when you have the staff use it for space control and poking, for long range jumping C. and 6B are your pokes to use when fishing for counter hits. ground to ground use 5b to tag your opponent mid-range into a combo, and 2b for a long low, useful when properly spaced. when staffless, use shishin. 5d, or 2d to cover your rushdown so u can get in nd apply pressure. its not suggested to go in w/o using cover as mentioned.
just sum of my input in there. i hope it helps.