For many years Filipino martial artists used the rattan stick as a safe tool for training in sword fighting.  In recent years people have forgotten the original intent of stick training and have come to think that the rattan stick is the actual weapon.  Rattan sticks are too soft and light to do serious damage—hence their use as training tools.  The weapon to be used in a confrontation is a hardwood stick or a sword.  In the long and medium ranges the sword and stick are quite similar in usage, and there is significant overlap in the training.  In the short ranges, however, the two are very different. Stick fighting can use a lot of grip changes to escape arm isolations and other grappling moves, and sticks can be held at both ends at the same time for “cross check” moves and other grappling moves.  The beginning of stick/sword training involves a lot of footwork exercises with different variations introduced over time. Strike power and precision are practiced by using templates and repetitions of proper basic striking.