@jethorex1860]

A fully loaded quarterstaff strike to the head even with a helmet will in fact still do damage though. It just needs fairly more force because of the extra energy absorption and it has more of a chance of glancing off(thus it is indeed less effective but not useless) While without the helmet even a smaller knock will shake the head up quite a bit

[@Trollvolk]

Depends on the Kind of wood, the weight and the diameter. I had a fight and was Attacke with a Stick the size of the one Matt has in the Video. Was unpleasant but nothing too Bad. It cracked and left a cut. But i guess If you take a bigger stick of harder wood, ash maybe then you might be right, If it is heavy enough. A good helmet with padding can take a lot of damage before you notice it. You have necksuupport, padding and the helmet with its own weight So i guess the magical wird is probably... Context XD

[@longpinkytoes]

@@Trollvolk weight is historically overrated. thin swords hit as hard, but took ages to catch on

[@slimetank394]

@@longpinkytoes swords have others aspects that made up for their light weight. Other weapons without those aspects need the weight. Also swords do absolutely nothing against enemy in metal armor, weapons with weight do blunt damage on them. Weight is not overrated at all. It depends on the contexts.

[@longpinkytoes]

@@slimetank394 look into the history of sword shapes, and you will notice that china had thin blades during egyptian times, and that nearly everywhere else had broad, scary looking swords, and took centuries in most cases to adopt thin blades

[@jethorex1860]

@@Trollvolk well sure but I said nothing to contradict that to begin with. An effective staff shouldn't really be made of anything lighter anyway(ash and oak are ideal for resistance and weight) A staff cracking that easily isn't a sign of good quality though. Context is indeed important Anyway So I suppose we agree! Cheers :D

[@xxmrbrooksxx]

"Grab the shaft as often as possible". Lmao. Musashi did kill with bokuto. Allegedly.

[@miketheskepticalone6285]

Which says more about Musashi than the inherent lethality of sticks.

[@ZeroAnalogy]

18:08

[@Morgan-kd9yd]

The knife laws in Texas actually changed a few years ago. September 2017 if I'm not mistaken. Among other things, they removed the blade length restriction on what types of knives can be carried in public, so you can now carry bowie knife legally. Source: Texan (also I should mention I'm not a lawyer; check your local laws)

[@mallardtheduck406]

Swords are legal to carry as well, right?

[@princekyros]

Let's bring the Messer back in to fashion

[@whim6287]

Oklahoma beat y'all to it, though I have to admit that we're limited in not being able to carry machetes and tomahawks. I do legally carry my cane sword ever now and then since 11/1/2016

[@stefanlaskowski6660]

That is correct, although I've yet to see anyone here in Texas actually carrying a sword or bowie knife. A few people with sheathed hunting knives.

[@richardzapata357]

It is now legal to carry a Bowie knife in Texas. We got rid of most laws prohibiting carrying blades of all kinds.

[@toddellner5283]

There's always the Filipino Flat Stick - usually dense hardwood, diamond cross-section, and the good ones have barbs cut into them all the way along both edges.

[@Fjuron]

Basic logic tells you: If just a stick really were as good as a pole-weapon, do you really think all the blacksmiths in history were so stupid as to waste their time forging metal bits onto them?

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

It depends on the context. A staff with a small metal spike has the advantage over any sword for an unarmored duel or skirmish in the open, but that's only one situation. You can't conveniently wear such a staff. It's less effective or even useless in more confined spaces, such as in a tight press of soldiers in a battlefield infantry fight or indoors or in a trench or tunnel or thick forest. Similarly, a heavy halberd/bill/pollaxe isn't as good as the spiked staff for an unarmored duel or skirmish in the open but it's much more effective in an armored duel or armored infantry fight. Etc.

[@bunnieseatliverspots]

I dabbled in three staff methods: Wing Chun long pole, Kali/escrima five-foot staff, Kuntao/silat four-foot staff. The first two primarily hold the staff at the back end and use it like a spear. The shorter Kuntao staff is used with alternating back-end and mid-shaft grips.

[@Sk0lzky]

As a staff fanboy I totally approve of this message. There are legit people around who will argue adding a sharp piece of metal to the and of a stick makes it worse and they're almost as bad as indestructible katana folks. However - you overestimate the protection a helmet gives. Yes, it most likely won't cave your head in. However that's actually not the main reason why we don't do full force sparring with them in Hema, modified kendo masks, for example, would be enough to prevent any serious damage to the skull. The issue is that necks are fairly weak and flimsy (and obviously brain damage but that doesn't matter as much when your spinal cord breaks)

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

Renaissance staff sources like George Silver & Joseph Swetnam always meant spiked staves for fighting in earnest.

