Nissan 370Z Forum - Maryland Seniors Master The Art of "Cane-Fu"

"Cane-Fu" :icon17: I love that name!

SALISBURY, Md. (USA TODAY)

About 25 seniors gathered in the meeting room gasp as course leader Mark Shuey uses a cane to take a whack at David Gunzburg, an instructor who volunteered to be a test dummy.
Shuey starts with a poke in the stomach before he cracks Gunzburg in the crotch with his cane. As if Gunzburg hasn't had enough by this point, Shuey grabs his neck with the handle of the cane and thrusts him to the ground.

Before seniors got their chance to wallop Gunzburg, Shuey demonstrated a number of other ways that they could bring an attacker to the ground, some that made them giggle and some that made them sympathize with him.

But these residents of the Lodges at Naylor Mill, an independent-living complex for seniors, finished knowing that a potential attacker will think twice before trying to take someone's wallet again.

Mastering 'Cane-Fu'

"When you get to be my age, you start to worry about someone's punk kid harassing you," says Shuey, 62. "The more they use (the cane), the better they get with it."

This is the new world of self-defense for seniors, at least as taught by Shuey, founder of Cane Masters, a Lake Tahoe, Nev.-based company that manufactures custom canes.

Shuey, a tae kwon do and hapkido expert, created an exercise and self-defense program for seniors using their canes. He travels around the world teaching them his course.

He calls it Cane-Fu.

"The cane is more than a crutch," Shuey says. "They can feel empowered by it."

In the exercise portion, he teaches seniors how to use the cane and a resistance rubber band in a variety of exercises. Shuey says some of his students have graduated from a walker back to a cane. For the defense portion, Shuey advises that seniors strike attackers in the knee, shin or elbow.

"A lot of people don't realize that you could stop many attacks just by knowing how to swing a cane," Shuey says. "A lot of people say it's just a stick, but it's a great tool to learn to use."

There are about 3,500 Cane Masters International Association students nationwide who are learning Cane-Fu, according to Steve Baker, general manager of Cane Masters. The sponsoring groups pay about $7 to $10 per participant per class.

Hardwoods make an impression

"The cane is one hell of a nasty tool, and if you don't teach someone right, you could hurt people," Shuey says. "I want to help people, not teach them to do something they shouldn't do."

Shuey says that any kind of cane will work for Cane-Fu - including aluminum or pine.

"But the best are hardwood canes made of hickory or oak that don't easily break on impact."

Shuey started in the martial arts when he was 22, but the art of defending oneself with a cane developed much earlier.

The cane was used in fencing in 16th-century France, but was little practiced after the beginning of the 20th century, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Canes also were used as a martial arts weapon in the Korean discipline Hapkido.

"Hopefully, nobody will have to use a cane for what I'm teaching them to use it for," Shuey says. "But I hope everybody knows how to use it so they can protect their families."

Tim Rochford, president and head instructor for Empower Training System, a program that offers self-defense and other fitness training, offers cautions for seniors.

"It's great to have seniors learn physical skills," he says. "But they also have to learn about awareness."

They need to learn how to not put themselves in situations in which they will have to defend themselves, but how to be prepared for an emergency, he says.

The cane "doesn't look like a menacing weapon - it makes it appear like you have a handicap - it could make you look like a good target, but it can also work to your advantage if you need it."

Rochford explains that it's also important for the user to learn "to handle the adrenaline rush.

"They need to experience a realistic situation or as close as possible to see how they react to a real threat."

Preston Collins, a resident of Lodges of Naylor Mill, says that despite requests by his doctors, he doesn't normally carry a cane when he takes walks with his dog, Duncan. After taking these classes, he plans to start.

"I think it's good that they (Cane Masters) come and keep your mind on something, because this place - I call it a slowdown - you ain't got much to do," Collins, 78, says.

"I don't wanna hurt nobody, but if I had to, I would."