San Jie Gun: Three-Sectional Staff

San Jie Gun, or 3-Sectional Staff, is one of the esoteric weapons in Chinese martial arts. It is usually made of Bai La Gun, or White Waxwood, which is pliable and resilient. The 3-Sectional Staff is made of three separate pieces linked by chain rings. The chains rings render the weapons dexterous and flexible; this characteristic classifies it as a Soft Weapon. In Chinese, this classification is called Bingqi Wushu Ruan.

There are various myths about the development of the 3-Sectional Staff, but since there is no actual documentation as to its origins, I will not explore these myths here.

The length of the 3-Sectional Staff should be from the floor to the fingertips of your arm when it is stretched overhead. Hence the length will vary with the height of the practitioner.

Depending on how the weapon is held and wielded, it can be used at short-range, middle-range or long-range; this makes the weapon very versatile. The 3-Sectional Staff was easy to carry when folded and swung over the back where it was secured in a sleeve. Its adaptability made it a favorite of bodyguards who worked with the Biao Ju, China’s famed escort services that protected merchant caravans.

Because the weapon tends to bite the person wielding it, to overcome the psychological fear, the weapon would often be shortened and the shafts made thinner. So even if struck while wielding the weapon, the damage would be minimized.

Many of the swings and flowers with the 3-Sectional Staff can first be practiced with a regular staff. My students become proficient with a staff by the time they start learning the 3-Sectional, and I forgo shortening and thinning the weapon as I feel that the weight of the weapon then becomes so different that moving to a regular length would be like re-learning the flowers and swings. Assume that you will strike yourself and learn to overcome that fear.

There are three methods of holding the 3-Sectional Staff:

The first method is to hold the two ends near the chains as if holding two sticks or two broadswords.

The second method is to grasp the middle section with two hands which allows you to swing the two loose ends. This is also the grip used to execute many of the flowers.

The third method is to hold the end of a section, gaining full extension of the 3-Sectional Staff for wide swings and strikes.

There are some variations to these three grip methods, but they are easy to implement once you become comfortable with the basic grips.

The 3-Sectional Staff is considered an advanced weapon; its major difficulty lies in overcoming the fear of getting hit. While it is challenging, it is also fun to learn.