Filipino Stick Fighting - Is it Useful? , Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 5:03 AM, in

As a martial-arts writer, people ask my opinion on this martial art or that martial art. On more than one occasional, I have been asked if Filipino stick fighting was practical.
My first response is usually to ask, "Practical for what?"
If you plan on having fighting sticks with you wherever you go, then yes, it's very practical. It makes perfect sense to train stick fighting, if you intend to carry a stick or two with you.

Warning: Filipino sticks can be deemed lethal, even though they are "just sticks." In a court of law, carrying one under your coat might be determined to be a concealed weapon.

Knowing how to fight with a stick is probably a good idea, also, if you work in a pool hall. You'll find lots of cue sticks in racks, and maybe even strewn across tables.









Umbrella As a Weapon
Can your skills be transferred to an umbrella? Maybe. At least some of them can -- but you might break your umbrella. So, make sure you limit your actual umbrella striking to real self defense. You and your partner don't want to destroy a "pair of parasols while practicing." ;-)
Filipino Empty-Hand Fighting
Of course, if you ask any escrimador, he or she would be the first to claim that all of the stick techniques translates directly into empty-hand fighting. This really is an interesting thought: you practice similar patterns; you discover ways to transfer the skills from one to the other ... which in itself is a valuable skill.
Still, there are probably more efficient ways to learn empty-hand self defense. If you want to learn hand-to-hand fighting, then find a style the focuses on empty-hand techniques.

Note: Here's a similar example -- one way to build your chi sao (rolling, sticking hands training) is by swimming. Still, if you really want to improve at chi sao, its much more efficient to practice chi sao than to swim. It's the actual application; swimming just works similar muscles.

Should you study a stick-fighting style?
Answer: Do you have a use for that particular martial skill?
Stick Fighting Benefits
Stick fighting "is" excellent at teaching students to move their hands both in concert and independently of each other.
It also offers great coordination-building patterns. And the pattern variations force you to develop skill in adapting and changing the routine.
Finally, you learn some interesting angles for martial application. They are tighter lines than many are accustomed to taking.

Keith Pascal is the author of Control Your Fear: A Guide For Martial Artists: Eliminate Fear!.
Keith is the editor and author of several martial-arts ezines, including:
AdvantageMartialArts.com. (Free practical self defense ebook when you join.)
Pascal has taught martial arts for over 25 years. He left his job as a high school teacher in 2000, to become a full-time writer.