Did your Grandad get his Quarterstaff Proficiency Badge?

Discussion in 'Western Martial Arts' started by Louie, Mar 12, 2004.

  1. Louie

    Louie STUNT DAD Supporter

    In the 1900’s members of the Boy Scout Movement introduced Quaterstaff,
    producing a simple training method that allowed scouts to achieve a ‘Master at Arms’ badge. In the days before 'Public liability' scouts had to demonstrate proficiency in One of the following;
    Singlestick, Quarterstaff, fencing, boxing, wrestling

    The art of using the quarterstaff passed into oblivion with the advent of modern warfare early in the 20th century, with Boy Scouts being the last-known practitioners!

    Did your Grandad get his Quarterstaff Proficiency Badge? :confused:

    For more info on the history of the Quarterstaff:

    http://www.alliancemartialarts.com/quarterstaff.htm
    http://fight.sphosting.com/docherty.html
    http://blackbeltmag.com/archives/blackbelt/1983/jan83/western/western.html
    http://ejmas.com/jwma/articles/2001/jwmaart_docherty_0501.htm
    http://ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2001/jmanlyart_a-wp-w_0901.htm

    Louie
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Trent Tiemeyer

    Trent Tiemeyer Valued Member

    That is really interesting. I knew they used to box and wrestle, but the weapons work is news to me. (minus marksmanship and archery.)
     
  3. Louie

    Louie STUNT DAD Supporter

    Hi 1One

    Exactly my thoughts on coming across information like this, which hopefully supports my theory that there probably are a few pensioners out there who have taken part in forms of MA which would give us a lineage to indigenous wrestling. boxing, weapons arts.......

    The few that I have met are now at retirement age and unfortunately wont be around forever!!!!!!

    Watch this space!

    Louie
     
  4. kenpfrenger

    kenpfrenger sportin' a Broughton

    I posted on the western arts list quite some time ago about this. One of the kids in our neighborhood while growing up was big into the boyscouts. One day he came home and proceeded to teach all of us kids in the gang how to fight with quater staffs. We all went out to the woods and cut out own staffs. This enthusiasm only lasted part of the summer. I imagine his scoutmaster might have done this as a child and was using an old book. This was in the early 70's.
     
  5. Prithee

    Prithee New Member

  6. YODA

    YODA The Woofing Admin Supporter

    Hi Prithee

    That's 4 adverts for your website in your first 4 posts.

    If you have nothing more to contribute I may as well just lock your account now.

    If you DO - I look forward to it.
     
  7. adouglasmhor

    adouglasmhor Not an Objectivist

    I had my master at arms badge in the scouts in the early 1970s, you had to do 3 from this list, (this is from memory and it was 30 years ago)
    show marksmanship eg with a bow, air gun or small bore rifle,
    demonstrate proficiency with a wepon such as quarter staff,
    grader successfully in a sport such as Judo or Karate
    take part in a competative sport such as boxing or wrestling
    regularily attend as a member of one of the cadet forces
    it has changed now but still exists



    current scout master at arms qualification
     
  8. Prithee

    Prithee New Member

    Er, thanks for that Yoda. Perhaps a bit hasty on your part, if I may say. Our website is new, so yes I'm telling interested parties about it. As and when responses come in, I am in fact looking forward to corresponding with everyone on the subject matter.

    I do hope, in your esteemed judgement, you could see your way clear to allowing enough time for responses to come in, and for me to reply, before you wipe me out.

    I got my Scouts Master-at-Arms badge in late 70s and I used my Judo classes and gradings to pass the requirements. I was the only person in our Troop with the badge at the time (others followed), and I remember it being somewhat of a mini revival of the badge, which was at that time long forgotten. The Scout book I used at the time made no mention of stick or quarterstaff, which was a shame I think.

    We're hoping that English Combat will *help* these traditional weapons to become more popular again in general society. Clearly there's a lot of interest here.
     
  9. adouglasmhor

    adouglasmhor Not an Objectivist

    Prithee, I am sure I passed in the last year before it changed, so that would have been about 72 or 73, somebody told me the Baden Powel Scouts still use the old quallifications but they are very much a smaller organisation than the Scout Association.
     
  10. Prithee

    Prithee New Member

    Hi doug, we found out about the Baden Powell Scouts when we got into doing some research for the website, prior to that I'd not heard of them.

    We talked to some head honchos at The Scout Association about the validity of quarterstaff and stick for the MAA badge, and they said it is still valid, but because these weapons are "lost" they are no longer listed specifically. Also, I find there is now a separate badge for Martial Arts, so who knows, perhaps the MAA badge can come into its own once more to represent the traditional weapons (among others)?
     
  11. aikiMac

    aikiMac aikido + boxing = very good Moderator Supporter

    Your profile says that you're 24. That means that you weren't alive in the 70s.
    Hey, it's just an observation.
     
  12. Prithee

    Prithee New Member

    My profile also says I was born on 01-01. I don't usually give my actual details when signing up for things. I was born in '68. On the Scouts part of our website, that's my old Scout shirt and my MAA badge. All the proficiency badges look completely different now - no doubt someone got paid handsomely to redesign them all.

    For part one of the English Combat Syllabus there is a basic knife attack and defence element, but we had to omit it from the Scouts MAA Syllabus book we've done because The Scout Association were seriously unhappy about it. Which I can totally understand, but the badge is called Master at ARMS after all! Anyway, we didn't mind too much because it's quarterstaff and stick that we're really interested in promoting.
     
  13. aikiMac

    aikiMac aikido + boxing = very good Moderator Supporter

    Oh, so you were 9 or 10 or 11 when you got the badge. Okay. Thanks for the clarification.
    I don't remember there being such a badge when I was in the Boy Scouts of America, but that doesn't mean that there wasn't one. You've made me nostalgic. I do recall there being a badge for target shooting, and a badge for archery, and a badge for fitness.
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2004
  14. kenpfrenger

    kenpfrenger sportin' a Broughton

    I think you should take a closer look at your profile which states you were born on Jan 1 1980
    :) What point is there to giving a false birthdate?
     
  15. Prithee

    Prithee New Member

    Yes, I know it seems silly I suppose, and you're quite right - in this particular environment, there's no point as everyone is sound. Just force of habit on my part :)
     

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