Thanks

[Eric Cwik]

Thanks

[Stacy Clifford]

There really isn't much out there on mace fighting. Paulus Hector Mair does include some instruction on fighting with clubs, though they are quite a bit heavier than your cane. At 3 feet and 13 ounces, besides using it as a war hammer you could also turn it around and use it as a smallsword or cut & thrust. Don't overlook thrusting with blunt weapons; it's all over the place in quarterstaff manuals. A lot of sword techniques and principles in manuals such as Di Grassi's could be used with a cane (bearing in mind that a cane is easier for an opponent to grab than a sword and taking appropriate precautions). Sounds like you've got a good start, but keep an open mind about all possible ways to use an available weapon.

[Jonathan Hill]

Not to dissuade you from the study of longsword or any older arts, but what you are looking for is Bartitsu, cane fighting for city environments…19th-20th C stuff.

http://www.bartitsu.org/

[Kevin Reicks]

I do not know the exact laws of your area, I encourage nothing illegal.


What about making your own cane from hickory, a very tough and heavy wood. Something that is just to help you walk doesn't need to have any great detail. Just cut a 3 foot long stick out of a thick piece of lumber with a strait or long, curved grip on it or cut out several thinner ones and gorilla glue them together. Love that gorilla glue!

Aside from Bartitsu, I really think you were on to something with that Irish shillelagh. You might not, probably won't find a teacher, but maybe get a fried and practice whatever drills and techniques you can with free sparring. Escrima/Arnis might be ok depending on the specific teacher, but they sometimes do a lot of "air hitting" drills and no free play. European/western stuff is usually a little more hands on, particularly with fee play. Look up a guy on youtube named Matt Thornton. He can be kinda stiff and arrogant, but he knows what he is talking about.

[Eric Cwik]

Thanks

[Stacy Clifford]

You don't want it to be too lightweight or it won't hit hard enough. Speed is important, but mass gives you stopping power, so it's important to strike a balance between the two. An average Renaissance single handed sword weighed between two and three pounds and could still be extremely quick and agile. I also remember an old article I can no longer find about the fantasy of making titanium swords. The conclusion was that steel ends up being a better sword material because at low starting weights, the difference in striking speed due to lighter metal is relatively small, and although titanium is as structurally strong as steel, steel is harder, holds an edge better, and the extra mass improves penetrating power. You can apply similar trade-offs to the construction of any weapon. If you're only thrusting, the super lightweight is fine, but if you're striking, you need some mass behind it to make a real impression.

[Eric Cwik]

Thanks

[Jonathan Hill]

I think you will find the bartitsu guys already have a cane that works just fine, no need to get too far out there. Most of the mass is centered in the large weight that is your hand grip on the cane, if you hold that end you have a quick thrusting weapon, but if you hold the other end and swing around the weight that you just had in your hand you have a nasty bludgeoning tool.

Cold Steel actually makes a cane out of newer materials but when compared to the Bartitsu cane I picked up recently it's not that much better.

http://www.themartialist.com/images/citystick2.jpg

Lastly you will be learning to fight, not swing a bludgening tool. If some guy grabs your cane you should not be helpless, you let him have it and beat him senseless with the rest of what you have. IIRC Pugilism was part of the curriculum.

[Stacy Clifford]

I think what I'm getting at is a fast thrusting weapon and the option to just club or smash if the need arises. As someone mentioned earlier, the opponent can grab the cane since there's no blade so would a faster moving one be better?

If they stifled a blow the correct way, at the base near the hands, it wouldn't matter if you were using a sledgehammer. If they try to stop a blow out near the tip, a few ounces could mean the difference between stinging their hand and breaking it. Grabs can happen on thrusts and between blows too, but that's where prudence in how you fight comes in.

Your average wood quarterstaff is about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter, which fits nicely in the hands and gives you a decent heft without being too heavy. A good stick for one hand should be about the same thickness, only shorter to suit your height.

[Kevin Reicks]

Just decided to observe some classes and possibly sign up for some at the Chicago Swordplay Guild, who offer longsword, rapier and bartitsu classes. I think I'm more interested in the longsword, even though bartitsu is directly used with canes.

I would be careful with those guys. I'm sure you want practice partners, but The Chicago Swordplay Guild has a very different interpretation and curricula then ARMA. Search for some of their videos on youtube. This isn't just a matter of school rivalry, it is a matter of historical fact. They have a pageantry/SCA thing going as well I think as being edge-on-edge bashers. I'm not sure if you are interested in joining ARMA, but it is exclusive in the context you would have to pick either school.

As far as them teaching Bartitsu, it is/was a very good martial art combining western boxing and Judo, reference back to Matt Thornton on said martial arts. However, it mostly died with the founder so I would be careful of how they teach. They might have legitimately brought it back, they might be teaching might look a lot more like Aikido, which looks pretty good with big flashy hand flips (Steven Seagal) and a little bit of punch and kicks, but I am highly skeptical of it's effectiveness. Lots of people out there who say they train Ninjitsu and even Renaissance Kampfringen are doing Aikido or old Japanese Jiu-Jitsu techniques.

I'm just giving you my two cents worth. I have nothing personal against CSG, just giving you a heads up of what is out there.