Stick fighting is the primal art, probably the first weapon known to man other than picking up a rock or throwing stones. What follows here is an overview of stick fighting methods, beginning with ancient Greece and proceeding to Ireland, the United States, and the Philippines, with its profusion of stick arts from kali, arnis, and escrima, and styles such as Serrada, Larga Mano, Balintawak, etc.
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Greece
In Oedipus Rex (King Oedipus), the hero unwittingly kills his own father and four other men in a single encounter, using his staff.
Egyptian Goddess Neith with Goad
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As Oedipus was approaching a point on his journey where three roads met, he happened to meet an old man who was traveling by cart in the opposite way, escorted by five attendants. When the herald who was proceeding at the head of the party tried to force Oedipus off the road, Oedipus struck him back and continued on his way, but as he was passing the cart, the old man struck Oedipus with his ox-goad. Not realizing that the stranger was his own father, Oedipus reacted by dealing him a fatal blow with his own staff, and then set out to kill the other members of the group, (although one of them escaped undetected).
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Ancient Israel
“After him (Ehud) was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an ox goad, and he also saved Israel.”
Biblical Hero Shamgar with Ox Goad
While we might question the number of enemies killed with the ox goad, clearly the long stick/staff is a formidable weapon.
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African Stick Fighting
Zulu Stick fighters
In the African stick fighting method, a longer stick or spear is held in the left hand, which is used primarily as a shield. The “shield” stick has a covering to protect the left hand, which grips the longer stick at its center. A shorter striking stick is held in the right hand (or the dominant hand).
From a BBC clip on African stick fighting:
The art of stick fighting, or Intonga, has been practiced in South Africa for centuries.
However, in the big cities it is struggling to find participants as people are lured away by football and cricket.
In the township of Crossroads, just outside Cape Town, Vuyisile Dyolotana is trying to pass on his skills and train the next generation of fighters in this important sporting and cultural pastime.
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In the video above, Burton Richardson explains the African art of Zulu stick fighting, and compares it to the Filipino art of Kali. Guro Richardson explains several very good (yet surprisingly simple) techniques that can be used in Filipino-style single stick fighting, and you can actually see those techniques applied in a live sparring session.bsc
Irish Stick Fighting
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Irishman with Shillelagh
Irish stick fighting is based on the shillelagh, a stick made from the root of a blackthorn tree. The root is used to form a knob at one end, which may be further strengthened by adding nails or lead. The shillelagh was often stashed in the chimney, and took on a blackened appearance.
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The shillelagh was wielded in the faction fights, in which armed gangs (“factions”) fought each other in violent melees. There were so many casualties from these brawls that in time the Catholic church was forced to intervene to put a stop to the carnage. During the era of the faction fights, teachers of the art of Irish stick fighting toured the country. The art was integrated with boxing, and a more advanced method used two sticks, much like the Filipino sinawali two-stick method.
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Below, Sifu Glen Doyle, one of the world’s foremost Irish stick fighting instructor’s passes on his father’s art Rince an Bhata Uisce Beatha (Whiskey Stick Dancing. The art was once used for members of the Doyle family to hire themselves out as security for whiskey stills.
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From Sifu Doyle’s site:
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Doyle BATAIREACHT or IRISH STICK FIGHTING is a devastatingly effective two-handed combative system developed by a Doyle family originally from Ireland. This system was brought to Canada in the 1800s via a Doyle who settled in the rough and tumble landscape of the Atlantic’s Newfoundland coast.
While most Irish styles used the one-handed methods (much like fencing) the Doyle style evolved from a one handed style to the much more effective two handed style when a family member fused the principles of pugilism into the motions of the stick.
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Military Combatives –Stick Fighting
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Fairbairn was an influential instructor in the World War II era, when there was increased interest in all methods of armed and umarmed combat to train soldiers, especially elite soldiers. Fairbairn taught a two-handed grip with the stick. Although he recommended a stick 18-24 inches in length, a longer stick of 36 inches is a better choice, due to its greater reach and heft. Regardless, his stick techniques are very solid.
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Fairbairn's Two-Handed Stick Grip
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Note in the above illustration that the stick is gripped in rifle grip, or bayonet grip, with the right hand (or dominant hand) palm down and the left hand (or weak hand) palm up.
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In the stick fighting techniques above, the upward thrust on the far right (Figure 90) is a very effective technique that can be used against an opponent who is right on top of you, yet this technique is seldom seen. These stick fighting techniques also apply to self-defense with an umbrella, or any other weapon that is better suited to thrusting than to striking. (Please see this site for an in-depth look at Fairbairn’s stick fighting methods.)
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John Styers’ book Cold Steel is a classic military combatives manual covering empty hand, knife, and stick fighting. His stick fight technique is similar to that of Fairbairn’s, as seen below. (See here for more info.)
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The following are modern day army combatives stick fighting techniques utilizing the three-foot stick. These techniques can also be applied with a long weapon such as a rifle or shotgun.
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Modern Army Stick Combatives
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Modern Army Stick Combatives
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