I was watching the much acclaimed Bollywood movie - Rajneeti on television and was pleasantly surprised when in one of the scenes Arjun Rampal picked up a baseball bat to kill a police officer.This got me thinking....whatever happened to the good old hockey stick ? The favorite weapon of our Hindi film bad guys or rather...of their hired goons who would invariably always arrive on the scene in Maruti Omnis.
Now, being a fan of the TV show - Deadliest Warrior, my mind at once began evaluating the deadliness of the baseball bat as compared to the hockey stick. I began speculating which of the two would serve as a better weapon in a fight. Would the desi hockey stick - the weapon of choice of Hindi movie goondas come up trumps over the American baseball bat, which is wielded so effectively by the American mafia as shown in Hollywood gangster flicks?
Unlike in 'Deadliest Warrior', where the presenters have access to field experts, sophisticated technology (slow-motion video cameras, sensors), medical experts and not to forget the crash test dummies and pig carcasses, I had access to nothing at all (not even the baseball bat or the hockey stick). So instead of giving up on this 'evaluation' exercise altogether, I persisted with the stubbornness of a mule. However, unlike that beast of burden which works its ass off (pun intended), I decided to adopt a less physically demanding approach. In essence this involved me, relaxing on a chair sipping on a cup of thick chicken soup and employing my 'little grey cells' (as Hercule Poirot would say) to arrive at a decision.
Now, while the baseball bat does seem heavier, in some situations the hockey stick would prove more effective due to its curved J-shaped structure. For instance, the J-shaped end of the stick can be easily used to block attacks from the opponent and even disarm him of any weapon. Why ? Just have a look at the resemblance that the hockey stick shares with the Chinese hooked sword.
Also I feel the hockey stick...and now don't laugh..... can in some way even be cleverly disguised as a walking stick. This brings in the element of stealth. Now just imagine this scene -
A weary old man heading home from the market. He uses a hockey stick as his walking stick and decides to take a shortcut home, which happens to be a deserted path. Unknown to him, hiding in the bushes is a petty thief looking to make quick buck. He spots the old man walking on the road and with no one about the thief decides to seize the opportunity. The thief brandishing an ordinary club grunts, "Give me all you money old man and I'll let you live". The old man remains calm and to the thief's surprise, smiles saying, "Now go along home son, I shan't be giving you anything". The thief, now offended by the old man's reply leans forward to strike. However, before the thief can make his move, the old man, unknown to the thief as being a master of the art of hockey stick fighting, strikes the thief on his legs using the base of the hockey stick throwing the thief off-balance. He then completes his move by spinning the hockey stick around and using the J-shaped end to disarm the thief . The thief never suspected anything. At the end of it all, the old man walks away, with his money jingling in his pockets, while the thief is left with a damaged leg and and even worse - a damaged reputation.
To conclude another post which ended up becoming much larger than I imagined, I would say that the hockey stick has an edge over the baseball bat. While the baseball bat can do some heavy damage due to its weight and size, in a real fight it all boils down to the fighter's skill. With its unique J-shape and lighter body structure, the hockey stick allows its wielder to use a wide variety of moves which a baseball bat can't. In short, the hockey stick is superior as it is a thinking man's weapon, while the baseball bat is a weapon of brutes.
Found this post interesting ? Then check out this interesting video comparing an Ice Hockey stick with the Baseball bat on Stick vs. Bat
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