How Many are Now Carrying a Cane?

This blackthorn is both a means of support and a self defense weapon.

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So is mine. I don't need a cane, though once in a while my knee gets very stiff. I carry a good walking stick, sometimes to supplement a CCF, sometimes as I cannot carry a CCF. It's to keep and bear arms, not just guns, right?

LD

Dave Markowitz said:

This blackthorn is both a means of support and a self defense weapon.

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Here's an interesting essay on the blackthorn (originally oak, apparently) Irish stick.

And here is a video about its use.

Dave, have you ever trained with yours? Traditional Irish, or something else?

http://www.tg4.tv/main.aspx?level=anam&content=404945511425

The link takes you to an Irish Language programme about
the history and use of the stick in what the programme
calls 'Fight Clubs'. Bloody, violent battles between gangs (Factions).

There are English subtitles for those who can't speak
the native language.

The link is to pt1, with pt2 and pt3 available from the
links on the right hand side of the page.
Total viewing time for all 3 parts about 50 minutes.

Well worth the time IMHO.

White Horseradish said:

I don't have one now. I will in a little while when I start walking again. Right now I'm growing some scar tissue over hardware holding my ankle together.

Damned ice...

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Prayers for you!

The link takes you to an Irish Language programme about
the history and use of the stick in what the programme
calls 'Fight Clubs'. Bloody, violent battles between gangs (Factions).

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StickWhistler, I just watched parts 1 and 2 during dinner.

Fascinating. Brutal and fierce they were.
I had no knowledge of these fights before now.

Do you (or anyone) know of videos or other pages about the techniques used in this style of fighting?
It appears to be significantly different from FMA and other forms of stick fighting that I know a little bit about.

I'm starting to look for one. Preferably a "reinforced" version made to look like one of Dr. House's...

me said:

Do you (or anyone) know of videos or other pages about
the techniques used in this style of fighting?

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Here's an overview of the basics by an ostensible master.

Of course, this can't take the place of real instruction, but it offers a nice overview.

I'm starting to understand more of the benefits of the traditional 1/3 grip for hand switching and blocking.

There is an excellent overview video of the Irish stick here. I'm impressed.

Be careful of skimming material.

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Not sure what you mean by that.

For me, an "overview" is merely a way of gleaning the barest insight into an art,
to get some meager sense of whether I'd want to study it in depth or not.

As I stated clearly above, it's not a replacement for in-depth instruction by a real person.

I love canes and fighting with me for me is just using what I learned in my MA classes. What you can do with a JO you can do with a Cane. Modern Irish Cane fighting shows many added SEA MA foot movements.

Living in NJ, my carry options are very limited. In the last few weeks I've read the several threads here - new and old - about canes. Thanks to Carl, Deltaboy and many others, I recently bought two - the elephant cane from Nasco, and just the other day, a beautiful Blackthorn Walking Stick from LollySmith. I think I feel a collection starting. The elephant cane is great when walking the little dog at night - we have some nasty 4-legged critters in the Pines. The Blackthorn is my "goin out" stick because we also have our share of nasty 2-legged critters. I'm old enough so it doesn't attract unwanted attention, but I do plan to "carry it with pride" and, if necessary, use it with vigor.

Anyway, thanks to all for a lot of very informative reading.

K96771 said:

Living in NJ, my carry options are very limited. In the last few weeks I've read the several threads here - new and old - about canes. Thanks to Carl, Deltaboy and many others, I recently bought two - the elephant cane from Nasco, and just the other day, a beautiful Blackthorn Walking Stick from LollySmith. I think I feel a collection starting. The elephant cane is great when walking the little dog at night - we have some nasty 4-legged critters in the Pines. The Blackthorn is my "goin out" stick because we also have our share of nasty 2-legged critters. I'm old enough so it doesn't attract unwanted attention, but I do plan to "carry it with pride" and, if necessary, use it with vigor.

Anyway, thanks to all for a lot of very informative reading.

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Good for you. Have a great time with your canes !

Good going Tom!

