Cane Fu
Although Combat Cane or Cane Fu Fighting was developed about 12 years ago, the use of the cane as a weapon dates back to ancient Rome and Egypt. With the invention of fire arms the use of canes as weapons petered out. After all you can’t take a cane to a gun fight. Click here to tell us about your Cane Fu Club In the nineteenth century a number of canings took place in the US capital; notably, the brutal attack on the senate floor in 1856 by South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks on abolitionist Massachusetts Sen. Charles Sumner. Mr. Sumner had mocked a relative of Mr. Brooks in a speech. Mr. Sumner had to carried away bleeding and unconscious; it took him years to recover. Not a prime example of self defense, though.
The development is credited to Mark Shuey a Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido expert. While practicing Hapkido stick fighting techniques he started studying cane moves. In 2003 the Canadian magazine Martial Arts Expert touted canes as “the weapon you can take anywhere”. Since then Cane Fu has been endorsed by at least eight Martial Art organizations. A cane can be taken anywhere, unconcealed, even on an airplane. Although any kind of cane will work for self defense, including aluminum or pine, hard wood canes made of hickory or oak are best. These classes are gaining popularity all over the country partly due to the influence of Shuey’s company Cane Masters. They sell wood canes made of thicker, harder wood with wider crooks to fit around an attacker’s neck. The Cane Fu classes are much like many Martial Arts classes geared toward the senior citizen. There are warm-up exercises, stretching, cardio and technique practicing. It offers supervised fitness training, mental and physical fitness training. The classes also provide improved balance and coordination, a sense of empowerment and camaraderie. Some of the techniques taught are - Jabbing or poking: effective on the torso area
- Swinging the cane like a bat: on shins, arms and head
- Using the crook of the cane on an assailant’s neck
Not all techniques are appropriate for all students. If you need the cane for support, swinging it above your head will not be a possibility. These and many other moves are taught along with basic "non-cane" methods to form a well rounded self defense class.
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