Tai Chi Stick (Bàng, Ruler, Wand)

Available in 2 styles:

SMOOTH
- 5cm diameter
- 32.5cm length
- Weight approximately 500grams
- Hand-turned solid wood to ensure a natural and genuine feel
- Available in either Light Wood or Jichimu (Pheasant Tail Wood)

FLAT-END & GROOVED
- 5cm diameter
- 34.5cm length
- Weight approximately 455grams (Light Wood) and 560grams (Jichimu - Pheasant Tail Wood)
- Hand-turned solid wood to ensure a natural and genuine feel
- Available in either Light Wood or Jichimu (Pheasant Tail Wood)

The sticks do not come with a carry bag, but our Velour Fan Bags are the perfect fit. 

The need to distinguish a Bàng of this size from its longer and more traditional counterparts has resulted in this blunt implement to go by many inventive names, including tai chi stick, short bàng, wand, and ruler.

Tai Chi sticks are predominantly used as training aids; adding extra weight in the hands conditions the body as you explore various Tai Chi movements. It works the external joints, ligaments, and muscles as well as training grip strength and flexibility. The Tai Chi stick is also praised for its benefits in wrist strength and mobility and as a preventative for carpal tunnel syndrome. This practice is also noted for its ability to open passages of Qi from the hands and through the wrists, in turn benefiting the internal organs.

There are many theories as to which type of wood should be used for the Tai Chi stick. Different trees are said to enhance different aspects of one’s health; for example, the black walnut is favoured to assist the kidney’s constitution while others would prefer the Chinese Ironwood’s famous strength and durability. Our Tai Chi sticks are made from either pheasant tail wood, which is loved for its fine and striking grain, resembling bird feathers, or of a fine-grain white wood.

There are also Tai Chi forms for the short bang; often referred to as a wand in this instance. These practices have been popularized in recent years by Shifu Jesse Tsao whose unique forms are typified by successive strikes with dual tai chi sticks. Tai chi wand forms have generally developed through the post-modern era, so the Tai Chi stick serves as a symbol of our art’s continued evolution.