07Aug06

I attended a stick/cane-fighting seminar yesterday, instructed by Peter Donello of Canemasters. Canemasters manufacturers high-quality canes and w alking sticks and provides training in their use. However, I used my Cold Steel " City Stick," as did several other students.

I was astonished at the number of effective moves available to the cane/stick fighter, certainly more than I can remember! Peter's kno wledge is vast, and I did my best to catalog the few that I thought were most effective and

easiest to learn. Range is the big advantage canes have over blades and ot her impact weapons.

Striking and jabbing are still the premiere moves, easily done with nearly any style of cane. Some follow-up moves and holds and more comfortably accomplished with a hooked cane than with a straight stick, but either style works just fine. The real question is: What can I have with me most often that attracts the least attention?

This four-hour clinic is something I recommend to everyone. The cane is a wonderful, low-profile, yet extremely effective fighting tool that most peo ple can fit into their lives with a minimum of lifestyle disruption. Most casual observers don't even notice when you have one with you and certainly don't believe them to represent a threat. Time well spent!

/John