Canes Are Cool
Canes Are Cool Even if you never need your cane to fight off Ninjas or Zombies, it’s still a cool thing to carry. It gives you a little more stability after you’ve had a few. It can make you look sophisticated or a little scary. I started carrying a cane after a knee injury and now I almost never go out without one.
The cane makes a pretty good weapon. At 36” long it’s effective for both offense at a distance and defense in close. The 3/4” hickory makes it hard enough to do damage with strikes and sweeps. Both staff and sword martial traditions can be easily adapted, as can police nightstick techniques. Perhaps most importantly the cane quickly becomes an extension of your body because of the familiarity gained by carrying it over time. Ever since our earliest ancestors were running around in a loincloth and, in a moment of inspiration, grabbed a tree branch to hit some dude over the head, we’ve been using stick weapons. Almost every country’s indigenous martial art includes some kind of stick work. Chinese short staff, Japanese Jo or Bo, Escrima and Arnis from the Philippines, the English single stick and the Irish Shillelagh, Canne do combat in France, juego del Palo in Venezuela. If it works for all of them it’s probably going to work for you too. The cane is a qualified appliance under the Americans with Disabilities Act. You’re ‘disabled’ if you have a chronic problem or pain that limits a normal activity for more than 6 months. Sore feet, a tight back, or a bad knee qualifies. No doctor’s report necessary. No person, public or private, can take your cane away from you under penalty of law. The world is a great and exciting place full of fun things and cool people. Except when it isn’t. The unfortunate reality is that any public environment can turn into a very perilous place. Human predators exist. Somebody wants your wallet or car. The mentally deranged or addicted want to lash out and cause pain. Some men rape. A wise person is prepared for these situations. And the really smart ones have a weapon close at hand. Canes Are Cool