[@StevenHouse1980]

Just Remember "A Wizard's Staff has a knob on the end!" and some knob's only think thay are Wizard's.

[@psylegio]

I grew up reading a lot of Prince Valiant and in one episode there was this giant with a very long spear to which he had attached a chain and a mace just behind the spear head. Now that was an enhanced stick!

[@cyrilgigee4630]

Stick for historical self-defense: Good Stick for historical battlefield: Bad Stick for modern self-defense: Depends on the stick Stick for modern battlefield: Private where did your gun go why are you only armed with a stick the insurgents are closing in Private we are screwed

[@tadhgmcgrath1409]

dont tell mad jack he will take it as a challenge.

[@beechbone5591]

Iirc from my jujutsu training, the historical battlefield purpose of the rokushakubo, jo and hanbo training was that, in the event of your spear shaft being severed, you could use the bit of stick left in your hands to get yourself out of a jam and disengage safely enough to draw another weapon.

[@chrisosh9574]

I find it hard to believe that anyone would be daft enough to think a stick, staff or cudgel would ever be considered a battlefield weapon, even before the bronze age , sticks were augmented with stone in most places, or at minimum made to be sharp and pointy at the end with fire hardening. I make walking sticks and have always been a fan of them as a personal form of self defence but as with any self defence, some training or knowledge is essential. The blunt force trauma a stick can produce on an unarmoured attacker in the street can stop them faster than a cut with a knife, even though the damage is less likely to be as severe it will be effective faster. As a weapon of war though? Not so much.

[@Cascadejackal]

I'd be interested in seeing tests done with a staff against a helmet with a human head analog inside. From my experience using a shorter (6ft) staff and familiarity with my own armor (full helmet with padded arming cap, gambeson and maille), I imagine body shots or thrusts would be ineffective, blows to the shoulders could cause problems, and being hit in the head would upset your day even if you don't get properly hurt. Sure, you'd almost definitely survive a staff blow to the head if you've got a helmet on, but if someone swings like they're trying to turn your head into jam then you'll be disoriented and stunned. Maybe even end up with a concussion. Almost certainly out of sorts for long enough that Staff Assailant could draw a dagger and go for the soft bits. If it's a helmet that doesn't protect the entire face and head, like at 12:50, that is a LOT of exposed face for the big piece of fast-moving wood to potentially hit. A sword, axe, hammer etc would do far worse damage, but a staff, swung as hard as possible... it'd do bad things. Seriously, a big stick doesn't need a lot of techniques and training to knock someone's teeth in. Of course, the potential for damage is offset by how much room it takes to swing a staff with real force. Ignoring thrusts because despite being quick and not needing much room to do, they're not as effective as you might like, having anyone to your sides or maybe even rear would limit your ability to swing horizontally, which is probably your strongest swing. Close-in or group fighting would mean vertical strikes for the most part, like threshing grain. Suddenly, even the helmet shown here makes staff blows much less dangerous, and adding pauldrons or a gorget further reduces the effectiveness. The quarterstaff is a crap battlefield weapon. Almost everything is better for dedicated combat, and it take so little effort to make something better, like a spear or a shod/banded club, that there's no point in using a plain staff. Not on a battlefield. Travelling in a historical or historical fantasy setting? Can't carry a proper weapon, like a sword, spear, axe etc? Want something that has utility outside of just hitting things, but can still hit things? That's when a staff is useful. Different tools for different purposes... unless you have a bec de corbin or lucerne hammer. They're the best big sticks. EDIT: Had a thought, watched some videos on greatsword techniques, got my staff out and had a go. Turns out, you can actually use a staff similarly to a greatsword. Not nearly as effective, but if it was a choice between a staff with a different technique or using your bare hands, which one would you choose? Of course, you can use a shorter staff for some longsword techniques, too. What is a wooden sword, if not a confused stick?

[@tadhgmcgrath1409]

i dissagre slightly i think the worst blows would be thrusts to the head. if you are using proper thrusting techniques i recon you can cause incredible concussions that way.

[@Cascadejackal]

@@tadhgmcgrath1409 I can see where you're coming from, but from my experience with a staff thrusts are really underwhelming. Against an unarmored opponent, a staff thrust to the head would definitely cause damage. Broken nose, smashed teeth, maybe some fractures or a concussion. Would NOT want to get hit in the eye. You're aiming for a small moving target, though, and using an attack with a small contact area. It presents a quick, immediate threat for your opponent to react to and could catch them by surprise or make an opening for a proper swing to follow up, but thrusting just doesn't feel like a reliable way to cause worthwhile damage by itself. Could just be that my thrust technique is really poor, though.

