Walking Stick
Many cultures at different times have used a walking stick or
similar as a weapon of self defence. For instance, there is a
strong European tradition of using walking sticks based upon
fencing methods with a sword. The Japanese use a wooden staff
of similar length to a walking stick, referred to as a
"hanbo". The walking stick shares characteristics of both
short stick and long stick.
To be relevant to modern times for combat or self defence, the
walking stick must be capable of being used in a wide range of
practical applications. As such it must be capable of being
successfully applied against assailants whether unarmed or armed
with a weapon.
The strategy for the use of the weapon may vary in each of these
instances. It is essential to keep in mind the advantages
that are offered by the use of the walking stick and maximize these
advantages. Whether there are advantages or disadvantages
depends upon what it is used against. Further, the use of a
walking stick as a weapon of self defence needs to be tailored to
the construction of the walking stick itself. The
configuration of the handle will influence how the walking stick is
used. Another significant factor is the strength of the
walking stick in its cross-section; important when used for
blocking. Slightly longer and much stronger are bush
walking sticks, useful for travelling and hiking.
The potential advantages may be the use of the length of the
weapon, the leverage that can be generated by using it as a lever,
the additional force available in striking and the ease of
manipulation.
If you are in possession of a walking stick, for instance,
simply walking with it and you happen to be confronted with a
situation which may require you to defend yourself, then, it is
important to have an appropriate range of options available to
you. First and foremost you must retain possession of the
stick so that it cannot be used against you. The situation
may be that only a low level of force is required to defend
yourself - perhaps it just being able to extricate yourself from
your clothing being held. Here, hitting someone with the
stick might be highly inappropriate and quite disproportionate to
be technical assault of someone simply grabbing your
clothing. It is important to have an adequate range of force
options to deal with all manner of situations. It is
important that the training be directed at providing a range of
appropriate methods to deal with the range and severity of attacks
that could occur.