European Stick
A Western system of self defense
with a Cane
By
D.E Folmer
Introduction
First, may I compliment you on your obvious intelligence and taste. You bought this book. Great choice.
Second, allow me to introduce myself and give you a little background. I have been studying martial arts for over 25 years. I started, like most martial artists, in the eastern arts. While I admire most systems and styles, it is my opinion that most are over-taught, over complex and have, almost universally, at least in the West, lost their true roots as COMBAT arts.
Lets look at the term MARTIAL ARTSe shall we? To define:
MARTIAL : (mar - shul) adjective
1. inclined or disposed to war; warlike: The ancient Romans were a martial people.
2. of, suitable for, or associated with war or the armed forces : martial music.
3. characteristic of or befitting a warrior: a martial stride.
ART (ahrt)–noun
1. the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.
2. the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria; works of art collectively, as paintings, sculptures, or drawings: a museum of art; an art collection.
3. a field, genre, or category of art: Dance is an art.
4. the fine arts collectively, often excluding architecture: art and architecture.
5. any field using the skills or techniques of art: advertising art; industrial art.
6. (in printed matter) illustrative or decorative material: Is there any art with the copy for this story?
7. the principles or methods governing any craft or branch of learning: the art of baking; the art of selling.
8. the craft or trade using these principles or methods.
9. skill in conducting any human activity: a master at the art of conversation.
10. a branch of learning or university study, especially one of the fine arts or the humanities, as music, philosophy, or literature.(1)
So...
There, I feel that makes it clear, don't you think? I think the BEST definition from the above is numbers 3 & 8, or, Martial Arts would be, for out purposes " That which is involved in the Craft or trade of or, befitting, a Warrior"
Now, of course we need to define Warrior.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
war·ri·or [wawr-ee-er, wawr-yer, wor-ee-er, wor-yer]
–noun
1. a person engaged or experienced in warfare; soldier.
2. a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness, as in politics or athletics.
Of these, I prefer the second. To be a Warrior is to be courageous, and aggressive, no matter the endeavor.
So Martial Arts, are those attributes befitting a person who actively and bravely pursues their goals. In our case , the art of Western Stick fencing.
HOW LONG does it take the average martial arts student, at the McDojo of choice to gain ANY kind of combat efficacy? From my experience, the answer can be a truly frightening... NEVER.Simply due to the lack of combative focus. A tournament is NOT self defense, and never will be. Even in the case of PROVEN traditional arts that are taught properly, it can be disappointing. Simply because the Instructor, has never, himself, USED his art, in a true self defense situation. This is not the instructors fault, per se, but it certainly influences the methods of teaching.
I do not pretend to speak for all martial artists everywhere, but that seems absurd in this modern world does it not? Years of study to achieve combat efficacy is only acceptable in the following circumstances A) You a are involved in the art not for martial/self defense reasons, but, for reasons of health and longevity , in which case may I suggest Tai Chi or Yoga B) You are involved with the a art for cultural/spiritual reasons, in which case, who am I to tell you your path. It is not the purpose of this text to teach Spiritual Philosophy. That is another book.
The purpose of THIS book, is simply this, to give you, the reader, as full an introduction as possible, within the limits of written media, to EUROPEAN stick fighting, and on overview of the History thereof.
While it is no longer the norm for gentlemen to sport "a fine malacca" or "a proper Derby" (two types of popular canes from the turn of the last century) it probably should be! We here in the US are being subjected to stricter and stricter weapons laws and the humble cane is one of the few items that are still legal to carry AND have the potential as a weapon of self-defense.
It must be said that NOTHING I am about to present to you
is NEW...everything I will show you is OLD! I stand on the shoulders of giants! The stick is the oldest weapon known to mankind. It is, in fact ,rather humbling to me the realize that I am passing on the work, not of years, nor even centuries, but MILLENIA, stop and think about that for a moment. You are holding in your hands the distillation of the MOST ANCIENT MARTIAL ART in the world...
Stick fighting. Welcome to my Art, my Passion, and my First Love, the art and science of Stick Fencing.
Chapter 1
First it must be understood that the average drugstore cane is next to useless for our purposes. You must find a combat quality stick, there are some source s,. The best wood s in my opinion are either Hickory or White Oak. The other approach is Rattan, while it is too light in my opinion to make a cane for street defense, it is EXCELLENT for sparring practice for this reason. Also, should you favor the the knob handled design (or Vigny Style stick) rattan is an excellent choice because the knob is the striking end and the weight of the shaft is secondary. In fact, according to Lang, ( insert #) the weight should be lighter, as he favors speed to weight.