[@tadhgmcgrath1409]

@@Cascadejackal it might be, idk, i train thrusts a lot and i've been able to break wood coconuts etc in rapid succession with thrusts, the concussion thing is what i am most interested in here, i think it would be not incredibly difficult to accelerate someone's head enough to knock them out, especially with a big helmet keeping them from moving out of the way very well.

[@Cascadejackal]

@@tadhgmcgrath1409 Any advice for thrusts? I'd like to try some tests, see how it compares to just swinging the staff.

[@tadhgmcgrath1409]

@@Cascadejackal sure, a good thrust has two objectives, structure and momentum, so first find out what the highest extension you can achieve while still being stable, and having good tip control, then find out how much stick you can hold between your two arms before you eat that distance. i can put 6 feet of stick between my two hands, so i cock my back hand at an angle while letting my front hand stay out in front . then i rotate my waist, curl my back arm and crunch my abs to whip the back hand as close to the lead hand as quickly as possible. using as many muscles as possible to do it, if i am striking something, i aim like im hitting something behind it. then i open my body back up again to stap my hand wide to sort of reload. pro tip. holding the back hand with your pinky wrapped around in line with the back surface of the stick as if the back circle of the stick is a quarter, and your pinky is wrapped around the rim will give you more ability to continue to put force into the stick as it is making contact with a thing. pro tip 2. leather gloves let you slide the stick even faster meaning more force.

[@DyvmSlorm]

Shoot. My minds in the gutter. "I recommend you grab the shaft as often as possible". Sorry, that one made me double take (If I'd been drinking it would have been a spit take)

[@shiyotso1]

Dont spit, swallow

[@DyvmSlorm]

@@shiyotso1 you know where my mind was! As I hit send I thought, "oops, left that one opened".

[@spastijmc]

Quick correction. I am a Texan, and have followed knife carry laws very closely. As of 2017, the blade carry law in Texas restricts carry by location, not type. I can legally buy, sell, and carry any bladed implant, so long as I am not in a location that restricts it.

[@Euphoric19]

I remembered reading a story that the Igorot and the Aeta, tribes in my country that they have a detachable spearheads and will remove them when travelling to Christian towns to trade but will attach them if there fighting, also in some case the spear head could be used as a dagger too.

[@classicasoftware4749]

If your staff weapon is 1 mile long, you can hit the enemy archers with a melee swing and counter everything.

[@williambreazeal387]

I can imagine a padded gambeson greatly reducing the threat of a quarter staffs impact. I'm less certain about a helmet doing the same given that a solid blow with the flat of a two handed sword can ring someones bell, even encased in a helmet. I would need to see a test, but I'm not certain how to ethically conduct one given that I believe there is a significant risk of concussion.

[@longpinkytoes]

@13:00 "this. aaaargh. does nothing to my head." that is pretty funny, and yet does not take into account the 180° swing arc limitation that the SCA has for any kind of pole because even a 270° swing can very definitely put a man on his knees without his permission. this to say that if you weren't wearing a cervical collar beforehand, you might need one after :(

[@gordonlawrence1448]

My understanding was that the larger of the stick weapons were weapons only as a secondary purpose and that in fact they had several primary purposes. 1 To help you walk on very rough ground. 2 to be the ridge pole in a shelter. You cant just use a stick for this as it would damage the lightweight skins over time as sticks are not smooth. 3 a makeshift fishing pole. 4 a tool for testing the depth of the water when fording, 5 a method for carrying, yes those nursery rhyme pics of a wrapped up ball of food on the end of a stick over the shoulder are correct. 6 a tool for herding. IE tap the animal (usually a cow) to encourage it to go left or right. And being the middle ages there has to be a 7th - as a lantern carrier to keep it above peoples heads when traveling at night. Not that this happened very often (in fact quite rarely).

