This weekend I had the honor to train with the one and only Glen Doyle, as he shared his family's time-tested methods of Shillelagh fighting. This was my first experience in Irish stick fighting and I have to say it was amazing to learn so much and in such a great environment. Glen Doyle's teaching method complemented how I like to train and teach very well and I could tell I was learning a lot of new information that will be integrated into my training immediately. This style had been passed down from father to son for generations and it was a real privilege to share some sweat with everyone present. We learned about the roots of the system, how it changed over the years and for what purpose, how Glen learned it from his father and, most importantly, how to be an effective stick fighter! Also, a big thanks to Kevin Secours for hosting Glen and introducing all of us to his great methods.
Tried and Tested
Glen shared some of the rich history of Irish stick fighting with us this weekend. He told us about the Whiskey Wars, which was a period in time when major whiskey companies were sending gangs of stick fighters to their competitors, some to please their English consumers tastes and others to maintain the honor of family recipes. The style teaches a lot of spacial awareness and proper footwork, sure signs of a battle-tested fighting method. I'm a firm believer that a martial art style or instructor can instantly prove its legitimacy by answering questions before you've had a chance to ask them. When I'm being taught why swinging my stick to wildly might accidentally hit someone on my side or that stepping a certain way will make sure I don't trip over bodies, I know I'm being exposed to the real deal.
Personal Touch
We were also given the opportunity to hear about how Glen had been taught this family art from his father. Starting with boxing at the age of four, he then went on to learn the fundamentals of stick fighting and he demonstrated some exercises that his father used to teach footwork and movement by making him work empty handed first. He shared with us many fond memories of training with his father and family lessons that had been passed on to him. Glen also shared with us that we wouldn't have had the opportunity to learn about the Doyle Shillelagh fighting method if his father hadn't agreed to let him teach outside the family for the first time. For that, we owe Glen a big thank you. With each new lesson, there was a sense of history and personal memories that Glen shared with his father and it was humbling to be a part of that.
Choices and Variations
With the accumulation of injuries and an aging body, I always appreciate learning variations. It's important for me to have options when it comes to delivery mechanisms. The techniques we learned also came with options that the art has developed over different generations and contexts. The first generation often held the stick in one hand, more like an armed boxing style. To counter this, fighters developed a two-handed style that would confuse the more traditional fighters. With the incorporation of the two-handed style, fist were still used for punching in a much less telegraphic way. We were shown variations on hits to prioritize speed, power or balance and encouraged to try them all and decided which worked best for us. Due to knee injuries and feeling particularly sore that day (thanks, Kevin) I opted to work with the more stable stance. I enjoyed the option of trying variations on just about every thing we practiced that day. This is also a good sign of a battle hardened fighting system. No two fighters move the same and I'm glad that was addressed as well.
I highly enjoyed training in the Doyle stick fighting system and I'm happy to have months of homework and practice ahead of me. Glen shared some of the amazing history of the style with us so that each exercise always had a sense of context and we always knew what situation we were training for. It was very interesting to hear about his own path in martial arts and learning under his father, who we all hoped to honor in our own training. Glen taught with humor, humility, respect and an assistant instructor who had a lot of really good tips to share with me and help me learn faster (thanks, Chris!). For more information on Glen Doyle and his martial arts, just check out www.doylesmartialartsclub.com. Also, another big thank you to Kevin Secours for making this seminar possible and all the participants at Integrated Fighting Systems for the great experience.
Jordan Bill
Fight or Die
www.ScrapyardFighting.com
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