How tall are you? I ordered another cane at 52" and am worried it's going to be too short (I *think* I measured my old cane at 48-50 or so, but I'm nervous I measured wrong).

If you like to walk fast, a longer cane is going to be your friend. Of course, speed comes with time and skill. You might have to slow down a little to get a good technique down before being able to walk safely at your preferred pace. The type of tip will affect weight (ceramic, pencil, and metal glide tips tend to be the lightest), and canes can be made of lighter materials if the weight is really holding you back.

I find that the lighter the tip, the speedier I can be with either constant contact or two-point touch.

All in all, the biggest thing is probably going to be time and slogging through the adjustment period. Like scales on an instrument - it might be slow at first, but eventually you can zip up and down the notes in a flash.

So some people will definitely balk at this, but the NFB canes totally changed my traveling.

If you're not familiar, the National Federation of the Blind canes are made from either carbon fiber or fiber glass. Instead of being the standard black, white, and red, they are all white from handle to tip.

Additionally, the tips are made from chrome, so they won't glide quite the same way. Instead of sweeping it from side to side, you use what's called the open palm technique. That's gonna be very hard to describe via text, but I'll try.

Basically, you're gonna hold your cane in the palm of your hand with your palm facing the ceiling. Then, you'll move your cane from side to side by opening and closing your hand. This is supposed to reduce the strain on your wrists, preventing fun things like carpel tunnel. It's very similar to the two-point touch technique, and you can definitely use that one if the open palm feels too strange to you at first.

I like the NFB canes because they're just a solid white and don't look so much like a medical device. They're also the lightest canes I've ever used, and since I've switched, I am never going back.

If you're interested in trying one, you can get a rigid, i.e. non-folding cane for free $1.

If you find you like them, NFB also sells a folding cane and a telescopic one, too. The telescopic ones are great when you have to open your cane on a crowded bus or train.

I hope that helps.

What I found hard at first was getting used to my arms needing to swing counter to the way they would walking without a cane.

Say you, like me, are right handed. When you push your right leg forward, you want it to push your right arm and cane forward to sweep out to the left. When your left leg goes forward, your cane is pushed back to sweep right while your right arm is kept more or less in line with your leg.

At first it is a conscious thing, you focus on a step forward pushing your cane forward. Just walk around focusing on that rhythm. The more you do it though the better you'll get and the more it'll become second nature. I'm a very fast walker and can keep rhythm with my pace now while when I started I could hardly keep rhythm even if I slowed considerably!

The most important thing is to keep practicing.

I imagine you already have the basic movements and foot coordination down since you did mobility training.

If you want to do constant contact then you might want to get a graphite came from Revolution. The tip isn't designed to be removed but they are lighter. The joints don't have the aluminium flanges that the Ambutech canes have. You can also order a cane from either company with a cork handle to reduce weight even more.

Right now I'm using a 56" Ambutech with a plastic marshmallow tip for mostly two-point touch. I was using the roller tip until a construction fence swallowed it one day (going tipless even for a few minutes suck)_.

IMO the Ambutech has too much mass to comfortably do constant contact with a roller. Plus the tip will catch on every. single, crack.

I want to find the dude who put cracks in sidewalks and punch them. Yes I know those are expansion joints, but still.

I sized mine up by measuring up to the base of my armpit. That's how my instructor showed me to do it but I imagine something longer would help for going fast.

I would see about getting trained for two-point touch and buying pencil tips do your cane. It takes practice to get the rhythm and grip down but it’s lighter, quicker and IMO gives you more information than a roller.

A lot of blind associations will set people up with roller tips because they have a shallower learning curve and doesn’t catch as much, but there are better tools for the job.

Also, some O&M instructors swear by the “hand in front” method, but I’ve had no issues keeping my hand at my side and adjusting how far I sweep in either direction accordingly. It lets me walk more naturally and keeps me from catching a jab to the gut when my cane gets caught on something.

I use a 54" cane, and I'm 6'.

I tried longer, but it's so unwieldy. At first, I went slow just trying to get the cadence down, but it's become a lot easier to walk faster with better tapping (I two tap), and the shorter cane doesn't make me feel like I need to start singing sea chanties because I'm off to harpoon a whale.

I've been unfortunate because I can't get O&M training right now in my area, so I've had to read and find videos to try and apply it. Blind people have to have rhythm to use a cane properly, which you'll develop fast. Counting out steps helped me at first. I'm still sighted, so I REALLY had to get used to not watching my feet, which is what I've had to do for years because my FOV is so small.

Practice, practice, practice. Have someone set up an obstacle course for you (it really helped me) and try to navigate it until you really get a feel for what your cane feels like against thgs. Walk with it every day, even if it's just along a trail in the park.

I've found as I've gotten used to it I can more effectively use my hearing because I'm not stressed out about constantly shifting my gaze to try and see what's around me, which wasn't very effective anyway.

You'll get it faster than you think. Especially because of the mobility you'll gain, you'll have a ton of incentive to get it right.

I have mobility issues and therefore I do not swing the cane from side to side all the time. I do it only when in unfamiliar place or in a large crowd. That saves my arm strength somewhat. I have the cane in front of me and the tip is the biggest rolling ball they got because it does not get stuck on surfaces and trip me over.

Probably not the best advice for everyone but my tendency to get spasms does not allow for wife movement of the cane at all times. Also muscles get used to new movement gradually so take it easy in the beginning and good luck on your trips with the cane!

O&M specialist again.

I’m about 5 foot 10 inches. I prefer a cane at about 56 to 60 inches long. That’s just to match my stride though. I walk slower with a cane though. I tell my students that the cane should reach their armpit. Some say the bottom of the breast bone, but that’s really short for me. Other camps like the NFB say it should go up to your chin or your earlobe. It’s really personal preference at that point.

I prefer really light weight canes because I have wrist issues. I like graphite or fiberglass. Choose your material wisely. Fiberglass will shatter in cold weather. Also, that jumbo roller really adds weight to the cane. Try a smaller tip like the regular roller or a basic pencil or marshmallow tip. I tend to use a touch and slide technique to stick with the shoreline very often.

Disclaimer: I don’t want you to start challenging your instructor because I’m giving advice. Figure out what you prefer and ask them for advice. Come up with a solution together, because this training is all about you.