In Irish Stick Fighting, one of the most important habits you can develop is also one of the simplest to understand: move your feet. We stress this constantly in classes, […]
The Combat Shillelagh Blog
Fundamentals of Power Generation in Irish Stick Fighting
Power is one of the most misunderstood concepts in martial arts. When people first begin training with a bata or shillelagh, there is often a natural assumption that hitting harder […]
Difference Between Drills and Open Practice in Irish Stick Fighting
Proper practice makes perfect. More accurately, proper practice makes permanent. Whatever you repeatedly train, whether it is correct or incorrect, is what your body will eventually default to under pressure. […]
Principle Based Instruction in Modern Day Irish Stick Fighting
At Combat Shillelagh, we spend a lot of time talking about principles. Techniques matter, of course, but techniques are really just vehicles for learning the principles behind them. If you […]
Combination Striking in Irish Stick Fighting
One of the major transitions that occurs as you progress through the Combat Shillelagh system is moving from practicing individual strikes to learning how to connect those strikes together. Early […]
Anatomy of the Shillelagh
One of the most common misconceptions about the traditional Irish shillelagh is that it is simply a stick. From a martial arts perspective, that description misses many of the characteristics […]
9 Gates of Attack and Defense in Irish Stick Fighting
One of the foundational concepts within the Combat Shillelagh Irish Stick Fighting System is what we call the 9 Gates of Attack and Defense. The 9 Gates provide a framework […]
History and Context as a Student of Irish Stick Fighting
A serious martial arts student should do more than memorize techniques. If you are going to invest years of your life studying an art, you should also invest the time […]
Making a Practice Striking Post for Irish Stick Fighting
One of the best ways to practice your strikes and striking patterns is to actually HIT something. When you train with live partners (safely, with safety gear), then you gain […]
Training Safely in Irish Stick Fighting
Irish Stick Fighting is a weapon-based martial art. That reality should shape the way we train from the beginning. A shillelagh, bata, cudgel, or even a simple wooden training stick […]