| Why? I don't need to answer that. You already know - | | | | a stout stick on board. And you have! You are most |
| to Survive! | | | | definitely a keen athletic (big tough!) sportsman. "At |
| But why a walking stick? If you're a big tough guy, 4th | | | | training yesterday, M'Lud, I fell over and strained my |
| Dan Black Belt in karate or other martial art, you don't | | | | ankle. God it hurt! So I just HAD to use a stick to help |
| (really) need a walking stick to defend yourself. Unless | | | | me get about". Don't for heaven's sake say to the |
| your big interest is in fact stick fighting, | | | | magistrate that it helped you sit down and drink nine |
| sutekki-shin-jutsu. When you would always carry one, | | | | pints in the Pub! Looks bad. |
| as I do, for the fun (and the Hell!) of it. I'm never without | | | | Seriously, make sure you have a valid excuse for |
| my Stick and my Dog. (What about my wife?) | | | | bringing that stick along with you. Like a sporting injury - |
| But what if you are a young athletic cyclist or road | | | | to your FOOT, not your brains! |
| runner? This is a bit more (much more!) difficult. | | | | If you are a more middle-aged 'sportsman' - draughts, |
| Obviously you can't lug a walking stick around. A | | | | TV, sun bathing on the beach type - again make sure |
| kara-tetsu, now that's different, sensible and practical. | | | | you have a valid legally-sound reason for having a |
| So a stick is not for you, m'Love. My advice here is | | | | walking stick with you. Of course, you're much safer |
| breathe more oxygen, hold on to your karatetsu and | | | | legally than the youngsters, but you must still be |
| run even faster. Make sure you can outpace that | | | | absolutely secure. If you intend (sensibly) to carry a |
| mugger. | | | | walking stick as a self defence weapon, have some |
| Now you football kickers, rugby smash-downers, tennis | | | | kind of medically verifiable health excuse. Like a |
| hitters, here's your chance to walk through a park | | | | previous heart attack? No, not to that extreme - |
| without fear! Without trembling as you walk past those | | | | unless of course it happens to be true. You need |
| bushes. (Am I exaggerating? Of course I am!). I KNOW | | | | some minor leg, knee or ankle injury. NOT a headache! |
| you don't need a walking stick to defend yourselves. | | | | How do you get one? Easy, you buy it. You buy a |
| You could just spit and knock a mugger over. We all | | | | documented entry in your medical notes. But how? Go |
| know that. | | | | along to the Club Physiotherapist (free and friendly) or |
| But - a weapon in your hand is better than Willie in | | | | to a private physio (not free, but as you could be a |
| your ... | | | | future customer, very friendly and very sympathetic!) |
| Muggers, robbers and drunken yobs are everywhere. | | | | and say that you hurt your (leg, knee, foot) last month |
| No matter how good, tough and quick you are, there's | | | | and it's still bothering you. What advice could he give? |
| always some-one (or some-many) better. If you are | | | | You want him (for your £20) to slap on some |
| of a some-what martial nature, a stick is both fun and | | | | gunge, give it a ten-minute massage and 'see how it |
| utilitarian. My feeling is that a whack! on a nose can | | | | goes'. At which point you ask him "Would a walking |
| solve many arguments. | | | | stick help?" He will say 'Yes'. If he doesn't, press the |
| But now we come to legal issues. You must have a | | | | issue to get him to agree. This is important. This is your |
| watertight excuse for carrying that stick. You can't tell | | | | future legal survival. |
| the Police "I just happened to have it with me and | | | | Now, if ever you belt a mugger on the nose, you have |
| when that b-----d looked at me I felt mentally injured, | | | | a valid verifiable reason for carrying your walking stick, |
| so I chased after him and changed his mind-set for | | | | and the Police could not 'do you' for using an offensive |
| him" Not Allowed! Jail! If you run away - Good Boy! If | | | | weapon, nor could the (swollen nose'd) mugger sue |
| you chase him, you are participating in a FIGHT - Bad | | | | you for punitive damages. |
| Boy! | | | | PS If you do indeed need to use a walking stick to |
| (I'm not saying that I myself necessarily agree with that. | | | | help you get about, use it in the hand opposite to your |
| But that is most certainly the legal view.) | | | | bad leg. Injured left foot - stick in the right hand. |
| SO - you must have a valid legal justification for having | | | | |