Cane fighting?

[Joe Doggs]

I am not sure if the laws have changed, but you used to be able to take canes on airplanes and inside government buildings. This may have been altered post 9/11. One hell of a weapon in just about any striking range.

You still can. They are classed as medical devices and at the present time can't be confiscated. So long as there are no nasties inside the cane they are a go on a airplane. You probably will be required to store it in the overhead storage above your seat but the cane will be readily accesible. Hickory is a good choice for the wood

[Blue Negation]

What an obscure reference. Are you reading Neil Stephenson or something?

Anyways

European Cane fighting was an of shoot of Savate and came from fencing and a desire for self defense and need to hit people at a time when you were not allowed to carry swords any more.

No, I was just a calculus tutor for a couple of years, and figured calculus's independent two sources might make some kind of impression on the "it's all from China! (or maybe India)" idiocy.

[Joe Doggs]

On a off note, I got called for jury duty a while back and came in with my Kubotan on my keychain. They made me take it off and throw it away or put it back in the car. At the time I had kinda long hair and had it back in a bun with a wooden japanese style chopstick though it. Think shank. Stupid security.[/quote]

Kubotans will usually get confiscated. Substitute a small Maglite ( 2 AA). Those don't usually get taken or try one of the flashlites by Gerber( 3AA). They are a bit pricey $40-60 dollar range. I never had them questioned when I flew.

[new2bjj]

Off the topic, but I was watching an old Sonny Chiba movie- "Karate Bear Fighter" about Mas Oyama (Yes, he fought a bear) where he was going to duel a master of Cane Fighting, but psyched himself out. IT was on IFC, but they didn't fight, as Oyama (in the movie) said he could not win. Thsi seemed liek a good thing, considering Oyama was killing all of his opponents, and this guy was a fat 60 year old guy.

[crazylegsII]

here's a cool article about stick fighting being adapted and originating in early israel/palestine. No techniques described, but cool history and circumstances: http://www.savateaustralia.com/Weapo...d%20Israel.htm

[DdlR]

Many, many different cultures and societies have developed cane fighting methods.

The situation in Europe was that as swords were banned (or, in many cases, just gradually became unfashionable), gentlemen replaced the habit of wearing a sword with the habit of carrying a cane. During the mid-late 1800s and early 1900s there were numerous schools of cane fighting in Europe, especially in France and Italy; most taught an increasingly artistic and sporting style of cane fencing rather than a full-on combat/self defense method.

Around the turn of the 1900s, several instructors (notably Pierre Vigny of Switzerland, E.W. Barton-Wright of England and Andrew Chase Cunningham of the USA) began to teach strictly combative forms of cane, intended for street fighting rather than exercise and sport. This set the precedent for the next couple of decades and combat cane books continued to be produced (again, mostly in Europe) until walking canes themselves fell out of general fashion (roughly from the 1930s onwards).

Most modern cane defense systems draw from a combination of Asian and European martial arts.

For info. and instruction in the old-school European methods see

http://lacannevigny.wordpress.com/ - modern combat cane fighting based on Vigny's style

http://www.lulu.com/content/547629 - a reprint of Cunningham's 1912 American cane fighting manual

http://www.the-exiles.org/manual/lang/lang.htm - H.G. Lang's 1920s method (mostly based on Pierre Vigny's style)

http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_barton-wright_0200.htm , http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_barton-wright_0400.htm - the Bartitsu/Vigny method (1901)

http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_vigny_0500.htm - more on Vigny's method

[DdlR]

there's an old booklet about sport in Glasgow in Victorian and Edwardian times and one of the illustrations was my dad's uncle about to fight a cane duel with another middle class type in a Glasgow park watched by a crowd of other midle class men. I have been looking for thsi book for ages as my dad has lost his copy and a few people have expressed interest in seeing thsi illustration.

I haven't seen the book, but I think I've seen that illustration online - I'll have a look around.

[DdlR]

there's an old booklet about sport in Glasgow in Victorian and Edwardian times and one of the illustrations was my dad's uncle about to fight a cane duel with another middle class type in a Glasgow park watched by a crowd of other midle class men. I have been looking for thsi book for ages as my dad has lost his copy and a few people have expressed interest in seeing thsi illustration.

Are either of these the picture you have in mind?

[adouglasmhor]

Are either of these the picture you have in mind?

Top one.

I would say that's Pollock park down by the River Cart and the light hat guy looks like me my dad and my brothers - so I guess that's Uncle Bertie.

[Steve]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartitsu

But DdlR has covered this already.