Some people argue that staff and sword are interchangeable. This is not so.

Staff applications depend to some degree upon the length of the stick.
All staff can be used to poke or jab.
However, a long staff needs two hands to do this.

A short staff can strike in a very 'flicky'/sharp manner, but a long staff is too heavy and unwieldy for this.

A long staff can deliver a horizontal blow using the waist. A short staff lacks the necessary length or leverage to accomplish this.

A long staff is more akin to a spear or a pole. A short staff is like a whip.

Given that a sword can cut the flesh, it quite different to a staff. A sword pierces/stabs, slices and hacks. A staff does none of these.