That Innocent Looking Walking Stick

Walking stick or cane first used for support and then as a gentleman's accessory, also provided a useful weapon for fighting, it developed as a self-defence discipline as a way of fighting from a certain distance as well as close combat.

The Irish tradition includes techniques of medieval stick fighting as well as irish and westren sword techniques

Since a cane or walking stick can be carried easily in modern society, the sticks used for bataireacht are not of a standardised size, as there are various styles of bataireacht, using various kinds of sticks

Walking Stick Fighting

In order to protect yourself from injury, learning to use the stick against a stick, knife or unarmed attack for defence or attack is important

Held with one or both hands the stick is used to deliver cuts or strikes to a variety of targets including the face, head, neck, clavicle, ribs, elbows, wrists, knees and the shins

A walking sitck is a serious weapon in its own right

• Thrust - stab (puncturing organs)
• Impact (blunt trauma)
• Subject control
• Blocking