I too like to have my stoutest stick in hand when I give our corgi her last walk of the night. We have both two legged and four legged critters roaming around. Like you, Maryland limits what I can carry, so we have to make do.

How close are you to the Pine Barrens? I've always meant to take my canoe up there for a back country paddle, and maybe a camp out.

Carl.

Hi Carl. I'm actually in the Pinelands, although not far enough in so that you can hear the banjos

It's a great area for canoeing, as you know, and also for my personal favorite, cycling. It almost makes you forget you're in NJ.
Be well!

I'm trying to find a source of the kind of stick that Glen Doyle and his students are using in the video on this page.

The ones I'm most interested in are cane length, very straight (appear to be milled), but with an interesting head on it. Not at all a traditional hook or handle, but looks something like a milled mimic version of a blackthorn root. There are several of them in the first few seconds of the film. I captured the image below which offers a close up.

That one appears to have a squared cross section, but others appear to be more round.

Are the training sticks/canes?

If anyone knows of a source, please let me know. I've written him to inquire, but haven't heard back yet.

(He probably will respond; he has recently when I wrote to inquire of the location of his studio. Toronto.)

I have been looking at Cold Steels Irish Blackthorn walking stick as well as there city stick. Does anyone have any experience with either of these canes/walking sticks?

Starbuck, I haven't seen either, but some reviews I read about the Blackthorn (Amazon, I think) indicated that the head was gigantic, suitable for really large hands, but not small ones like mine. I'm going to pass on it.

The city stick may still be a contender for me.

I've spent a couple of hours watching and re-watching videos of Glen Doyle's training seminars on Irish stick fighting.

I continue to be impressed with this stick fighting style.

As some of you know, a year or so ago, I found FMA, and was impressed.

This makes even more sense to me. (Maybe because I'm Scots/Irish, and love walking sticks.) The length of the cane offers more possibilities than a kali stick, and it serves as a walking aid (which kali stick does not). The way they choke up on it, and use a two-handed approach from which strikes can be made to left or right is very intuitive to me.

Here are three videos of Doyle that are worth watching repeatedly.
I hope to find live instruction around my region somewhere.

One

Two

Three

Definitely worth bookmarking and watching regularly. Thank you too for a lot of good info.

Always have my walking cane in truck. Pick and choose enviroment when I walk with it.

I like this thread because I never really thought about the very reason I use it from time to time. It is neat to see how the mind protects the rest of you...subconsiously in a way!

Most of time against possible animal attack but occassionally the thought of the possible bad guy.

The Cold Steel City Stick is now on order! One for me and the wife!

If anyone knows of a source [for the sticks that Glen Doyle uses in his courses], please let me know.
I've written him to inquire, but haven't heard back yet.

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I received a response from him.

They are produced by a person in Canada. I have his address, and will contact him for details, and report back here. Then, if anyone is interested, you can PM me for contact info.

Glen said that he uses a replica instead of original blackthorn due to the intensity of his classes which would be expensive if using actual blackthorns. So, they're mainly training sticks.

The Cold Steel one is a nice fake for the price and is pretty tough.


I carry my hardwood stock cane 80% of the time.

starbuck6264 said:

I have been looking at Cold Steels Irish Blackthorn walking stick as well as there city stick. Does anyone have any experience with either of these canes/walking sticks?

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I have the Pistol-handle city stick. The head is solid steel and quite heavy while the body is very slender and very light weight. It would do some serious damage if used as a club. But due to this peculiar disparity in weight, the techniques one would use might need some tweaking. If you held the handle end and hit with the light shaft, it works akin to a rigid sjambok.

I admit the CS City Sticks all look a little too fancy for EDC, but I do take them on more formal outings, especially into DC where weapon restrictions tend to be very tight.

"I admit the CS City Sticks all look a little too fancy for EDC, but I do take them on more formal outings, especially into DC where weapon restrictions tend to be very tight."


You're a braver man than I, Gunga Din!

When I go downtown, I carry my heaviest most knarley blackthorn.

Carl.

Carl, do you have a link to the blackthorn that you prefer,
assuming it is available on line somewhere?