At its most basic level, a shillelagh is a force multiplier. It gives the person holding it additional reach, leverage, mass, and the ability to concentrate force into a relatively […]
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Using Striking Patterns to Stretch the Defense in Irish Stick Fighting
At first glance, a tennis court probably seems like a strange visual reference for Irish Stick Fighting. A tennis ball bouncing from one side of the court to the other […]
Broken Rhythm: Controlling Distance, Timing, and Tempo in Irish Stick Fighting
In Irish Stick Fighting, it is easy to focus on the visible parts of an exchange: the shillelagh, the strike, the block, the footwork, or the target. But underneath all […]
The Four Stages of Competence in Irish Stick Fighting
Learning Irish Stick Fighting is not simply a matter of collecting techniques. A student can watch a strike, imitate the movement, and even make contact with a target without necessarily […]
The Body Envelope and Maintaining Structure in Irish Stick Fighting
As students progress into the higher levels of Irish Stick Fighting, one of the concepts we spend more and more time discussing is structure. It is not enough to simply […]
Body Alignment and Why Structure Matters in Irish Stick Fighting
One of the easiest mistakes to make in martial arts is to think about body alignment only when we are standing still. We check our posture, set our feet, position […]
How to Measure for a Shillelagh: What Size Shillelagh Do You Need?
How to Measure for a Shillelagh If you are buying your first shillelagh, one of the most important questions to answer is: what size shillelagh do I need? Choosing the […]
The Kinetic Chain and Power Generation in Irish Stick Fighting
The kinetic chain is one of the most important ideas in martial arts, even if many students do not hear the term right away. In simple terms, the kinetic chain […]
How Can I Tell the Difference Between a Real Shillelagh and a Fake One?
The best way to judge a shillelagh is to combine wood characteristics, construction and provenance. Color alone is unreliable because genuine sticks may be stained, smoked, varnished or heavily polished. […]
How to Care for and Maintain Your Shillelagh
The best maintenance method depends on whether your blackthorn shillelagh has a sealed finish or an oil/wax finish. Most commercially made Irish blackthorn sticks are varnished or lacquered, so they […]