Julius Anastasio is a Green Belt at Wu Dao
I broke my staff on Saturday.
Last week I finished learning the staff form I'll be doing at the tournament (Zhen Shan Gun). Since Saturday was going to be a very busy day (and no time for kung fu class), I woke up early to train for a couple of hours on the abandoned asphalt lot close to our apartment. It was already blazing hot by 7:00am, which really helped me loosen up quickly. A few minutes into training in the sun and I was moving. It felt great to finally get into the rhythm of a form, repeating sections over and over until I got them right.
With all the unbridled enthusiasm, I got a little overzealous. After finishing one particularly spirited round about an hour into training, I looked down to see a very discernible crack branching from one of the wood's knots near the bottom of my staff.
I was heartbroken. I did some hand forms for a little while, then trotted back home to give my staff some emergency TLC.
I’ve broken many a wooden stick in the past. Back when I was doing Capoeira, I cannot tell you how many Berimbaus I have shattered while stringing them up (cold, dry weather is no friend of pliable wooden instruments). Repairing them usually involved a lot of cursing, wood or Gorilla glue, and hefty coils of string around the afflicted area. For my staff, I used some wood glue in the cracks, clamped it, and hoped for the best. I might tape it up after I sand down the small amount of excess glue, depending on how the binding feels.
I highly doubt this repair will last (the impact of repeatedly slamming a piece of wood onto the ground is a lot greater than the stress of repeatedly bowing a wooden musical instrument), but for now it’ll allow me to at least tread lightly throughout my staff training until I get a new one.
Lesson learned: When training with weapons, handle them with the utmost respect and care. Know their limits, and always beware the unforgiving nature of asphalt.
Days until tournament: 59
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