What length stick should I use?
The spectrum of stick lengths in FMA is fairly wide, and can run from around 18" (Cabales Serrada) to around 40" (Pananandata). That's quite a spread, and the length is generally determined by the style you practice. Close-range styles tend to have shorter sticks; long-range styles tend to have longer sticks.
But in the same way that the lengths are all over place across the various styles, I don't think an exact length should be a hard-and-fast rule for any given style, the simple reason being that everyone's body is different.
Here are my personal preferences:
The shortest length would be the distance from my armpit to my wrist. Anything shorter and I feel like I'm losing range, stick tip velocity, and power.
The longest would be the distance from my armpit to the tip of my middle finger. The extra few inches provides for a bit more momentum for more "bite", but anything longer than that and I feel like I'm losing mobility.
So for me, the sweet spot is the length from my armpit to the center of my extended palm.
Whatever style you practice, it's worth having a variety of sticks in your arsenal varying in length, diameter, and weight. Doing so will allow you to experiment with different configurations, not only to find the one that best suits you, but also to get to understand the mechanics you might need to adjust for the variations.
But in the same way that the lengths are all over place across the various styles, I don't think an exact length should be a hard-and-fast rule for any given style, the simple reason being that everyone's body is different.
Here are my personal preferences:
The shortest length would be the distance from my armpit to my wrist. Anything shorter and I feel like I'm losing range, stick tip velocity, and power.
The longest would be the distance from my armpit to the tip of my middle finger. The extra few inches provides for a bit more momentum for more "bite", but anything longer than that and I feel like I'm losing mobility.
So for me, the sweet spot is the length from my armpit to the center of my extended palm.
Whatever style you practice, it's worth having a variety of sticks in your arsenal varying in length, diameter, and weight. Doing so will allow you to experiment with different configurations, not only to find the one that best suits you, but also to get to understand the mechanics you might need to adjust for the variations.