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Images 1 & 2 crook and knob
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The finest available, in my humble opinion, are from my shop, Combat Canes (www..combatcanes.com). I produce the usual Crook handled variety out of American white Oak, I also craft a Vigny Style stick from Saynite, a virtually unbreakable composite , discovered by Master knife maker Newt Livesay, and passed down to me, when he retired. Excellent canes can also be found at Canemasters (www.canemasters.com) and for r Vigny Style sticks, Purpleheart Armory ( www.woodenswords.com), makes a fine sticks and come recommended by Craig Gemeiner, probably the worlds foremost authority on Pierre Vigny and his style of Le Canne.
While you wait for your REAL cane to arrive, go ahead and practice the techniques with what you've got. Sifu Glen Doyle, of Whiskey Stick Dancing, an Irish stick system, uses hardwood dowels for beginners, so do I. Just make sure it is smooth and free of splinters. I am a firm believer in caring for your weapon, and for a carry weapon, I feel that you should have a piece that requires care...I simply feel it builds a certain rapport betwixt weapon & warrior...call me old fashioned, I ENJOY putting a coat t of polish on my practice weapon...not only does it preserve my cane, it allows me to examine it for flaws...trust me here, you do NOT want a stick failing during practice...and this is the best way to prevent it.
Terminology
Now to avoid misunderstandings, the cane is divided into parts. The part that touches the ground when you walk is called the POINT. The body of the cane is called the SHAFT, the part that is grasped while walking is either the KNOB, or the CROOK, there is one additional element to the crook, the short side of the crook is called the HORN.
One of the few times you will see a division between the "Vigny stick" and the "cane" is in the use of the crook, as the Vigny simply lacks one.. The Vigny is simply an easier stick to manipulate due to it's nature...it's straight.
While the crook does not provide all the benefits that some
systems seem to lead you to believe, i.e., it is NOT a built in "judo stick" (a term I have actually heard) ) the crook CAN provide certain unique opportunities for locks & throws, but, simply not as many as you would think.
The stick should be viewed a a STRIKING weapon, not as a grappling weapon, however, as our forefathers found w/ the broadsword, a SWORD, when properly used a striking weapon can be used a a lever to move or subdue an opponent.
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Images from I.33
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The grapple should be used to hold and control. You will find that your opponent is MUCH easier to hold and control once you have given them the gift of a good "Gob Smack" as Craig Gemeiner said to me when we were having a friendly debate about "stick -grappling" . Craig is not a fan, nor, really, am I, but , I believe it has it's place, hence, I will include some of the more basic ( read: RELIABLE! )stick grappling techniques.
Concerning the actual system, well it's pretty straightforward. It breaks down like this:
3 Modes ( ways to hold the cane)
5 Wards for each Mode ( Starting postures from which you cane either attack or defend)
9 Strikes for each of the Modes (here we do not count the reverses, of the same strike w/ the opposite end of the stick)
8 Counter for each mode ( The Counter, is a unique aspect to my system as I do not advocate a " "defence" but an immediate response. That is to attack the attack)
So 5 (wards) + 9 (strikes)+ 8 (counters) = 22 x 3 (modes)=
66 techniques within the core system. That's it. 66...you can do that, can't you?
There are only so many ways to strike effectively. YES, you can do an "outside, backhanded, full extension, descending,vertical, moulinet"...but, why would you? There are in fact an almost limitless array of strikes that we, as humans, can accomplish, but, really, only 9 count. , within the core system.They are these..., the 8 cardinal points of the compass, and the thrust , that's IT, fini! Now these have variations, to be sure, i.e, the slash, the moulinet (circle cut), the chop, but regardless of the "windup" the cuts are the same varying only in height. What I mean here is a cut from the North East (remember the compass?) hits the side of the head, shoulder, ribs, or knee... simply visualize the height of that cut changing... see what I mean?
Of course you MUST practice targeting, but that comes after you learn the basic strikes.
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3 images of the 3 grips or Modes
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The first exercise is in fact, not martial, but, simply, switching modes effortlessly and smoothly...
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Series of mode switch photos
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Standing w cane at standard carry simply swing into the other hand , you are now in Bayonet. Release second hand and move point forward, you are now in Saber, now grasp w/ second hand BENEATH 1st.... hand, and slide 1st hand forward...you are now in Bastono.
Easy, yes? Told you.
Let's move on to strikes, shall we?
As I said visualize the compass over your imaginary opponent, see those 8 lines like the spokes of a wheel, THOSE are your angles of attack...
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image of human body w/ overlaid compass
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NOW move the center up and down....
Like this.......
