A
walking stick
is a device used by many people to help keep their
balance
while
walking
. Others use them as an accessory. Walking sticks come in many shapes and sizes, and can be sought by collectors. Some kinds of walking stick may be used by people with
disabilities
as a
crutch
or
cane
. The walking stick has also historically been known to be used as a
defensive
or
offensive
weapon
, and may conceal a
knife
or
sword
as in a
swordstick
. The "tippling cane" contained a flask usually to hold a small amount of
liquor
. The Quarterstaff and the Shillelagh are also walking sticks.
A quarterstaff was a traditional
European
walking stick/weapon used from the
middle age
to the
Early Modern period
. It was usually a
shaft of
hardwood
from 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 m) long. It was used the same as a walking stick but also as a weapon. It was later called a "short staff" as it became shorter. The term is best known from the
legends
of
Robin Hood
.
[1]
In many
versions
of the story, he fights variously a
monk
,
Little John
or others with a quarterstaff. In most versions Robin Hood loses and ends up in the
stream
.
From about 1550 until 1930, walking sticks were a
fashion accessory
. They were not much used for walking but were more worn. A proper lady or gentleman would never be without their walking stick or cane.
[2]
Many were elegant
canes
with highly
decorated
handles
.
[3]
Sometime during the
17th century
, the decorated walking stick replaced the sword carried by
aristocrats
as a
status symbol
.
[3]
Walking sticks, sometimes called a
hiking
stick or trekking pole, are used by hikers. They are used for support when going uphill or downhill.
[4]
A good walking stick or pole helps hikers keep their
balance
while crossing
streams
or
rocks
.
[4]
Modern hiking poles are made of
aluminum
(or
composite materials
). They can telescope to fit tall or short hikers. Many have shock absorbers to ease
back
,
shoulder
and
knee
strain.
[4]
A shillelagh is a wooden walking stick and
club or cudgel
,
[5]
typically a thick knotty stick with a large
knob
at the top. Many are made from
oak
or
willow
.
[5]
Some are made from the
blackthorn
bush. In the
British Army
, blackthorn sticks are carried by
commissioned officers
of the
Royal Irish Regiment
. The Shillelagh is associated with Ireland and
Irish folklore
.
The walking stick is a
weapon
in
martial arts
.
[6]
Both stick training and
shinai
(
sword
) training use the walking stick. Some are light but shinai-weight and heavier are more common. It can be less
lethal
than a sword but is deadly against a
knife
or similar weapons. With practice a walking stick user can deliver a
kote-man
or double-strike. Once to the wrist (holding the knife) followed instantly by a second blow to the
assailant's
head.
[6]
The walking stick has the added
advantage
it does not look like a weapon.
[6]
It looks fairly harmless.
A sword cane was a long thin steel
blade
encased in a sheath. The sheath was the cane or, in the case of a swordstick, a walking stick.
[7]
Andrew Jackson
carried a sword-cane and was known to have used it.
[7]
In many modern
jurisdictions
the ownership, carrying,
manufacturing
or trading in sword canes is restricted by
law
. In some places they are considered a
concealed weapon
.
A collector of walking sticks is termed a rabologist.
[8]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Canes
.
- ↑
Jeffrey L. Singman; Jeffrey L. Forgeng,
Robin Hood: The Shaping of the Legend
(Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998), p. 165
- ↑
"Antique Canes and Walking Sticks"
. Market Street Media LLC
. Retrieved
16 December
2014
.
- ↑
3.0
3.1
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through World History: 1501-1800
, ed. Jill Condra (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2008), p. 134
- ↑
4.0
4.1
4.2
Jonathan Dorn, 'Poles',
Backpacker
, Vol. 66, Iss. 166, No. 2 (March 1998), p. 199
- ↑
5.0
5.1
John W. Hurley,
Shillelagh: The Irish Fighting Stick
(Pipersville, PA: Caravat Press, 2007), p. 121
- ↑
6.0
6.1
6.2
Martial Arts and Philosophy: Beating and Nothingness
eds. Graham Priest; Damon Young (Chicago: Open Court, 2010), p. 165
- ↑
7.0
7.1
Thomas Edward Watson,
The life and times of Andrew Jackson
(Thomson, GA: Press of the Jeffersonian Publishing Co., 1912), p. 48
- ↑
"ANTIQUE WALKING STICKS - British Pathe"
. Britishpathe.com
. Retrieved
15 December
2014
.
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permanent dead link
]