Variants and Styles
The gun is fashioned with one thick end as the base and a thinner end near the tip, and is cut to be about the same height as the user. Besides the standard gun, there are also flail-like two section and three section varieties of the staff. Numerous Chinese martial arts teach the staff as part of their curriculum, including:
- Staff of five tigers and goat herds (Chinese: 五虎群羊棍; pinyin: wǔ hǔ qún yáng gùn)
- Bailangan, Northern staff(simplified Chinese: 白栏杆; traditional Chinese: 白欄杆; pinyin: bái lángān)
- Nangun, Southern staff (Chinese: 南棍; pinyin: nángùn)
- Taiji staff (simplified Chinese: 太极棍; traditional Chinese: 太極棍; pinyin: tàijí gùn
- Taiji thirteen staff (simplified Chinese: 太极十三秆; traditional Chinese: 太極十三杆; pinyin: tàijí shísān gǎn)
- Bagua seven star rod (Chinese: 八卦七星竿; pinyin: bāguà qīxīng gān)
Bailangan and nangun are frequently found in modern exercise and competitions.
Modern staffs are often made from wax wood or rattan, both of which are strong woods, but flexible and light. Some versions may also feature be made from metal or rubber parts.
Read more about this topic: Gun (staff)
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