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SAME image 3 times, but smaller but w/ compass centered over
HEAD, CHEST, and KNEES
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Do you see why the "9 strikes" cover it all?
Good.
Now to show you "THE 27" in action...."
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images of the flow of the 27 strikes....
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accompanying text of a walk thru....
Begin w/ the strong foot forward and the cane in the
"1 st Ward" bring the cane up to the 45 degree crook at your hip, and extend out.
1) 1st moulinet to the top of the head
2) follow through and reverse to the groin
3) follow though and make a circle cut to the East
4) continue through and reverse and make the Western cut
5) 1/2 moulinet and bring he cane to the 45 degree Northeastern Cut and follow through
6) you are now in position to reverse and make the
cut from the South West (to the knee)
7) Bring the cane up through the follow through, and hence, a defensive mode, and continue the moulinet to attack
the knee in the South Eastern strike
8) Follow through and reverse to bring the cane down in the North West-stern strike (usually a shoulder/collar bone)
9) follow through until the cane is back to the original position (#1) then draw back the hand and THRUST into the
Solar Plexus.
In writing this sounds complex...it's not... you will find
this drill SO natural that is is learned in a single session.
NOW it gets harder, because, you must shift grips...
Break to add RANT
Ok now comes the stream of consciousness stuff...
WHY?
Why!?
Why do people make it so difficult? Fighting is EASY! Yes of course you need practice,and of course your need conditioning, but REALLY it is VERY simple! The guys that tout their 1002 techniques...WTF!!! why would you present somebody w/ that many possibilities? It the work of a complete EGOMANIAC whose sole impetus if "if I write/teach something so ridiculously complex it will outlive me because I will have people analyzing it for YEARS!!!
Even people who HATE it will buy it and analyze it to DEATH e& either they will prove me wrong (GOOD LUCK w/ *PROOF* it's combat and a supporter ( and there will ALWQAYS be some) will say you are doing it wrong HA HA) or will come to to realize I'm right ( which i kind of HAVE to be sometimes! HA!)
So. SCREW the simple stuff that , though it will save LIVES, is WAY to easy to learn and then they ( the students, my bread and BUTTER, ) will move on, and tell other people it's easy and I'm out a sweet job!!!
This really pisses me off! C'mon! we are talking about stick fighting! Not POETRY!
Now I will, of course agree that it is an ART, AND even a science, but one limited is cope to WHAT IT DOES...the readdress is of corse not true...
Geometry, Physics, ergonomics (look it up), anatomy, physiology, we use these in stick fighting...the converse is not true, OK?
you will learn no Great Truths here ( except, of course, about YOURSELF), I am only here to give you the Basics of stick fighting from european perspective...you want philosophy?...Go East, my child, go East. Or, if you like go Greece, my child Go Greece. I don't care. What I teach transcends Philosophy, because it's REAL.
Fighting to KILL an aggressor is EASY..THAT I can teach you.
Fighting to stop an aggressor is EASY... EVAN THAT I can teach you.
Fighting to (insert word here) (** lets' try hurt,control, maintain, control, "incapacitate" (what does that actually mean anyway?) an aggressor now THAT is hard, and not the point, really....either you MEAN it or you DON'T, either the ASSAILANT means it or they DON'T...why are we mincing words?
WHY are you reading this book?
I will assume you found the title worth looking at, Yes?
I will NOT waste your time...I would not want YOU wasting MINE, I will do you the same courtesy.
Section 2
Now will begin the technical section. Now you might say that tat last bit was fairly technical, and well, you'd be right, but really it was only introductory. What you HAVE is a basic strike pattern, what you NEED is a guide on what to do with it...and , of course the Counters ( defences) and Wards (postures),
Daunted? Don't be, the system I have developed ( OK, stolen from multiple sources, but that's kind of wordy, so lets say "developed", shall we?) Is highly natural and intuitive, if you have ANY eye/hand coordination at all, and the brains God gave a greyhound.
We will begin with the Wards. The First Ward is the neutral position, that is feet together holding the cane in it's standard carry position, i.e. point to ground hand on crook. Sliding your hand down the shaft of the cane just to opposite where the Horn is,knuckles out nails in . You might think "how is the a "Ward" it is not a combat position at all." You would be wrong, this is a Ward in the tactical sense. It looks harmless, but allows you to instantly bring the weapon to the ready.
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image of 1st Ward
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The Second Ward (or Low Ward) is the first combative stance & is achieved by (coming from the 1st Ward)and bringing the point up to be just above the parallel, point up, knuckles out nails in, while stepping back with the non weapon foot (usually the left)
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Image of 2nd Ward
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Third Ward: In the 3rd Ward, ( from the second) extend the weapon hand forward and pivot the hips towards the opponent. The cane should be pointing directly at the opponents face, knuckles out nails in.
