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WABUKAN Arsenal · Staffs and sticks · Africa

Knobkerrie / induku

A short club with a heavy knob, used in southern Africa. In Nguni stick fighting one stick attacks and the other defends.

Knobkerrie / induku
Knobkerrie / induku WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

iwisa · iwisa; induku (stick); umsila

Origin and history

The knobkerrie (iwisa) is the knobbed club of southern African peoples such as the Zulu and Xhosa. Nguni stick fighting uses a long stick (induku) to strike and a second stick (and sometimes a small shield) to guard; it was traditionally practised by young herders.

Martial arts that use it

Nguni Stick Fighting

Construction

A hardwood club of about 50–90 cm with a heavy round knob carved from the root end; fighting sticks (induku) are straight and longer.

Basic techniques

Training

Stick and staff training starts with grips, stances and basic strikes and blocks practised in the air or on a target, then two-person drills at controlled speed. Many schools use rattan or padded sticks for sparring, with a helmet and gloves.

Safety

Wear a helmet with a face grille and padded gloves for any contact work; hands and fingers are the most common injuries. Check sticks for cracks and splinters and retire damaged ones.

Legality (general information)

Sticks, staffs and other impact or flexible weapons are ordinary objects in some countries and restricted weapons in others (several European countries, for example, regulate nunchaku, batons or weighted chains). Carrying one in public without a good reason can be an offence even where owning it is legal. Transport it in a bag and use it in the training hall. This is general information, not legal advice: check local law.

Did you know?

Stick fighting is still part of some weddings and festivals, and in South Africa the knobkerrie was carried as a symbol at political gatherings.

More weapons

Asa (tahtib stick) Lathi Gatka soti and farri Quarterstaff Varapau Combat cane (canne)

Sources

Original WABUKAN text, written from these cross-checked sources (facts, not sentences).

  1. Wikipedia — Knobkerrie
  2. Wikipedia — Nguni stick-fighting