Carl Levitian
member
Being in need of a cane since the age of 30, I've gathered a large selection of rustic walking sticks over the years. I hate the old fogy cane, so as a young man with a service injury, I went for the rustic looking walking stick. I've got thick heavy ones, and light weight dressy ones. I've made some of my own from local grown hornbeam, which is a tough and impact resistance wood. Then I have a couple of real Irish Blackthorns, that are a bit over one inch thick and heavy.
I go the idea to try them all out on disguarded meat from the Safeway dumpster. I scavenged some spare ribs that had passed the sell by date, as well as some chickens. I got to swinging and jabbing.
On the spare ribs, covered by two layers of old jeans, the heavy sticks broke some bones, and did some damage. But the biggest surprise was the lighter sticks. One hornbeam, just under an inch at the top to just over 3/4 of an inch at the bottom, and swings very fast, broke the same amount of bones in the planks of ribs, but messed up the meat tissue on the ribs. It cut and tore meat, even through a layer of denum pants material. None of my thicker sticks cut and mangled meat like the thinner hornbeam. On raw chickens, again the 3/4 hornbeam broke bones like the thicker stick, but also split open the raw chicken.
I can only wonder if in the real world, a fast hornbeam used against an attackers hands and wrists, and face, would have the same effect. It also gives me cause to investigate the Asian rattan sticks. Targeting the hands of an assailant, and breaking bones in the hands seems a good thing. If a hand has a knife in it, and you use the stick to block the hand/wrist using a fast swing, then the hand is going to have a very hard time holding anything.
On an old ham, I did some thrust tests, and again the slim end of a stick with a brass ferral on the bottom pierced much better. The thicker stick with a rubber end didn't pierce to a great depth. Maybe an inch indentation in the meat. But the slim stick with the rubber end pulled off and the 3/4 brass end, pennatrated almost to the center bone. About 3 to 3 1/2 inches strait into the meat.
Working with a training partner, I found the movement and reverse movement of the stick for blocking and parrying, easier with the lighter stick with a bit of a taper. Down at the local senior center, there's a guy who gives training in stick use, and he incorporates some of the moves from asian martial arts. It seems like speed is good in producing crippling injuries. Using the Kendo rule of "Thrust to the soft, cut to the hard" a light stick can be faster and easier to wield in a high stress situation. You can start off with a two handed block, then switch to a fast cutting blow to a exposed hand or wrist. Two handed thrusts to the face and throat are harder to stop after a hand is disabled. Doctor Tanaka has opened my eyes to a broader use of the stick. It's not just for swinging like a club anymore.
Carl.
I go the idea to try them all out on disguarded meat from the Safeway dumpster. I scavenged some spare ribs that had passed the sell by date, as well as some chickens. I got to swinging and jabbing.
On the spare ribs, covered by two layers of old jeans, the heavy sticks broke some bones, and did some damage. But the biggest surprise was the lighter sticks. One hornbeam, just under an inch at the top to just over 3/4 of an inch at the bottom, and swings very fast, broke the same amount of bones in the planks of ribs, but messed up the meat tissue on the ribs. It cut and tore meat, even through a layer of denum pants material. None of my thicker sticks cut and mangled meat like the thinner hornbeam. On raw chickens, again the 3/4 hornbeam broke bones like the thicker stick, but also split open the raw chicken.
I can only wonder if in the real world, a fast hornbeam used against an attackers hands and wrists, and face, would have the same effect. It also gives me cause to investigate the Asian rattan sticks. Targeting the hands of an assailant, and breaking bones in the hands seems a good thing. If a hand has a knife in it, and you use the stick to block the hand/wrist using a fast swing, then the hand is going to have a very hard time holding anything.
On an old ham, I did some thrust tests, and again the slim end of a stick with a brass ferral on the bottom pierced much better. The thicker stick with a rubber end didn't pierce to a great depth. Maybe an inch indentation in the meat. But the slim stick with the rubber end pulled off and the 3/4 brass end, pennatrated almost to the center bone. About 3 to 3 1/2 inches strait into the meat.
Working with a training partner, I found the movement and reverse movement of the stick for blocking and parrying, easier with the lighter stick with a bit of a taper. Down at the local senior center, there's a guy who gives training in stick use, and he incorporates some of the moves from asian martial arts. It seems like speed is good in producing crippling injuries. Using the Kendo rule of "Thrust to the soft, cut to the hard" a light stick can be faster and easier to wield in a high stress situation. You can start off with a two handed block, then switch to a fast cutting blow to a exposed hand or wrist. Two handed thrusts to the face and throat are harder to stop after a hand is disabled. Doctor Tanaka has opened my eyes to a broader use of the stick. It's not just for swinging like a club anymore.
Carl.
). But heavy only has to connect once.
