Has anyone trained with the hapkido cane? I am in Kenpo but i am strongly considering learning how to use the cane. Is it hard? Any katas for it?
I study the cane and it can be hard, especialy if you want a "deep" proficiency on top of all of your other training. For me, I prefer a heavier cane (see Canemasters canes or even the picture I have of mine in the Hapkido photo section) and so some of the reall quick cane strikes have been more difficult to train, I am getting better as I build those muscles but it does take time. I do try to focus the majority of my "use philosophy" on striking with the cane but do enjoy the various locking and throwing components as well. For my studies (esp with the heavier cane) I have enjoyed the ICHF cane videos (www.ichf.com) as well as the Canemaster videos (www.canemasters.com) for additional exploration outside of the classroom. Resources like Risingsun Production's Early Masters of Taekwondo (http://www.risingsunproductions.net/) has a wonderful bunch of video on old style Korean cane (lighter) which is inspirational as well. Off the beaten trail, check out Journal of Asian Martial Arts's article in volume 14 # 4 (http://www.goviamedia.com/store.php?crn=247&rn=340&action=show_detail) "The walking stick: The gentleman’s weapon" There's also a video coming out from Alain Burrese (http://www.burrese.com/Personal_Sec...roducts/Hapkido_and_Self_Defense_Products.htm) that should be a good resource for Hapkido cane as well. Long story short - studying the cane can a difficult but at a basic level there's a lot of grunt work learning strikes, parries and footwork. I think it's worth it but it takes a lot of time on top of the other things I do. All the best
Now that's a good, comprehensive answer :tup:. ... notes the Award Winner 2004 cup in Thomas's header and is not surprised :rei:
Hey, thanks for the nice words - I appreciate it! On the topic, I forgot to mention about "katas" - I haven't seen any "traditional ones" but Fariborz Azakh has a couple of cane videos available cheap at http://www.centuryfitness.com (check the Panther Videos section under Hapkido) I have the "Advanced one" and there is some decent material on it but not much that fits with what I do. He made up some forms for competition purposes and they are pretty interesting, again more fitting for a very light cane than a heavy. For $10 though, not a bad purchase.
I have trained with the cane for over 8 years. it is IMHO the best weapon available for self defense in our society. A: It is Legal B: You can even take it on the airplane with you 3: To gain a basic understanding of the cane is really very simple Look at a cane, it has elements of Escrima stick, Staff, and Sword depending on how you hold and use it. Therefore anyone who has an understanding of any or all of these weapons could utilize the cane with little additional training. Add to this the meat hook on the end and you have a beatyfull, elegant, and deadly weapon. I prefer a lighter cane with an octagon shaft, which is the style I hand craft and use myself, canemasters makes an excelent cane but it is too heavy and slow for my tastes. For comparison you can see my canes at www.woodensteel.com
Quick question, What's the difference between using a heavy cane vs. a light cane, the pros and cons? Also, how useful is the cane in a real-life situation, especially against a knife/gun?
Canes are useful in RL, but against a gun, your best hope is to run, preferably perpendicular to the barrel. Hitting a moving target with a handgun at longer ranges is really hard. Or better yet, give the guy with the gun exactly what he wants. The only real "active" defence against a firearm is having a firearm yourself, and a defensive pistol course, together with a holster course and a concealed carry course. And a lot of practice. It is possible to disarm a pistol weilder at close range, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. Against a knife, I couldn't say with certainty, but I'd think if you don't hit the guy really hard, he could still close, and then you're grappling with a knife user, at which point your lifespan is likely to be measured in seconds. Hopefully you've done a lot of knife defence. But still, I'd love to learn some cane fighting. It couldn't but help my sword training. -Mark
In most cases lighter means faster. IMHO the lighter canes move faster and are easier to manuver. Heavier canes are in general slower and offer less manuverability. I like a cane to be 1" diamiter with an octagon shaft. Mine are made of white oak which is a strong wood and can take a lot of punishment. Real life VS knives: a cane is an excelent weapon. It only take a quick flip of the wrist to disarm a knife. The length of the cane when used properly can keep the knifer at distance and therefore negate his advantage. EX: Knifer lunges at you with a thrust. Simply by rasing the cane tip up into his midsection the knifer will run into the cane long before he sticks u. Then with a simple thrust forward and down he is on the ground and getting pummeled by the cane. Aganst a firearm: Don't care what weapon u have give em your wallet and talk nice then run when u can.
ok, maybe the gun was a silly question. But i really like the fact that the cane could be useful in such a situation as a knife.
Nice looking canes. With no disrespect intended, they look pretty much like Canemasters canes (with the exception of the octagonal shaft) and I think Canemasters canes are about 1 inch in diameter and some are oak. How much lighter are yours in general (I don't see how they could be much lighter)? Pricing looks similar, with Canemasters offering a bit cheaper on the "plain" end but more expensive on the exotic end.Thanks Light cane -very quick -easy to use "whipping" like strikes -being light makes it more likely to break whe used for locking or throwing (check out Early Masters of Taekwondo from www.risingsunproductions.net for some vintage footage of a light Hapkido cane) Heavy -slower strikes -takes awhile to do one handed strikes well, two handed strikes are good -solid and won't break when doing throws/locks -does a lot of damage when used to parry or strike Some people like a (good) aluminum cane for its lightness/speed and strength.
Well, to start, I have only held a few of cane masters canes including one I puchased from them years ago. One difference is there basic cane is slightly thiker, 1 1/4" I belive mine is. My canes are a solid 1" but not more. Doesn't sound like much but it does reduce the weight a bit, enough that I can notice a big difference in my technique. Of course again this all goes to preference. Second difference is the inside of the crook, mine are much tighter. Makes it easier to apply locking techniques, IMHO, it is tighter at the neck so to practice neck throws in the dojo I recomend a practice cane which I shape the horn for more safety. Another difference is that a cane masters cane with an octagon shaft runs somewhere around $100 + I belive, much more than mine. I will round mine for no additianl charge and there is no extra charge for different horn shapes. I do charge a little more for adding hand grips but as I do not offer these except by cutom order its not much of problem. I ussually don't recomend the grips anyway due to the fact that it clues in Law enforcement that your cane is a weapon not a walking aid. Again a lot of these differences come down to preference. Cane masters does offer an excelent product, for people who prefer something a little lighter and faster IMHO my canes fit the bill. I have gotten a lot of good feed back from people who have both mine and Cane masters and I also use that feedback to improve my canes. Hope that helps a little. Please feel free to PM me if there are any more specific questions as I do not want this thread to end up being an advertisement for my stuff. One last note I forgot to add: The white oak that I use makes my canes Extremly resilient, IE- They dont break when used hard. My own cane has been used to throw a 200lb man and has been bounced of asphalt with a close to full power strike.
