The 3 Sectional Staff – An evolutionary weapon

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is one of the all time classic cinema depictions of martial arts.

In this movie the character San Te is shown as the inventor of the 3 sectional staff, but its true origin is more difficult to conclude.

It is an example of the creativity employed in ancient times to bring victory in battle.

It is not quite a nunchaku, not exactly a staff, or pair of sticks…. rather it is mix of all three, an evolutionary weapon in a sense, as it is clearly influenced by the before mentioned weapons which all existed prior to the thee sectional staff it self.

The versatility of this weapon is both its greatest strength and weakness.

It can be used in short range, medium range or from long range, but under pressure it can be difficult to manipulate properly.
This year I embraced the challenge it presents and bought one. Familiarity with staff and nunchaku techniques definitely helps, as I pretty quickly picked up some basic skills/techniques.

Here’s some footage of me playing around with the 3 sectional staff, soon after I bought it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFOUceZvZur/?taken-by=zen_dragon_martial_arts

Can it be used in combat? If you train properly with it, yes and I found the video to prove it. But wether you want to use one for the fun of using it or sparring (it’s not relevant for self defense, as you can’t cary it around, and you’re not likely to find one during an ambush), just make sure to be careful not to harm your self, other people, or nearby objects when practising with it.

I’ll end this with the video of a 3 sectional staff used in combat, also I’ll do a video of my own on the 3 sectional staff when I get to it, so subscribe to Zen-Dragon on Youtube for that and much more content released on a weekly basis.