Three - section staff The three - sectional staff , triple staff , three - part staff , sansetsukon in Japanese , or originally sanjiegun ( ) , is a Chinese flail weapon that consists of three wooden or metal staffs connected by metal rings or rope . The weapon is also known as a " coiling dragon staff , " or in Chinese as a " panlong gun " ( 蟠龍棍 ) . A more complicated version of the two section staff , the staves can be spun to gather momentum resulting in a powerful strike , or their articulation can be used to strike over or around a shield or other defensive block . History and use . Although there is no historical evidence to support it , a popular modern day legend states it was made popular by Chao Hong - Yin , the first Emperor of the Song Dynasty ( 960 AD ) . Historically made of white oak , waxwood or Chinese red maple , modern staves are constructed from rattan , bamboo , various hardwoods or aluminum . For optimum fit , each of the three sticks should be about the length of the combatant ’ s arm ( usually - ) and have a combined diameter that easily fits in the hand . ( usually about ) . These are connected by chains of rings ( usually of five inches ( 127 mm ) ) ; modern versions use ball - and - socket joints . The total length of the weapon is about the same as the Chinese staff , the gùn and greater than that of the single staff ( known in Japanese as a bō ) ; Its larger size allows for an increased reach compared to the staff . Some of the techniques are similar to that of the staff , so spinning moves over the head and behind the back , such as helicopter spins and neck rolls , can be practised with a regular staff . Other weapon techniques the three section staff makes use of are similar to that of a pair of escrima , a simple short chain , a whip and the two section staff . It is therefore advantageous for the user to have some familiarity with these weapons . The three - section staff has the advantage of being used as a long - range ( whip ) , intermediate range ( flail or two section staff ) or a short - range ( pair of escrima ) weapon . Acting as an extension of the users arms , the three sectional staff can strike , flail , block , choke , trap , disarm and whip , often with different sections of the staff acting at the same time . The chains or binding ropes of the staff are used to entangle an opponent and their weapons . While it has three ranges , the three section staff is best used as a short range weapon against long ranged weapons . In this configuration , a skilled practitioner can nearly simultaneously block an opponent ' s strike , trap his or her weapon and disarm them while executing their own strike with the free side of the staff . While some martial artists have held that the three section staff was used on the battlefield to entangle horses ' legs or to strike around shields , the complexity of the weapon and the length , difficulty of use , lack of sharp tips or edges and other advantages of such traditional battlefield weapons as spear s , polearms ( such as the " yan yue dao " ) , swords and so forth meant that the triple staff was more likely restricted to personal self - defense . One significant weakness of chained weapons in general is a lack of control . At long and intermediate ranges , the strike of a sanjiegun ends not upon impact but on recoil ; even the greatest martial arts masters must use valuable time regaining control of their weapon . Due to the length of the staff sections relative to the length of joining chains , the weapon suffers less from a lack of control than other more flexible chain weapons . In short range mode there are no control issues because sections one and three are firmly in hand and section two is unable to move independently . Training with the three section staff is particularly difficult because it is a multi mode complex weapon and is not recommended for beginners . Foam covered versions are now sold to aid in training but the blows received from the ends on recoil are relatively rare . Instead , the greater danger is the painful impact of the chains or metal parts of the staff that the chains are anchored to upon the hands of the user . This occurs when the staff is improperly used in short range mode and the relative positions of staff sections are rapidly changed , serving as a strong deterrent to casual users . However , motivated self teachers will find the three section staff and other flexible weapons to be the easiest to learn effectively . This is because flexible weapons provide instant feedback to the user . When used improperly , flexible weapons will either impact upon other than the desired target , put the user off balance , injure the user , or otherwise be obviously out of control . Through experimentation , technique may be perfected . In contrast , fixed weapons can often be utilized incorrectly for quite some time because they provide little or no feedback . . To experience the versatility of both bo - staff and three section staff , some manufactures have created a combination weapon made of out of metal . The three sections , linked by chains as customary for this type of weapon , screw together to form one single staff . The transition to full staff to sectioned staff can be done in mid - combat with a few twists . Against an opponent the transition is often masked adding an element of surprise to the following attacks . The ends of three section staffs sometimes break but can be replaced with similar thickness wood of similar weight to the other parts . Three - section staff was brought to Okinawa from Fujian Province by Shinko Matayoshi who incorporated it in Matayoshi Kobudo with two " kata " ( " sansetsukon dai ichi " , " sansetsukon dai ni " ) after 1935 . Kobudo sansetsukon typically has shorter ( usually 50 – 60 cm . ) yet thicker ( about 4 – 5 cm . in diameter ) staffs . It is not to be confused with " san bon nunchaku " ( 三本ヌンチャク ) . In pop culture . San Te invents the three - section staff in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin . Jackie Chan uses this weapon in Shanghai Noon . Tony Jaa uses this weapon in Ong Bak 2 . Jet Li uses this weapon in Fearless . Michelle Yeoh uses a shortened variation of the weapon in Tai Chi Master . Ling Tong uses a three section staff in Dynasty Warriors 6 special and Dynasty Warriors 8 Toyotomi Hideyoshi uses a similar weapon in the Samurai Warriors series of video games . Sublime from DV8 wields a three - section staff . Nanami wields this weapon in Suikoden II , as does the Prince of Falena in Suikoden V . Fang wields a variant of this weapon in Final Fantasy XIII , which has bladed points and can be used either flexible or solid . In Digimon Tamers , the Tiger Deva Mihiramon turns his tail into a three sectioned staff to use his " Samurai Tiger Tail " and " Armored Tiger tail " attacks . Billy Kane uses a similar weapon which is composed of three sections tightened by springs in the Fatal Fury series . The staff seems to be whole but he can split them in certain special moves .