Description

Scout Stave Exercises for Strength, Dexterity & Agility

Scout Stave Exercises consists of twenty-two exercises you can do with a stave, a staff, a broom handle, a mop handle or (in most cases at least) a towel. By increasing or decreasing the amount of effort you put in you can make this routine as easy or difficult as you like, and it’s a lot of fun!

Exercises with Scout Staves.

A traditional Scout stave is basically a straight wooden walking stick, 5 foot 6 inches in height (approx. 168cm) with grooves at various intervals to allow you to measure water levels if you came across a stream you wanted to cross while out hiking (pretty cool, huh?). Modern staffs are still available (in the UK at least) and are made of ash wood generally, although they have not really been a part of day to day Scouting since the mid-1960s.

The difference between this and a quarterstaff in case you’re wondering is primarily the length – a quarterstaff should be “around the same height as the user plus their hand set upright on their head.” The height of the Scout stave was set to reach the shoulder more or less of an adolescent male.

As well as being useful in hikes and treks and around camp, the stave acted as a useful and convenient training tool to acquire all-around physical ability and development.

In this little reproduction of a chapter from “Recreative Training for Scouts” by Col. R.B. Campbell, we’re going to look at a variety of strength, dexterity and agility exercises which can be done with the aid of a Scout stave OR any kind of pole or even a towel (in my photos I am using a mop handle purchased for £1!).

Staves, Staffs, and Sticks: Exercising with Bars

Scout Stave Exercises for Strength, Dexterity & Agility is part of the Internal Force Fitness “Staves, Staffs, and Sticks” trilogy, comprising of this title and also:

Staff System of Exercises – Stavsystemet

Broom Handle Exercises for Strength and Fitness

 

Richie Neville | Director

Internal Force Fitness