How to Make Eskrima Sticks for Practice
By Marc J. Lawrence

     To make a good olisi, baston or stick, the first step is the selection of material. The piece must be straight with no flaws or cracks. The preferred material is rattan. Rattan is palm wood. The spacing of the growth joints is very important. The closer the joints, the stronger the stick will be.
     Water bamboo is grass so its strength is in the outside of the wood. If you use water bamboo, make sure that it is from the base of the plant. The smaller the water hole in the center, the stronger the stick. Look for close joints; it will make a stronger stick.
     Hardwoods such as hickory, mango, oak, etc. can make good sticks. These woods may have flaws in the grain. Flaws can lead to failure of the stick. Do not use soft woods like pine, fire, hemlock, etc. These will splinter easily when hitting a bag or during sinawali.
     Stick diameters should be the correct size. Too big or too small will cause many problems in your arm. Your proper grip size is measured from the middle of your palm to the tip of your third finger. Use a paper tape measure to take the measurement.
     Stick lengths are measured from the armpit to the tip of the finger. This allows you to twirl your stick without striking the ground or yourself. The standard length for many schools is 29 inches to 31 inches. Cut your stick to length with a handsaw. Sand the ends round.

     With rattan and bamboo wood, sand with the grain. Burn the ends and rub until smooth. With bamboo and rattan, be very careful to remove any branch nubs by sanding so they will not cut your hand. With joints, lightly sand to smooth area. Varnish or paint to finish. I prefer varnish as a finish as this allows visual inspections.
     Some final thoughts: always test your sticks on a bag prior to using for training.  If there is a flaw you missed, it will break there, far away from other people.
     Use this information about making sticks to make some pocket sticks and sticks for the kids to practice with.

Marc J. Lawrence is a Filipino Martial Arts practitioner and a member of the Doce Pares Los Angeles Academy in California, USA.