Varady Joe - The Art and Science of Staff Fighting: A Complete Instructional Guide

Whether you are looking to amp up your staff-fighting game or learning for the first time, this book is for you. Joe Varady is one of the top stick fighters in the world, both in short sticks and in staff fighting. In 2014 I had the opportunity to help coach him in preparation for the World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federations world championships in Hungary. After months of at times torturous training, Joe came back victorious, having placed fourth in the world in mens heavyweight full-contact double short-stick fighting, and second in the world in mens light heavyweight full-contact staff fighting.

In this book he brings together over three decades of training experience to create a generous, logical, step-by-step program to enable you to train as well.

As a staff fighter, Joe isnt just fast and powerful; he is a master of the weapon itself, and of strategy. He is proficient in using all parts of the staff in many different ways, and he constantly hones his ability to anticipate an opponents movements, take effective countermeasures, and transition smoothly to avoid being hit.

Joes core martial art style is Cuong Nhu, which was founded in 1965 in the old capital of Hue, Vietnam, by my father, Grandmaster Ngo Dong. Cuong Nhu (Vietnamese for hard and soft) has its roots in Shotokan karate, combined with principles drawn from aikido, judo, wing chun, Vovinam, taijiquan, and boxing. Cuong Nhu practitioners train with many weapons, but our foundational weapons training is in short stick, long staff, and spear. These are the weapons that have historicallyand in many culturesbeen most easily accessible to ordinary people for self-defense.

Cuong Nhu is a style that focuses on self-improvement, community service, and love and respect for others. We strive to be more than just another form of martial art. We ask our practitioners to apply the skills and discipline they learn through training toward becoming better people and helping others less fortunate. This has been true since Cuong Nhus earliest days in war-torn Vietnam, through the founding of the first US schools at the University of Florida in Gainesville (when my father came to the US in 1971 to pursue his doctorate), and through to the present day.

Joe Varady has always stood out for his passion, dedication, and leadership skills. His outsize personality and entertaining approach to teaching and learning make training fun for his studentskids and adults alike. They even make things fun for his teachers. He is respectful but constantly inquisitive. His desire to be a better martial artist is never ending, and his thirst for knowledge extends beyond the physical and practical to the historical and cultural as well. He constantly seeks ways to give backto his students, his community, and the style. And his enthusiasm for fighting with weapons is undeniable, especially with the staff.

Youve heard the old saying, Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. Joe lives by it. I still remember the first time I visited his dojo outside Philadelphia for a special seminar and rank testing. I had heard stories about his amazing home dojo and the various exploits that allegedly took place there. I was pleased to be invited to stay at his home, and I looked forward to getting a tour. He showed me around with great enthusiasm, and it was impressive. There behind his house, he had built a traditional Asian-style dojo worthy of a Bruce Lee movie. There was a main training floor framed by various weapons racks and several smaller partitioned areas dedicated to specialties such as knife throwing, wing chundummy training, and grappling.