[@longpinkytoes]

@20:30 "The Maori used lots of different types of weapons..." i think you might have swung too far again the other way. there is an okinawan form based on the rowing oar, which is pretty much also what a taiaha is, and i feel strongly that a cricket bat/rowing oar/taiaha all fall under your category of 'augmented stick' ;)

[@Archaic-Arms]

I agree on some points, but here's my take on it: If you think of a quarterstaff as spear without a spear point, then yes it is immediately inferior. If the staff is made thicker, say 1,1/2" of ash, then you have a very different weapon. A staff of said thickness gains a significant amount of pummeling power, is still well balanced and agile, and has the benefit to use both ends to present threats fluidly and rapidly (like all staffs). Adding anything big to each end would then impinge on the usability, but reinforcement with metal strips and studs would likely improve effectiveness a bit. A helmet is not going to prevent you from being knocked senseless from a direct, clean blow. That being said, it is not useful on a battlefield as you need a lot of room around you to use it effectively (which I believe is the primary reason you don't see it in warfare), as well as that the quarterstaff is very much an individuals weapon, whereas polearms work very well as a part of a team (in close-order groups). Just my tuppence.

[@captainnyet9855]

wouldn't a counterweighted short spear still be by far the better weapon? you get the extra weight (that you'd otherwise get from using a thicker shaft), a point and possibly a small cutting blade while maintaining similar balance; main difference is your center of percussion would be closer to the end of the shaft. (which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the situation, but generally speaking it is a good thing as it lets you more effectively use your weapon's reach)

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

Louis de Gaya's book on weapons & war from the second half of the 17th century mentions how double-spiked quarterstaves were "made of a very strong and even Wood, somewhat bigger and heavier than the Wood of a Pike." It was 7.25ft long in total, with 4.5in spikes on each end. The Chinese military quarterstaff (yes, a battlefield weapon) was 7.35ft long & 4.55lbs according to one Ming-era manual. That's pretty hefty for the length. A spike/blade for thrusting could also be added to this weapon, as was common for staves in England. Apparently Qi Jiguang thought a shorter blade was better for a staff, because a longer one would mess with the its striking capacity. I'm not exactly sure how that works, but it's interesting to the see the parallels between England & China in this regard.

[@Archaic-Arms]

@@b.h.abbott-motley2427 Great find! I did not know about that. What is described sounds very practical as an individual's weapon, and a faithful improvement over a plain quarterstaff; not effecting use of staff martial arts. Thanks for sharing.

[@Drebin416]

An interesting addition into this argument is the frequency in which headed weapons broke in battle, essentially rendering them as plain old staves. Certainly, going into a battle, it would be natural to have something more than just a humble piece of wood, but I am curious how many soldiers came out with one in the end. Like a combative "escalators don't break, you just get stairs," argument, I've wondered if polearms broke with such frequency that they deemed it important enough to teach people to use quarterstaves until they got their hands on something else.

[@loydjenkins2241]

Not TOTALLY ineffective against armor but largely. As far as Robin Hood is concerned, the sword was the primary weapon followed by the bow (yes, even, Little John). The quarter staff was more of a sporting event, on the brutal side.

[@MaggotDiggo1]

I'm only a casual follower of this stuff but I've never heard of these staff fanatics. I've always heard the promotion of the big stick in the context of how great the spear was.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

The staff that Renaissance masters like George Silver & Joseph Swetnam recommended also had one or two metal spikes & delivered deadly thrusts. I don't know of any historical martial artist who recommended a simple staff with blunt ends for fighting in earnest.

[@laperrablanca1]

Great video Matt! As you said it's a matter of context: sticks are a great option for self defense in a civilian context, because their are not so deadly as blade weapons for example. In most places, it will be perfectly legal to disable an aggressor holding a knife using a stick, what it wouldn't be so if you stab him... Ancient less than lethal "munitions" ... P.S. even when I'm scaring away a particularly agressive cat that bullies my cats, I hold the long stick from its end, to get as much reach as possible

[@Spookwriter77]

Don't know about other countries, but here in the UK - where we have very strict weapons laws - it would be absolutely legal to stab someone in self-defence, if he were coming at you with a knife and you had good reason to believe he was about to kill you. Under those circumstances it would be considered reasonable force. Having said that, if I were unfortunate enough to face an attacker with a knife, I think I'd rather have a nice stout stick than a knife of my own, if only because of the reach advantage.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

The curious part of folks like Matt Easton in this video who downplay the simple staff's striking power is that *nobody* spars with rigid, full-weight staves without serious armor. Typical HEMA protective gear doesn't cut it, as good as it's gotten. Here's a comment from the Academy of Historical Fencing channel from a couple years ago on a staff sparring video, replying to a question about safety: "Principally by not using full weight staffs. They are rattan, so they have a fair bit of give and are a lot lighter than hard woods. Hardwood staffs can really only be used with very carefully controlled contact. We only use hardwood for some spears where no blows are being used, and for some low contact polearm stuff. The striking power of a hard wood pole is simply immense." If just a helmet & gambeson rendered the staff "completely benign" & "useless," as Matt Easton claims, sparring would be a lot easier. Skallagrim also did a video on this some years back. It's true that the staff, even with a metal point or points like George Silver wrote about, wasn't the best weapon for the battlefield in most cases (though half-pikes & partizans had their place) & isn't as effective against armor as a halberd/bill/pollaxe, it's powerful enough that protecting yourself against strikes isn't easy. Anyone who's tried to spar with a rigid, full-weight staff knows this.

