5/29/2023 0 Comments Combat shillelaghWeight is probably the first thing to look for, especially for a beginner. These only fragilize the section of the stick that already bears the most stress. Avoid also sticks that have been pierced near the top to place a lanyard. Curved sticks will tend to twist upon impact, making them awkward. It is unfortunate that the company did not seek the opinion of bataireacht practitioners before producing it, as it could be a reasonable option if correctly redesigned.Īvoid sticks that have too much of a crook in them. Good perhaps for conditioning, but you can find much cheaper options to this end. It is uselessly heavy at 834 grams and quite overbuilt. The companies decided to produce sticks based on cartoonish representations of a shillelagh, and what you get is a weapon that is great if wielded like a baseball bat, but not much else. The Cold Steel Shillelagh and its United Cutlery counterpart are unfortunately close seconds. They are made of cheap and brittle wood and usually painted black. They are easy to recognize as most follow the same pattern. The first one is to avoid most sticks that are sold in souvenir shops. I will already tell you what you should absolutely not choose as your first stick (or even as your last stick). And just like the medieval sword, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Unfortunately, just like the medieval sword, shillelaghs are pictured in popular culture as ridiculously heavy and unwieldy, owing much of their deadliness to their sheer weight. You should train with many different ones, but having one or two great shillelaghs will only make you a better fighter. If you are skilled in bataireacht, you will be able to use your abilities with most sticks that come in your hands. Bataireacht is a complex and refined martial art, and like all of its cousins it necessitates an equally refined weapon.Ĭhoosing a good bata should be like choosing a good sword But it doesn’t mean you have to spend your life twirling lumps of lumber and being miserable for it. I can already hear it: « You should be able to use any kind of stick! » « You won’t always have the best stick on hands when you need it! » Sure. If you don’t know what you are looking for, it will most likely feel terrible… and you might not even realize it. So for this reason, do not expect to just pick a shillelagh off the shelf and expect it to be perfect. For the fans of Harry Potter among you – or for those who have been forced to watch it – it’s a bit like going into Olivander’s shop, what you are like (in this case mostly physically) will determine what is best for you. The problem is that there is no « one size fits all » here. While the knowledge of making a robust stick is still quite alive, the more subtle art necessary for determining the right balance and built of a fighting stick is, like bataireacht itself, in need of a revival. I do not wish to disparage the great work that traditional stick makers do, and on the contrary, I would wish to encourage it, but the last faction fights took place in the late 1800s and shillelagh makers saw much more demand for walking sticks than their deadly ancestors. For more than a century, the demand for shillelaghs as weapons has been nearly nill. I am going to get flak for what I am going to say, but not every shillelagh is a good fighting stick. They do not necessarily represent what is correct from the standpoint of other styles, so take it for what it is worth. I want to say before I begin that these are my opinions as chief instructor in Antrim Bata. This is a question I get asked so regularly that I thought the best idea would be to write down an article on what makes a shillelagh a great fighting stick. Like the Arab mare, it grew up to maturity under the fostering care of its owner, and in the hour of conflict it carried him to victory. » William Wright By Maxime Chouinard « The shillelagh was not a mere stick picked up for a few pence, or cut casually out of the common hedge.
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