I just read that Bridgeman Savate teaches not only the traditional stick and cane as part of their curriculum, but they also teach chair. So I got curious, and did a little YouTubing.

Here’s a vintage karate demonstration:

And here’s a jujitsu one:

Not to be outdone, the ninjas of To Shin Do show chair techniques at 1:15 of this video:

What I find interesting is the Bridgeman Savate actually have a method to hold the chair and use it as a weapon, as opposed to the foregoing videos which show defenses from a seated position.

With your right hand, grasp the right side of the back of the chair just above the seat. Whilst lifting the chair grasp the right forward leg with your left hand. From this position snap the chair up to assume on-guard facing your assailant. This is done by stepping forward with your left foot so your feet are about shoulder width apart with knees flexed. The tip of the left forward leg of the chair is the thrusting point and plays a critical part in aligning the chair.

This is an excellent topic for exploration of the Advanced Actor-Combatant in their Found Weapon portion of FDC certification. A chair is completely unlike other weapons, and offers many possibilities. An umbrella can be used like a sword and a ladder like a staff, but a chair is a three-dimensional volume with legs pointing out one end, and really takes some time to figure out. I’m looking forward to trying some experiments for myself (since flying to Australia for a chair workshop is a little extravagant).