Basic Strikes 1. Technique one is a basic forehand diagonal strike that hits downward, stops when the left hand is even with your left hip, and returns using the loading of the bending rattan to power the return upward. 2. Here we have a double bounce version of the number 1 strike. You use the flexible nature of rattan by stopping the strike at hip height and doing a short “double bounce” which loads the staff twice as it moves at speed in short, quick strokes in the short-range between the height of your hips and heart. 3. Hold your left hand by your hip, with the tip of your staff pointed at your opponent’s heart. Bounce the tip horizontally back and forth about the width of a man’s shoulders. You can do this in a straight line back and forth, or if it is easier for you, in a tight figure eight. 4. I find this one an interesting strike and a preview of the rest of the set. You strike downward as in number 1, but on the return, you use the loaded bend to power through a clockwise circle with the tip of the staff.
TAPADA STAFF • William McGrath
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