Does a jo have to be 50 inches?

[shonuff]

Gonnosuke developed the jo according to his own anatomy. Should a jo's length be determined by your body type? I read a book and it said it was supposed to come just under your arm pit. A 50 inch jo comes way under my armpit. A 54 inch staff comes right under my armpit.

Are the 50 inches really important? I understand it was developed to fight swords. To me there isn't much difference. I do like the 50inches because I assume it would be better when sparring in close distance and easier when using the stick to submit someone.

[Brian Owens]

Originally posted by shonuff
Should a jo's length be determined by your body type?...Are the 50 inches really important?
The best advice is to go by what your sensei says.

In the jodo I practiced, we based the length on our height (I'm 6' 5" and had a heck of a time finding a jo that fit me).

Other systems may have codified/standardized the length for their curriculum.

Only your sensei can tell you what you need.

[Sochin]

It doesn't matter if it is a little short (it's quite natural), what matters is how you work it!!!

:)

[Brian Owens]

Originally posted by Sochin
It doesn't matter if it is a little short (it's quite natural), what matters is how you work it!!!
Reminds me of an old cigarette commercial from when I was a teenager. When others were introducing 100mm & even 101mm cigarettes, one maker had a commercial jingle that went "it's not how long you make it, it's how you make it long." Of course, we had our own interpretation of that jingle's real meaning. ;)

[shonuff]

I personally like the 50 inches because the shorter the weapon, the better it usually is in close quarters. But the 53-54 inches feel good.

The a 54 inch stick comes right to my armpit. A 50 inch stick when held out like a hiking staff creates about a 90 degree angle bend in my elbow, with my hand completely jolding the stick. The end of the stick being flat level with top of my thumb and index finger. The 90 degree bend in the elbow makes me think.

THe jo was developed to fight a sword. And all swords are not created equal. Weren't the lengths of many swords determined by length of their users arm or something? Wasn't there a formula they used to determine the ideal length for a sword?


The 50 inch jo becomes a bo for a dwarf or a child that's about 45 inches tall.

A 50 inch jo might as well be a Kali stick for someone the size of Shaquille O'Neil. A jo for a 7 foot man could be about 6 feet tall if he oes the armpit method.

[Mekugi]

UHOH! YOu just told everyone your approximate age!

"Chesterfield Satisfies!"



Originally posted by Yagyu Kenshi
Reminds me of an old cigarette commercial from when I was a teenager. When others were introducing 100mm & even 101mm cigarettes, one maker had a commercial jingle that went "it's not how long you make it, it's how you make it long." Of course, we had our own interpretation of that jingle's real meaning. ;)

[Brian Owens]

Originally posted by Mekugi
UHOH! YOu just told everyone your approximate age!
48 1/12, approximately. :D

Originally posted by Mekugi
"Chesterfield Satisfies!"
And how does a young whippersnapper like you remember that it was Chesterfield's jingle? Were you even born yet? :p

[gmlc123]

I've never heard of the armpit thing for a Jo.. and IMHO would work for anyone under 5' 2", but for taller ppl ie. 6ft and over it's going to make a Jo just a little difficult to stop on the spot mid-technique for most users.

If you use a Jo that's too long for your body size it does become more difficult to executed proper form and without proper tenouchi and hand positioning it can be plain dangerous for everyone.

Imagine doing Ai-uchi (Gakyu Hikiotoshi-Honte Uchi combination) like in Midaredome or Ranai, with a Jo that's just too long. Better start heading to the hospitial to gets some stiches for your own face inquiry.

The way I like to measure a Jo for smaller ppl or child is have the Jo length equal to the distance from the floor to their suigetsu (solar plexus) while they're standing. This should be approximately correct size Jo for their body size... in the case of 6'+ adults I recommend the same to a maximum Jo length of 131/132cm.



Originally posted by shonuff
A jo for a 7 foot man could be about 6 feet tall if he oes the armpit method.

[Brian Owens]

Originally posted by gmlc123
I've never heard of the armpit thing for a Jo.. and IMHO would work for anyone under 5' 2", but for taller ppl ie. 6ft and over it's going to make a Jo just a little difficult to stop on the spot mid-technique for most users.
Yes, for most users. But not for those over 6 feet.

Originally posted by gmlc123
If you use a Jo that's too long for your body size it does become more difficult to executed proper form and without proper tenouchi and hand positioning it can be plain dangerous for everyone.
And if you use a Jo that's too short for your body size it becomes more difficult to execute proper form, and without proper tenouchi and hand positioning it can be plain dangerous for everyone.

In my opinion a standard size jo for a person with a long armspan is just plain wrong, but that is based on my art, not on SMR or anything else.

Again, it depends on the technique which depends on the Ryu.

That's why I repeat...ask your sensei. Only he or she can tell you what is right for you.

[Mekugi]

I have heard this said :

"The jo remains the same. It is the person that changes."

Standing alone this sounds zen-esque, but I assure you that the comment was referring to the jo.

This confuses me a bit too (hehe...what doesn't)since the sword can fit the person while the jo does not have that liberty.

:confused:

[Brian Owens]

Originally posted by Mekugi
I have heard this said :

"The jo remains the same. It is the person that changes."

This confuses me a bit too (hehe...what doesn't) since the sword can fit the person while the jo does not have that liberty.
Don't you mean:

"The sword can fit the person while the jo does not have that liberty in ___________-ryu"? :D