Cane Fu - Senior Self Defense

I remember hearing a story in the neighborhood when I was younger.  The old man around the corner was on his way to the neighborhood Mom and Pop store when he was attacked by some young kids.  The kids thought he was an easy target because he walked with a cane and he was slow moving kind of slumped over as he shuffled along.  However those kids got the surprise of their lives when the old man started beating their asses with his cane.  Word was that he didn’t stop with the beatings until the kids fled.  The old man had some minor injuries but he was not as sore and battered as the kids.  The old man was pretty proud of his self and was constantly reliving the story and each time the number of kids grew and each time the damage that was done became much more than the original story.  The neighbors were just happy that he was ok and able to protect himself.

That old man was using self defense and a method of Cane Fu.  What is Cane Fu or Cane Fighting? It is a newer form of self defense and martial arts techniques for the elderly.  Anyone with a cane can utilize the skills needed for Cane Fighting.  Cane Fu teaches a person how to use their cane to protect themselves and the Cane Fu classes are helping seniors across the country to get fit while teaching them how to defend themselves with something that they use on a daily basis. 

There are many groups cropping up around the country teaching seniors the art of Cane Fu.  The classes and teachers are going to Senior Citizen Community or Rest Homes and teaching them how to protect themselves.  Being able to protect themselves is important and being able to use something that they already have in their possession makes it that much easier.  In these self defense classes seniors are taught how to use their canes for protection with several simple moves.  Making strikes and blows to the head and the groin of the attacker.  Since most canes have a curved top it is also possible to wrap the cane around the attackers’ neck, leg or arm.  A cane is the only self defense weapon that is legal and can be taken anywhere even on the airplane. 

Of course not all seniors are strong enough to do different moves or to necessarily overtake an assailant but knowing Cane Fu and Cane Fighting gives any senior the ability to get out of a situation or possibly stop a situation from happening in the first place.  Learning Cane Fu has helped many seniors obtain the self esteem and security that they need to walk tall and feel comfortable that they could protect themselves if someone did in fact attack them.    

With a cane there are many different things that a person can do to hurt their attacker; hitting different areas of the body and using different parts of the cane.

Basic Cane Fu moves:

1. Jab – Taking the hook of the cane in one hand and grabbing the shaft of the cane with the other hand a person can jab the cane into the stomach, face, groin or chest of their assailant.
2. Hook – The hook of the cane can be used around the wrist, leg or neck of the assailant.  Once the hook is around the body part of the attacker the cane can be maneuvered in different ways to hurt the attacker; with a simple tug or twist.
3. Smack – Just repeatedly hitting the leg, the groin or other body parts of the assailant over and over again is enough to cause pain and can possibly scare the attacker away.  This works very well especially with very heavy canes in the right area. 

Seniors can also use the cane to stretch and exercise so that they become more flexible and are able to move the cane more easily.  Doing exercises and stretching with the cane also makes them more familiar with using the cane in different motions.    

Seniors are not taking these classes or lessons to become masters because that is something that would take years of study.  Seniors are learning the basic moves to be able to protect themselves against attackers and getting fit in the mean time. Some seniors might not ever come into a situation where they would need the cane for their protection but the knowledge that they gain from these Cane Fu sessions is immeasurable.  

Seniors are not exempt from being attacked and some feel that they are easy targets especially if they are seen walking with a cane. But looks can be deceiving if that senior knows how to use his/her cane for self defense.  The attacker will certainly be taken by surprise when the cane flies at them.