Hi everyone, as you can see my pet dog 'Butch' has got out and chased off the boxing man, Grrrrrrrr, who is still running! Hope you like him…

In the following article, I shall present a general overview to stick fighting. The term stick fighting pertains to the use of single-handed, double-handed, long sticks, riot batons, nightsticks, side-handled batons etc.

For those who complement their self-defence training with stick fighting, the problem often arises of procuring suitable stick material for full contact work.
Your armoury should include sticks of different length's, weights, and densities depending on the application (as specified above).

For light training, you can buy regular 28-inch sticks from any magazine or martial arts store (these are far to light for combat conditions, but alright for getting the idea down, or until you have built up your body) Alternatively you can purchase rattan of any length, weight, density and thickness from specialist cane suppliers / importers.
My rattan supplier cuts and supplies me on a regular basis with my personal preference of either Manu or Tahiti rattan. Manu is heavier and much harder than Tahiti, so obviously I use the latter for all out sparring, so as not to break too many of my old bones! Tahiti is faster but tends to break up quicker under stick contact.

The other option I recommend and use is hickory and ash. I obtain English copiced sticks, and ash is actually my favourite, as it feels good in the hand, and has a more earthy natural appearance.
Both rattan and ash are really tough and resilient to impact, on both heavy bags and tyres etc, but fail rather quickly under full contact stick to stick drills, boy do those sticks burn!

Ash and hickory simply gives up the ghost, splits then breaks in two, while rattan slowly deteriorates into a useless fibrous mess. Because ash and hickory is expensive, I tend to use rattan for training and fighting and carry an ash stick when I go out for a walk with the dog. No one ever looks twice when I am out with my stick, not even the Police, little do they know what I'm capable of with that inconspicuous piece of wood… he, he!
As I walk through the woods with the dog, I practice on branches, and tree trunks walloping and whacking my stick, this is great fun, but good training also.

There is an alternative to ash and rattan, and that is nylon rod. I have located a source of 25mm diameter, black nylon rod. It is far more dense and heavier than either ash or rattan, and obviously to heavy for contact sparring, but for stroking drills or stick contact drills it is ace. I'll bet money that there is none of you out there in self-defence land, who could break these sticks… scrawny lot, ha, ha! Joking aside, these rods will make a very dangerous weapon indeed if this is your requirement. I have wrapped hockey stick handgrip around mine to enhance the grip, as the only draw back with nylon rod is they slip in your hands when wet.

Ok guys this is it, the first maxim. If you are not making contact with your stick, then you're not stick fighting. Sorry and all that, but sticks are impact weapons, therefore the idea is to twat your aggressor hard, to inflict as much damage as is possible. All right, we can't hit our training partner full power, we will have no one left, but we can still conduct contact sparring utilising some type of body armour, or use padded sticks etc (mine still hurt though, which is good for your soul). When you do spar with sticks the whole body should be included as a target, this is a completely different ball game to say Kendo, which although makes contact, has restricted limited body targets.
Ok guys this is the second maxim. If you are not utilising the total body target concept, then you're not stick fighting. When you are free to attack the whole body, clinches and subsequent grappling happens, usually with both participants ending up on the floor. The purists hate this total all out approach, believing that their highly refined stick art has been reduced to common street brawling (which to all intents and purposes it has). This is how real stick fighting happens guys, and this is music to my ears. The way to think of stick fighting is not fighting with a stick, but a fight that starts with a stick. Ok guys this is the third maxim. If you do not integrate punching, kicking, grappling and ground fighting, then you're not stick fighting. Once you start to appreciate this line of thinking then you'll start to progress with your stick fighting skills in quick time, because all the other attributes you have learned (Boxing, grappling etc) will be brought to the table.

Whilst still on the subject of full stick contact, train for power on the heavy bag, or in my gym I have a couple of old tyres chained together swinging freely from the roof, which roughly equate to the size and shape of a man. Whatever method of stick fighting you prefer to follow whack, whack, whack, until the skin comes off your hands, and they bleed! Then you'll start to understand and appreciate what stick contact is all about? Don't treat your sticks with reverence, or as some kind of sacred artefact handed out by a supernatural being, they are simply tools, an extension of you. Bash them, bang them, bend them, twist them, and see how much they can take before they eventually break. (You will need a few sticks though; I go through them like matches). You will actually learn a lot about stick fighting and stick material by following this method.

On a final note regarding stick fighting, (as I'll be writing more on the technical aspects in future issues). When working out with your sticks don't be attracted and deceived by the fancy twirly whirly, flicky moves you often see nowadays. Use proper stout sticks with some mass about them; as opposed to these, thin, light pussy sticks with the fancy patterns burnt on. Remember using sticks for combat and self-defence is about striking or thrusting your adversary as hard and as fast you can, to inflict maximum target / body damage. As street fighters and self-defence practitioners, we don't have to follow Home Office guidelines, so train accordingly and train ferociously.

In conclusion, train for full contact, speed and power, total body target concept, and integrate all your other unarmed fighting methods and associated physical attributes, which underpin these criteria. I can guarantee you, (from my experience of a bar room brawl, while based in Belize in 1983) that a few simple strokes, delivered with full power and speed, will tear through and destroy the flashy, twirly whirly brigade, ha, ha, ha!

All for this issue, and as usual, (but this time with a big stick)