Why hold the stick so close to the body? The dynamics of the Biangun strike is explored in this video. Similar to Filipino Kali except that chambering is located at the gut and not the shoulder.
The harnessed power is obvious and you can see where the two videos below get their strength from.
The guy presenting the DIY here informed me that 'Shisanfa' means 13.
Unfortunately, Biangun is a sort of distant eddy in kung fu without the religious and military traditions to rationalise it (and populise it) . So it isn't big in martial artz consciousness aside from a movement based in and around Tokyo, Japan -- which has Tai Chi-ed it somewhat.
Of the longer forms -- those that emanate from the Ma family are maybe the most well known...but they move from position to position rather than focus on the torso's power as a starting point. This, I suspect, is why Biangun is well worth learning initially from a stationary position as the footwork is an extension of attack as it is in Kali.
Of the various long forms, I haven't, as yet, been able to separate their primary differences one from the other. They may display the same themes and replicate similar moves but many seem customised and adapted to suit the performer. After all, Biangun is not ruled by governing bodies nor is the stick length owned just by the people of Shanxi province.
Again the translation doesn't help us much. After watching many stick forms in action, so many participants routinely move the staff from A to B. A lot of those moves seem , to me, to over extend the body unnecessarily. Nor have I accepted that there are advantages in one legged stances in staff work. Great for learning better balance and focusing on your centre of gravity -- but you lose your rootedness with the earth. I think so anyway. This guy on the other hand is brutally awesome. The fulcrum of the staff is kept close to the body and he moves with the power of the whole torso. Nothing is limp. The strikes have the power of follow through. Even the footwork is worth the price of admission.
The translation doesn't help us much but here with have a gent explaining his use of the short staff. Then when he moves into combat mode there is no mucking around in the attack. The body mechanics are just right.
