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While the Dragon Staff is a relatively new flow prop in the flow arts world, its roots can be traced back centuries. It originated from a Chinese tool known as the Fei Cha, or “flying fork.” This trident-like weapon was used for both martial arts and hunting in Chinese culture.
Fast forward to the early 21st century, and the Fei Cha was reimagined by a flow artist in Europe. By attaching two extra rods to each end of a contact staff, a new flow toy was born.
The Dragon Staff was invented by Gora Krisztian around 2004. He originally called the prop “Tízfejű,” which translates to “Ten Headed.” His friends in the Firebirds performance group jokingly nicknamed it “Fogas,” meaning “Clothes Hanger.”
When Gora began producing the prop for others, he decided it deserved a more memorable name and chose Dragon Staff, inspired by the legendary fire-breathing creature. Safe to say it stuck a little better than Clothes Hanger.
Today you’ll also hear them called dragon sticks, or simply dragons. Other artists who helped popularize the prop include Brettdstar Schmerl, Jed Fowler, Adam Lobo, and Threeworlds.
How a Dragon Staff Works
A dragon staff is essentially a contact staff with spokes attached near each end. Similar to a contact staff, this construction shifts more weight toward the ends, giving the prop its signature contact-weighted feel. While the original design had 10 heads, modern dragon staffs can have anywhere from 4 to 12 spokes or more.
Most dragon staffs are built using either 7075 aluminum or carbon fiber tubing. Like contact staffs, dragons perform best when the shaft stays perfectly straight. Carbon fiber is virtually impossible to bend during normal use, while 7075 aluminum offers an excellent balance of strength, durability, and cost.
Click here to read more about aluminum vs carbon fiber in flow props.
The spokes, also called spikes, are made from a variety of materials including steel, aluminum, PU, and more, with Kevlar wick or LED heads optionally attached.
One of the reasons dragon staff has become so popular is its versatility. Many contact staff moves translate directly to dragon staff, while the spokes create an entirely different style of movement. Most artists prefer to keep the dragon continuously rolling, but there are many styles emerging that incorporate direction changes and static spinning with little or no rolling at all.
Personally, I think the sky is the limit with how someone uses a prop. Having a dynamic range of movement is much more interesting than sticking to a single style. Some of the first moves most people learn are chi rolls, supermans, cheating deaths, and matrixes.
Dragon Staff Variants
A couple of common variations on the traditional dragon staff are pixie dragons and partner dragons.
A pixie dragon is generally around 4 feet (1.2m) long. The shorter length allows the staff to clear underneath the arms more easily and can make double dragon flow a bit more manageable, although full-size dragons can certainly be dual wielded as well.
Partner dragons are typically 67-72 inches (1.7-1.8m) long and are designed for two people to share a single staff. The added length gives both performers enough room to manipulate the prop comfortably at the same time.
Our Favorite Designs
Our favorite modular dragon staff is the Threeworlds Fusion Dragon Staff. Available in both aluminum and carbon fiber, the collapsible shaft breaks down into three pieces using pressure-fit connectors, making it one of the easiest dragon staffs to store and travel with.
Pair it with V3 Hubs or Ultra Hubs, and you can switch between 3 or 4 spokes per hub, as well as fire, daytime, and LED setups. One of our favorite features is that the V3 hubs can also be installed on compatible contact staffs, giving you an easy way to switch between two different flow props using the same shaft.
We’re also big fans of the Flowbonacci Dragon Staff for daytime practice. It features interchangeable geometric head designs and the new pressure-fit plug hubs, which fit over the outside of the tubing rather than inserting into it like Ultra Hubs.
Key Points
- Dragon staffs originated from the Chinese martial arts weapon known as the Fei Cha.
- Gora Krisztian invented the Dragon Staff around 2004, originally calling it “Tízfejű” (Ten Headed) before renaming it Dragon Staff.
- Dragon staffs are also called dragon sticks or simply dragons.
- Other influential characters include Brettdstar Schmerl, Jed Fowler, Adam Lobo, and Threeworlds.
- Most modern dragon staffs are built from 7075 aluminum or carbon fiber.
- Pixie dragons are shorter and allow for tighter, more technical movement.
- Partner dragons are longer and designed for two-person flow.
- Common beginner moves include chi rolls, supermans, cheating deaths, and matrixes.
Hopefully this article gave you a better understanding of where the dragon staff came from and why it’s become one of the most popular flow props and flow toys in the world. If you don’t have one already, check out what we have available here!
