The staff was carried by monks and travellers throughout the world for many centuries. It is a natural weapon, being only a tree branch or trunk.

The bamboo staff is such an ideal weight; so light and yet flexible and firm.

In the UK it is legal to carry and use a walking stick as a person ages. An umbrella is an obvious alternative.

A sword is an offensive weapon. A staff is a defensive weapon.
How so?

A staff can serve many purposes: a prop, a walking stick, an aid when reach for things. It can also be used in combat.

A sword has only one purpose: to maim and/or kill.

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.

The bamboo staff is a wonderful weapon to train with.
It is light-weight, strong and versatile.

It can be used single hand or double.

Measure the length according to your own height.
Saw the staff at navel-height.

Dress in bland, dull colours and outfits that do not draw any form of attention.
Avoid anything that catches the eye or makes you stand out.
Your aim is to be background, not foreground.

Wear loose, comfortable clothing that enables freedom of movement, and footwear that allows for rapid, nimble footwork.

If you are seeking to train the sword, you may want to consider playing with very sharp knives for a while...

Practice moving with the blade.
Stick and slice and hack.

Now, ask yourself: could you honestly stick this in another living human being?
It the answer is no, then good.
You are sane, healthy and perhaps well-adjusted.

Reconsider your desire to train the sword. A sword is simply a very big knife.
If you are unwilling to stab somebody, put the weapon down.

Self defence remains a sticky issue.

If your home is invaded by a burglar and you injure the intruder or kill them whilst attempting to protect your family, you may be deemed a 'criminal'.

If you travel to a foreign land in the service of the military and kill many strangers in battle, you may be called a 'hero'.

Every martial artist should understand Newton's Laws of Physics.
To proceed without this knowledge is foolish.

Any martial art uses the human body.
The human body is subject to the laws of physics.

Now, watch what people are doing...
Allowing an object to continue moving, unimpeded?
F = M x A?
Force against force?

Is this really what martial artists typically are doing?

Yielding is a most misunderstood quality.

It is not giving-in, collapsing or weakness.
It is about giving the opponent room to over-reach, over-commit, miss.
It is about making space, re-positioning.

All applications contain some facet of yielding, even if the reality is simply not opposing force.

A journey of a thousand miles may indeed start with one step. But are you really going anywhere?
This is an important question.
Although your physical position may alter relative to external objects, are 'you' actually going anywhere at all?
Do you understand?

Tap your chest. You are here. Now walk across the room. Tap your chest again. You are still here.
Your body may have moved across the room, but 'you' haven't gone anywhere at all.

If you realise that your body occupies the same space at all times, then you see the form and your relationship with an opponent quite differently.
This is what 'central equilibrium' is really about.

The form is merely exploring variations of the three dimensions. You turn the waist, shift the weight, move the hands, the legs, the eyes. 
But you essentially remain exactly where you are. 

It takes courage to face an opponent with a receptive heart and a willingness to accept, to yield, to be sensitive, and to be decisive.
Faith is necessary.

A student may fail many times before they have the heart to do what they have been told to do.

When thinking stops, the art begins.
Self-consciousness and though are impediments to the way.

Internal kung fu cannot be approached like karate or judo.
It is simply not the same thing.

Sure, commonalities exist.
But so much differs.

Tai chi and baguazhang are infused with taoist insights and discoveries.
But only the earnest student succeeds in this regard.
The lazy person uses force, or ignores the precepts of the art, bastardising it to suit their own lack of faith.

Having completed a puzzle, you may understand how the pieces all fit together and why.
Some of your breakthroughs occurred through methodical reasoning.
Others were intuition, and cannot be rationalised.

Mistakes can also lead to understand.
It can be useful to know what does not work.

When Sun Tzu speaks of invisibility, he is speaking about moving without attracting the attention of your opponent:

1. Concealment
2. Covert
3. Disguise
4. Espionage
5. Hidden
6. Misdirection
7. Secrecy
8. Stealth

Sun Tzu wrote a whole section on spying.
From a self defence perspective this is very useful.
You do not need to become a spy, but you can learn how to avoid being noticed.

In hindsight the art can seem simplistic and obvious.
But it cannot be taught in a manner that allows the student this same viewpoint.

It is not a matter of obscurity or secrecy.
Even the most candid and forthright instructor cannot tell it verbally or show it physically.

The art must be experienced, first-hand, by the student.
This is what mysticism actually means: beyond words, beyond thought.

Corrections are always a sore point for students.

It is difficult for students to accept that even the most basic concerns deteriorate without correction, and that even the most familiar skills can be refined and improved.

A sword is not a toy.
It is an offensive weapon designed to pierce or cut the skin.

When you pick up a very sharp knife you are immediately cautious.
The slightest act of carelessness may result in a cut.
A blade can part skin easily.

Now, imagine a sword blade?
This is a dangerous weapon. It is not to be trifled with.

Performance art swordsmanship makes a mockery of the weapon; understating its seriousness.