Five Main Weapons Used in Stav

Handmade Stav Training Weapons

Over the 23 years I have been learning, practicing and teaching Stav I have designed, tested and developed training weapons. Each design has been manufactured and then extensively trained with, sometimes to the point of destruction. So the five weapons listed here are the result of nearly a quarter century of research and development. These weapons are used daily in my own training and in the classes and courses I teach. Some of the weapons will be familiar to anyone who does martial arts, a staff is a staff, more or less. Others are unique to Stav as far as I know, the training axe for example.

So, can I supply you with your own Stav training weapons? Yes, but lets get a couple of things straight first.

All items are hand made, I don't have some factory in the far East turning them out by the thousand. I carefully select the wood I need, and it is not that easy to get in the UK. In fact I only have one supplier I actually trust to provide me with wood of sufficently consistent quality and they are 150 miles away. I use power tools such as a drill and chop saw and sometimes a power planer for rough shaping. However, all the profiling, shaping and finishing is done by hand. This means I can work with the grain of the wood which should make each item as strong and durable as it can be if sensibly used.

So each item is carefully crafted with care, attention and the skill developed over many years. This means that I am not willing to just mail out items to anyone who can put their creditcard number into an online form. The cost of carriage is one issue, especially internationally. However, that is not the real reason is that I do not supply to just anyone. I just do not like the idea that something I have crafted with loving care for daily practice is going to be waved around for three minutes and then thrown into a cupboard until one day someone uses it for firewood.

So, I make weapons for people to collect at a course, class or camp. This means I can make slight adjustments to length if necessary. Then I can show you how to use the item you have bought and I know you have some idea how to train with it. (whether or not you carry on using it is of course up to you, but I will have done all I can).

Find Your Own Training Equipment

If you do want to have a go at teaching yourself how to use one of the Stav weapons then all you need initially is a stick of the right length. Do not use anything too thick or heavy, 20 to 25mm diamter is about right. If you look for broom and tool handles you should find something suitable. As for lengths, see this list below.

  • Staff – ground to your shoulder
  • Axe – ground to your navel (put a ring of tape around the stick about 200 mm from the end to represent the head
  • Cudgel – basically a walking stick, at least long enough to reach from your hand to the floor
  • Spear – ground to your eyebrow height, again put a ring of tape around the stick 200mm from the end to represent the head
  • Tein/dagger – base of your fingers to the tip of the elbow

    • Make Your Own Training Weapons

    Another option is to make your own weapons using my plans and instructions. More details and order here.

    Want me to make your weapons for you?

    So, if you would like to order weapons ready for you to collect when you arrive for your course or camp then here is the price list. If you are a member of Ice and Fire you can order weapons at the members price or download the pdf instructions from here. Membership costs £20 per month and you get access to a lot of material on Stav and how to train. If all you did was join for one month, download the weapon making instructions and then cancelled, you would still be well ahead of just buying them. So, if you are not currently a member, see the Join page here:

    Oak Staff £40
    Member price £30
    Ash Axe with belt ring £60
    Member price £45
    Oak Cudgel £25
    Member price £15
    Ash Spear £50
    Member price £40
    Tein/dagger £15
    Member price £12
    Wooden Training knife £12
    Member price £10
    Please select the items you require