The Cane as a Weapon

The Cane as a Weapon by A. C. Cunningham (1912).

I think this short book has been mentioned on here before, but I put up a version on the web and corrected some of the typographical errors in the PDF that's been floating around. You can check out my very positive impressions and the book itself by following the link in my signature below.

Thanks,

 

Really Like your Web Version

Jason,

I really liked your web presentation of the book, nice work!

Actually your whole site is spot-on.


-Chris Amendola

 

Thanks, Chris. I'm still tinkering, especially with formatting, but I like the way the site is coming together.

 

I dunno how many articles I have seen recently about the cane as a weapon. As a historical interest it has some merit but definitely doesn't justify the attention it gets. It just isn't a significant point in the western martial tradition. To be honest, It's a dull weapon that is not very good at anything very much.

The Bear.

 

It depends, the cane can be extremely versatile as a weapon, it can snare, entangle, lock and strike.
Personally, mine has a 5oz flask hidden in the handle so the most it does is fight my sobriety, but can be used as a good weapon if needed

 

yeah but so can a credit card, car keys ,bottle of Irn Bru or any number of day to day items but they don't merit metres of literature on the subject. If you learn sword/ short spear you get everything the cane has to offer anyway.

The Bear.

 

True, but I can walk around all day anywhere with a cane, if I did that with a sword or spear, there's going to be some issues developing
While it might not merit a lot of literature on the subject, it does deserve some notice as it can be a useful tool.

 

a gentleman's weapon for a more genteel age (especially if you hide a sword inside - now sadly illegal in the uk).

 

Ummmm, no you can't. Go try it. Go out on the town on a saturday night sporting a cane as see what happens.

The Bear.

 

Exactly when was the last time you saw someone under 50 sporting a cane.

The Bear.

 

you haven't met some of the dds yet.

I did say for a more genteel age (ie Victorian and even Georgian). Quite a few groups specialize in 19th century arts and this falls into that category.

 

I'm sorry, but I simply can not disagree more.

The cane (as a WMA weapon) has a longer history of continuous use than many SWORDS (such as the Smallsword, for instance). The use of a cane or walkingstick as a weapon dates back verifiably hundreds of years so claimng that the cane as a WMA weapon is "insignificant" and doe not deserve the attention it gets is greately innacurate.

Further, it's proved remarkably versatile (and legal). You may find it boring but there are dozens of cultural variations on its use from many traditions, Andelusian, French, English, Irish, German, Swiss, etc.

While I heartily agree that, at it's basis, "it's a stick; hit him with it" is an elemental truism, there is much more to the study than that. It would be similarly innacurate to say, "It's a knife; stab him with it" or "it's a sword; hack something off."

Further, the cane's oft mentioned status as a generally "LEGAL TO CARRY ANYWHERE" weapon, is extremely significant. That alone makes it worth the attention it recieves.

Now, perhaps you are merely, in your own way, lamenting that other valid WMA weapons seem to recieve far less publicity than the cane. Still, that doesn't, in any way, mean that the cane is undeserving of attention, insignificant in WMA tradition, or boring.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

Yeah the sadness of Edinburgh never fails to amuse me.

The Bear.

 

I do it absolutely all the freaking time.

What happens? Nothing.

Well, sometimes people hold open doors for me.

I take my gentleman's walkingstick into court buildings and stuff. The last time Security check X-Rayed it to make sure it wasn't a sword-stick or a cane-gun and asked me nicely if I needed assistance standing while they were X-Raying. I smiled politely and said, "no." They held my 3.5" pocket knife at Security until I was done and that was the end of that.

I've taken my gentleman's walkingstick on air travel post-9/11 without comment.

Because I usually carry canes that are fancy, hand-made, and/or noticable, sometimes curious folks will ask about its construction. The "door-**** topped" cane gets the most casual curiosity but my tiger-eye and silver inlayed cane gets a fair amount of wood-working hobiests making conversation.

I've never, not once, gotten the stink-eye over my gentleman's walkingsticks, to say nothing of any thing more negative.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

Every day that I walk out the door.

I've given several to friends who, equally, have no negative comment, the youngest of which is, IIRC, mid-twenties. Some of his friends asked him why he was carrying it. His reply was, "because I like it and I think the cane looks cool."

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

As already stated by another, I have and have had no issues.

Can you tell me you walked around with a sword/spear and had the same?

 

But this wasn't and still isn't true.
In the 18th Century you were required a licence in Britain to carry a cane. Today carrying anything with the intent to use as a weapon is illegal. So the basic premise of this argument is wrong.
In the U.S. you could just carry a firearm so why bother with a cane.
It a weapon that has boosted by popular fiction more than practical value. As I said before, learn sword you learn cane but not vice versa.

The Bear.

 

I walk around with two spears and two swords frequently (nicely wrapped up in may training bag). The point I'm making is that the cane is as illegal in the UK as the sword if you use it was a weapon.


Look at it from the courts point of view. Fit guy no injuries carries cane. Fight ensues guy brains attacker and gets lifted by the police. Police ask why were you carrying a cane. "I think it's cool, oh and I do a cane martial art". The other guy presses charges and you all end up in court. Now try to argue that you were carrying that cane without the intent to use it as a weapon. It's bad enough how the courts view martial artists who get into fights without weapons.

The Bear.

 

I'm sorry but this is just not so.

While it is true that conventional wisdom has it several cane systems were based on prior sword systems, and there are some important similarities between the two, there are absolutely fundamental elements of the cane which are simply incompatible with using it the way you would use a sword. Similarly, though it is common historically to use wooden wasters (aka "sticks") as stand-ins in sword training, you also do not use a sword the way you use a stick.

Elemental differences include the fact that the cane is neither a thrusting nor a cutting weapon. Any "thrusts" with a cane require a great deal of power in order to be effective. This is in stark contrast to a point-oriented weapon such as a smallsword where the thrust is not made from "power" but from "speed." The point easily penetrates with a smallsword. Not so with a cane. Further, can you picture the consternation of a rapier player attempting a drawcut with a cane?

No, as an impact weapon, the cane requires similar, yet markedly DIFFERENT mechanics from a sword to be effective.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

You ever been thrust in the solar plexus, throat, face, eyes or nuts with a stick even lightly. I have it hurts like hell and no it really doesn't need a huge amount of power to do the required damage. Anyone studying jo can tell you that. The small sword practicioner will have trained for accurate thrusts to vital areas that would transfer perfectly over to cane.

The Bear.