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Image of 3 rd Ward
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Fourth Ward: Bring the cane up, maintaining the point at te level of the attackers face, bring the crook up over your head, with the crook to the outside, knuckles up nails down.
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(image of 4th Ward)
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Fifth Ward step back, bring the weapon hand back over the shoulder, hand above the level of the head, knuckles in nails out, point still directed at the opponents face.
The Fifth Ward is often misunderstood. While it is true that the 5th ward is useful in delivering a downward thrust, it is, in my opinion , *most* useful as a REAR GUARD, notice the ease with which one can attack t the rear from this guard...
If this is not readily apparent to you, s simply pivot to 180 degrees and bring the cane into the 2nd ward....
See? Was that not easy?
Now, of course, we have to cover the 5 wWards in the other 2 Modes.
you will be happy to see they are very similar, n, not, THE SAME ,but similar.
5 wards w/ 2 other modes
The First Ward is the neutral position, that is feet together holding the cane in it's standard carry position, i.e. point to ground hand on crook. Sliding your hand down the shaft of the cane just to opposite where the Horn is,knuckles out nails in . You might think "how is the a "Ward" it is not a combat position at all." You would be wrong, this is a Ward in the tactical sense. It looks harmless, but allows you to instantly bring the weapon to the ready.
Are you thinking "this is EXACTLY same as the first one!"
You would be right. after all, you are still starting in the same place...but here they diverge...
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image of 1st Ward
(sub title...in case you didn't remember)
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The Second Ward (or Low Ward) is the first combative stance & is achieved by (coming from the 1st Ward)and bringing the point up to be just above the parallel, p point up, knuckles out nails in, now grip the cane with the second hand
as far back on the cane as you can while maintaining a straight grip, it is recvommended that the rear hand ACTUALLY be gripping the beginning of the crook, that is, the last two fingers ( ring & pinky ) are gripping the curivature, the hands should be 1 fist length apart, while stepping FORWARD with weapon foot (usually the right), this is a subtle change, as of course, the two handed Mode is, obviously, more aggressive.
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Image of 2nd Ward, in two handed Mode
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Third Ward: In the 3rd Ward, ( from the second) extend the weapon hands forward and pivot the weapon side hip towards the opponent. The cane should be pointing directly at the opponents face, knuckles out nails in on the forward hand.The hands should ONLY move enough to allow the cane it's natural rotational movement w/i your hands.
Fourth Ward: Bring the cane up, maintaining the point at the level of the attackers face, crook to the UP, knuckles out nails in on the forward hand, the revers on the rearward, or Anchor" hand
Fifth Ward step back, bring the weapon hand back over the shoulder,by stepping back, r on the lead foot remember, this ward is to allow a rearward attack, hand above the level of the head, knuckles out nails in, point still directed at the opponents face.
as you cane see, MANY similarities, but also subtle but important differences.
and last the 3rd mode, Bayonet.
Of course, there is no knife affixed to the end of your cane, unless you are the proud owner of a Basque Makila, but the techniques are derived from the military use of the Bayonet. This means that the techniques will follow the same basic pattern but allow for different techniques...
The First Ward is the neutral position, that is feet together holding the cane in it's standard carry position, i.e. point to ground hand on crook. Sliding your hand down the shaft of the cane just to opposite where the Horn is,knuckles out nails in . You might think "how is the a "Ward" it is not a combat position at all." You would be wrong, this is a Ward in the tactical sense. It looks harmless, but allows you to instantly bring the weapon to the ready.
Are you thinking "this is EXACTLY same as the first one!"
You would be right. after all, you are still starting in the same place...but here they diverge...
It this starting to seem A) repititious and maybe therefore very IMPORTANT? Good. it is.
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image of 1st Ward
(sub title...in case you didn't remember)
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The Second Ward (or Low Ward) is the first combative stance & is achieved by (coming from the 1st Ward)and bringing the point up to be just above the parallel, point up, knuckles out nails in, now grip the cane with the second hand
as far back on the cane as you can while maintaining a straight grip, it is recommended that the rear hand ACTUALLY be gripping the beginning of the crook, that is, the last two fingers ( ring & pinky ) are gripping the curivature, the hands should be 1 fist length apart, while stepping FORWARD with weapon foot (usually the right), this is a subtle change, as of course, the two handed Mode is, obviously, more aggressive.
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Image of 2nd Ward, in two handed Mode
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Third Ward: In the 3rd Ward, ( from the second) extend the weapon hands forward and pivot the weapon side hip towards the opponent. The cane should be pointing directly at the opponents face, knuckles out nails in on the forward hand.The hands should ONLY move enough to allow the cane it's natural rotational movement w/i your hands.
