Contemporary Italian staff fighting comes from the ancient shepherd arts, like the ones found in Southern Italy and Sicily, the poleram systems taught by various Italian fencing schools, when the staff was a training weapon for other polearms, or from the 16th Century, when it was taught as a weapon in it’s own right.
The techniques in Bastone Genovese are faster and more powerful than the ones used with the English quarterstaff but the Genovese staff is a shorter and lighter weapon. And Bastone Genovese uses circular footwork!
Watch and enjoy.
This looks better than the English one, they look like they know what they’re doing but wouldn’t a sword be better, no?
@ heather
Definitely but sometimes sword carrying wasn’t possible.
stefi or rob,
Do either of you know a man named Roberto Laura? He’s Italian, living in Germany, and studies and teaches southern Italian stick and knife systems. I’m going to have an opportunity to train with him soon, and wanted to get your opinions.
Unfortunately not.