[@Plymouth888]

We used to have cattle sticks home on the farm, a Hazel about 2 cms +thickness, about chest to chin in length. Absolutely vital when around the bullocks for protection and control.

[@briehart-nutter4357]

"So thanks for sticking with me" underappreciated pun

[@samk522]

So it's in a similar position to the uchigatana. It's a sidearm/self-defense weapon that is very good at what it was designed to do, but whose effectiveness has been massively overstated, especially in a battlefield context.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

One of the big points in favor is big sticks, is that even in the state of Massachusetts where I live, which is growing so anti-gun they're driving away jobs at Winchester arms, it is still legal to own and walk with a stick. (knock on wood) Heck, many knives and most swords will get you "special" police attention because "swords are scary".

[@turkeywalker7046]

Putting iron bands on the ends keeps the stick from splitting. I don’t do hema, but I hike, and there is a hike in Utah in the US called The Narrows where you hike for nine miles up a river gorge. Normally I hike with trekking poles, but for the Narrows a walking stick works much better. After a few trips I made my own walking stick with steel bands on the ends because the pole will split and fall apart quickly without the bands.

[@TheFlyingMage]

Staff might be the perfect weapon for all kinds of reanactments and makebelieve brawls. Where EVERY weapon is a stick basically. Sword is a stick cause nobody will let you slash and poke people with sharp blade. So as long as everything is a stick, why not pick the best stick?..

[@bobsmoot2392]

Those sticks on the wall behind Matt, with the sharp metal wedge shaped things stuck on them, seem formidable.

[@jayfriday4729]

I used to work out with a 6ft Bo, short Bo, Eskrima, tri-staff, chucks. I like sticks. It has limitations like all weapons. I don't try to compare edged vs blunt. Next time bring a gun or Greek fire or whatever is popular. Give them a joint of Sumac. If you go up against edged with a stick you have a problem. It's not a baseball bat. Takes a lot of focus and practice to deliver anything near that energy. It is a devastating stabbing tool, even with blunt ends. Tapered staff, smaller end = more psi. Might not puncture the skin but will EASILY break ribs and puncture internal organs from trauma. Practice stabbing from short, two handed power strikes and long, single handed technical strikes. Use small paper cups for targets. You can strike a neck from over 8 ft away in the time it takes to draw a knife, and practice how to batter your opponent while they are grabbing the staff because they will grab it. If they have a hand on your staff they are open for CQ-business. And of course you will have your knife too or a short bludgeon. When you can break a 1 1/2 or 2 inch fresh growing vine maple with a 1 1/4 inch hardwood staff you could break lower leg and arm bones. And remember, have fun while killing people, enjoy your hobbies.

[@greasecarrot8141]

Luckily in Texas you can carry around a Bowie knife in public. It became legal back in 2017, but yes for a good while you couldn't carry one, which was pretty silly. As far as I understand now you can carry a proper sword around in public with few restrictions, such as government buildings and such.

[@mstrikerwildrift]

Musashi was indeed fond of killing with a stick. Also, I wonder what Shad would say.

[@yukiminsan]

against unarmoured opponents he knew what he was doing

[@gerhard977]

I thk he would agree totally

[@brittakriep2938]

Isn' t there a japanese weapon, which is a very heavy wooden club, partly covered with nailheads or iron strips.

[@aaronyoung8301]

@@yukiminsan I might be remembering wrong, but didn't Musashi get his first kill and his last kill with a stick (bokkto: a fancy stick; and a carved bokkto from an oar counts as a stick)? And didn't foolish swordsman challenge him on the streets while he walked with a stick on his person?

[@yukiminsan]

@@aaronyoung8301 pretty much yeah won his first and last duel with a surprise attack using some kind of improvised big stick

[@virginiahansen320]

Shad has started a thing.

[@martytu20]

Shad does resort to rhetoric when presenting. He just happen to be big enough to have toxic fan bases (every public figure big enough will have them) that shoot down any criticism. His comments on video responses are much more pleasant and reasonable.

[@berniemilliken5496]

Being trained in Japanese staff fighting I was shown how to use a bo staff against armoured fighters ist all about where and how you connect with your target