Fourth Ward: Bring the cane up, maintaining the point at the level of the attackers face, crook to the UP, knuckles out nails in on the forward hand, the revers on the rearward, or Anchor" hand
Fifth Ward step back, bring the weapon hand back over the shoulder,by stepping back, remember, this ward is to allow a rearward attack, hand above the level of the head, knuckles out nails in, point still directed at the opponents face.
While utilizing the bayonet mode the first ward iis the same
( BIG surprise, eh?), so,.....
1st Bayonet Ward...see above...
2nd Bayonet Ward: Maintain neutral posture , & simply swing the shaft into the opposite hand so it crosses the body at app. groin level.
3rd ward bring the cane to 45 degrees of the ground, while stepping forward w/ the NON WEAPON foot. rotate the grip of the forward hand so that it is knuckles out, nails in ( i.e. the opposite of the lower hand)
4th ward: rotate the lead hand again (back to it's last position) and bring the cane up to chest level, parrralel to the ground) elbows at 90 degrees. Primary foot forward
5th ward: identical to the 5th ward of the First Mode, with the addition of the second hand app. 1/2 way between the first hand and the point.
The last part of the technical section is of course, the Counters, Note I call them Counters, not parries or blocks, or anything else..as they are COUNTERS, I do not believe in parries ...they do not exist.
If you PARRY an opponent you allow hii m to riposte or attack from the parry. If you COUNTER him you eliminate the attack. Simply put every line of ATTACK is also a COUNTER to it;s opposing attack...
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SEE photos of the 8 Lines of attack, followed by the SAME LINES being used as COUNTERS.
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Please it is IMPERITVE that you realize that you are not PARRYING, or DEFENDING... you are ATTACKING the ATTACK..the mind set here is of utmost importance ...
The MINDSET here is of UTMOST importance. iIDO teach SETS, or sequences, but I do not believe non combative situations can meet need, an aggressive partner is a gold mine.
But, a proper mindset is what is really important.
The thing to remember is timing and distance.
If you have the to give momentary ground to allow a the attack, this is not unlike the "pincher movement" in troop warefare..esssentially a trap. Attack the attack allow it to slide by harmlessly and COUNTER.
The system is difficult to put into practice because of our innate need to DEFEND. You must train to attack the attack, to be a Warrior in spirit.. it WILL take time...but you'll get there w/ practice.
The Counters, 9 in total ( for each mode ) are simply put the, antithesis or avoidance of the attack. the first approach is the most "natural" in that it is to intercept (that's the easy part) then to flow past and strike *off the attack* thereby never allowing the attack to raech you by a) taking it off line and b) striking the aggressor.
The second approach is to take *yourself* out of line w/ FOOTWORK (more later in it's own section) allowing the attack to pass while maintaining defensive posture and aiding the attack in it's current direction to allow the clean counter, much more techninically complex, but allowing a more complete counter and thereby ending the counter.
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images and descriptions of each of the 27 ( both approaches =
54 counters
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You will find the counters, the most distinguishing charateristic of this system,, the most challenging,, if for no other reason than the fact that they require the use of movement to accomplish.
FOOTWORK
He I must admit is a most challenging task to discuss. There are almost as many opinions on "proper" footwork as therre are Teachers. Even though two may share the same style, there will be subtle differences, because of differences in build...there can be no denying this. *I* can not tell *you* how to move...I am not you!
I can only explain the theory, and help you achieve your own personal best.
First, let me tell you here I am stealing from, what is in my opinion, the finest school of swordmanship ever to grace the world. La Verdadera Deteza, or The True Art & Science of Swordsmanship, a Spanish School who actually survived in to the 1800's, and who, through the remarkable work of Maestro Ramon Martinez, exists again.
This is the Spanish Circle, the key to the footwork of the system:
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image of the spanish circle:
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However, since we are not using Rapiers, but sticks, we will use a sinplified circle, called the Rose & Cross...If you wish the learn the Mysteries of the True Circle...please contact Maestro Martinez, he is a fine teacher, a true gentlemen, and one HELL of a Swordsman, he is also, the ONLY ONE LEFT who can. Seek him, if you wish to study the True Science.
This is the Rose & Cross:
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Image
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When two opponents begin ir must be understood that THEY are within they're OWN Circles, like this:
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Image of two overlapping circles
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Notice how it is like a Ven Diagram, The overlap is the Danger Zone, where either can be struck. The Point of the Circle to to remove yourself from here to the Opponents weak spots, while maintaining your own Circle.
