PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS! Just having a stick is not enough.
I agree, Owen.
And I think we both agree that applies to all weapons.
I still prefer my stick to any of my knives as a SD weapon. I like the range. I can get to my stick faster than I could my revolver. It rides in my pack - fanny or day - and is inches from my right hand and not even concealed, not obstructed by clothing.
Of course, against a gun, it's useless. Cest la vie.
Having said that, I fully agree that situational awareness is primary regardless of your weapon. These days, I'm constantly on the alert. I must look like a bobble head doll with a swivel head to most people. That's especially true when I pass someone on the street. I look at them as they pass, and turn my head to follow them.
And if said passing person is the only one around (as in not on a busy street in daylight), my hand is ON my stick as they pass. Sometimes, I just carry it in my hand. I've not even drawn a glance from police passing by. Maine is a different planet in that regard. Cops here have bigger fish to fry, and know dogs run free on occasion. As an older person, I tell people it's "my dog stick". Some know that it's for 2- and 4-legged dogs.
You couldn't get away with that in NYC or SF, but I don't live there. I live in the urban boonies just south of the northern most traffic light on the east coast. Things are different here.