Self-defense baton: advantages and disadvantages
Self-defense batons: how much can they improve our protection level?
Batons are force multipliers and automatically improve the strength of our attacks, however (like any self-defense tool), they come with advantages and disadvantages to be carefully considered.
Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).
In this article, we will delve into what entails entrusting our safety to a self-defense baton, through an overview that will allow us to understand if it is a good or bad idea.
The types of self-defense batons
Before exploring the advantages and disadvantages, it is essential to understand the macro-categories of tools we are talking about:
- Expandable batons – Very popular, they are composed of 2-4 sections retractable into one (which makes them easy to carry and hide); more or less rigid (made of metal or polymers), they normally have a cylindrical tip and with a flick of the wrist they can quickly be extended to their full-length (normally between 30-65 cm)
- Fixed-length batons – As the name suggests, these are just rigid sticks (made of metal, wood polymers, etc.); in this category, we can include a large number of tools, from the Eskrima’s arnis to the truncheon (between 30-75 cm)
- Camouflaged / improper batons – Objects of common use that hide / include a strong core (eg. made of metal) usable in combat; in this group, we include fake umbrellas, walking sticks, etc. (between 30-100cm)
Broadly understood the type of weapon we are analyzing, let’s see the advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages and disadvantages of self-defense batons
- Do they have a deterrent effect? – Yes but certainly inferior to a knife; the probabilities of preventing an aggression just by showing a baton are proportional to various not-secondary factors, like the material, the familiarity we demonstrate with it, our physical state and even its length / diameter; what we are trying to say is that something that looks like a baseball bat is much more frightening than a sort of “large pen” but in both cases if the opponent feels to have an adequate martial preparation or is very determined, he / she will attack anyway (read also Self-defense: evaluate the opponent’s preparation [MINI-GUIDE])
- Do they risk causing big damage? – On a purely theoretical plan, batons’ design should allow incapacitating an attacker without causing permanent harm (they have no blades or tips, etc.); said this, since even a punch can kill a person in certain circumstances and being the baton a force multiplier, a lethal outcome cannot be completely excluded (let’s also consider the risk related to falling in an unprotected environment, read The falling techniques (breakfalls) [MINI-GUIDE] and What is the difference between real fights and combative sports)
- Are they easy to use? – Yes and no, when implemented correctly, a baton can certainly put us in the position to disable an aggressor (even if a bit stronger than us eg. giving us time to escape and / or seek help) but it all depends on our preparation; substantially just with a very basic training, most people can learn to handle a baton effectively (read At the base of each weapon: the short stick); if instead we are totally new to martial arts and / or if our body does not respond well we risk to be easily disarmed (drastically turning the situation against us)
- Are they legal? – Unlike many other weapons (eg. firearms), batons are (without special permits) legal to buy and carry in most areas but in most cases, they remain objects directly created to offend; that may very easily pull us to the field of non-proportional defense (but do not trust these words, let’s check in detail what the laws say in our country)
- Are they fast to handle? – Yes, unless we keep them in a closed and / or full of objects bag, the baton will be immediately at our disposal, practically at no time, with no preparation to be carried out (as for example happens with a pistol); the crucial point is that, once in our hands, the weapon is immediately ready for use; this, considering the possibility of being surprised and (above all) the high level of stress of a fight-or-flight situation, is by no means a secondary factor
- Are they effective in a real scenario? – Yes, even with an only basic preparation they are an ideal tool for a self-defense fight; they allow us to maintain a “certain distance” and they multiply our strength (in addition to this they can be used in constrictions and to reach specific weak points but this requires a more advanced path)
- …
The final evaluation
A few important aspects on which reflect:
- A self-defense baton may surely be a tool that can provide a significant advantage in a real personal defense scenario but only when the other possibilities at our disposal have already failed (read Personal defense: the S.A.F.E. method); in all the other cases it is incredibly counterproductive even only to show it
- No self-defense tool can replace a correct preparation for self-defense (read Best martial arts for self-defense); If we delude ourselves that the baton is a shortcut to avoid studying and training, it is probably better not to even buy it (handling a weapon about which we have not the slightest knowledge means in most cases increasing our risks instead of decreasing them)
- In general (but precise assessments must be made regarding the laws in force), the cases in which it makes sense to carry such a weapon include situations that we already know have a high probability of aggression; in a normal context it probably doesn’t make much sense to walk around with something like a telescopic stick
- …
A note by Master Kongling – My personal opinion: I generally don’t like carrying (unjustifiable) explicit weapons with me, I prefer to work on prevention, to train my body and especially my mind (two things that are with me 24x7x365, that I can never forget at home and that cannot be disarmed). This doesn’t mean that, when I am forced to fight, I feel invincible or looking for a balanced fight (in self-defense the victim always starts with a strong gap, read Sudden aggressions: the disadvantage of self-defense): on the contrary, I always search for the most rapid way to create an overwhelming advantage but always considering what I already planned, what I already have and / or what I can recover (read Self-defense improvised weapons [MINI-GUIDE]). With the right mental attitude and adequate training, almost any object can become a weapon.
In the next article of this series, we will evaluate other self-defense tools.
In-depth video courses
- Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu exercises – 5 exercises that alone allow to build real martial skills
- Self-defense: not violent self-preservation – The most effective part of our self-defense path
- Self-defense basics: how to – Our fundamental self-defense preparation
- Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu weapons – A course about the weapons that teach us to use all the others
- Weapon disarming: what works and what not – A serious approach to weapon disarming
- The basics of the knife – Learn the bases of the fastest and most unpredictable martial weapon
In-depth articles
- Why martial arts do not work: 5 reasons – The hidden limits of a superficial preparation
- Self-defense ineffective weapons: when & why – A debunking the most common self-defense tools
Questions
Reply in the comments and share your experience:
- Have you ever picked up a self-defense baton?
Author: Master Kongling
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