Walking-Stick Self-Defence in Edwardian London
The fashion in walking-sticks is to have a silver-mounted Malacca cane; everyone uses one. Everyone knows that in choosing a Malacca, it will not only serve the purpose of something to carry in one’s hand, but that this beautiful cane, the most up-to-date of all sticks, can render great service as a means of self-defence, for it can become a formidable weapon in the hands of those who have learnt how to use it.
Stick exercise falls essentially under the head of gymnastics, but if it develops muscular strength it must also be borne in mind that it renders limbs supple and gives everyone agility, elegance and grace in their movement. Moreover, referring to my long experience as a professor of physical exercise specially adapted to self-defence, I can confidently assert that the cane is the most perfect weapon of defence, as with it no one can be handicapped by size, weight, or strength, it equalises the chances of two people each armed with sticks.
There are various ways of using the stick:
1st — Holding the stick by the grip of the whole hand, the blow is delivered with a swinging hit.
2nd — The left hand can be used just as well as the right by alternately passing the stick from one hand to the other.
3rd — The stick may also be held at the ferrule end.
4th — The stick may also be held in both hands.
The blows are delivered at the head, face, body, on the hands, and at the legs. To deliver a point, the stick is made to glide through the hands. The end of the stick can also be used as a dagger.
From: ”The Walking-Stick as a Means of Self-Defence,” by Pierre Vigny, Health and Strength, July 1903, pages 253-254.
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