What is Cane Fu?
You may be familiar with Kung Fu, the ancient martial art of self-defense, but how Does Cane Fu or Cane Fighting work? It was developed by Grandmaster Mark Shuey, founder of Cane Masters Inc. and North Lake Tahoe Martial Arts, as part of The American Cane System, which includes Cane Fu, Cane Do and Cane Chi. Originally created for seniors, Cane Fu has spread to a wider following today.
Basic Cane Fu moves are quickly taught, and you don’t have to be powerful or fast to be effective. There are several levels, but the basic will include striking an attacker in the knee, shin or elbow, and poking your cane into the attackers stomach. It takes time to move into advanced techniques, and some of the training may seem frivolous, but each technique is designed to strengthen, tone and prepare you for future techniques that involve using the cane in warding off someone with a gun or knife, or disabling an attacker with a strike to their neck, or groin area.
Seniors who have tried the program say they feel empowered by it. This is not just about having the chance to defend yourself against an attacker, but about gaining confidence and piece of mind from knowing you could. Don’t forget the exercise factor. While you are learning self-defense fighting techniques, Grand Master Mark Shuey is leading you in exercises that help make you more fit. Some of the techniques will help build arm strength, while others teach how to move your feet and position your body for a better, more effective swing. Some seniors have gained so much new leg strength from Cane Fu, that they are able to leave their walkers behind.
Why Cane Fu is gaining a wider audience.
We’ve all been alone at times. When help isn’t possible, fighting back with your cane can take your attacker by surprise and make the difference, at any age, between getting mugged or having your attacker limp away. The cane can be a formidable weapon, a tool to block, hit or hold down your opponent.
Often older adults already own a cane, and since it is, for many, a mobility aid or medical device, learning to use it for self -defense means having a weapon handy, even on public transportation, where other weapons are not allowed. For younger adults, because the cane is allowed where other weapons are prohibited, it is becoming a popular way to protect yourself and those you care about from attack.
Most students of Cane Fu begin training to learn to stop being a victim by learning how to defend themselves. Cane Fu students actually gain fitness, self-reliance, relief from being targeted, and fun. Yes, fun. Students have responded time and again that The American Cane System (TACS) has turned the cane from a symbol of weakness, into a weapon that symbolizes their own strength. TACS made rehabilitation actually fun.
Whether an attacker would recognize the cane as a weapon is unclear, but listening or reading Cane Fu students’ accounts as they recount their experiences with would-be muggers leads me to believe the message gets delivered after a blow or two with the cane, and the victim becomes a winner. That feeling of self-reliance is a great feeling, and it can be gained by multi-generations of people.
Grand Master Mark Shuey offers Virtual Dojo Cane Fu and other martial arts sessions by subscription, in both live and recorded training sessions. Train in the privacy of your own home or go to your nearest park to stream the Dojo. The American Cane System covers self-defense techniques and exercises with your cane that help rebuild strength, balance and confidence. Sessions are live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9 a.m. PDT / Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. PDT. Try it for a month and experience the ease of technique training and mobility enhancing exercises.