Kubotan is a small stick (mostly wooden) that is used for self defense by employing specialized techniques. Read the following story to know more about this interesting weapon and the techniques with which you can use it.
Self defense has come to be very, very important in today's world. With the rise in crime and the bad times upon us, learning some form of self defense exercises, either in the form of martial arts or any other, becomes a must.
It is in reference to this that the kubotan has gained importance. The kubotan can be used for protecting oneself after one goes through effective training in the usage of the said technique. Let us get into the details of the same in the following sections.
Characteristics
The kubotan is a small 5-6 inch cylindrical stick that is usually made of wood and is used as a self defense weapon. When you first look at it, it seems rather unimpressive because of its size.
But once you know the number of things that can be done with that wooden stick, you will be more than impressed. It acts as a great self defense technique for women as well as men.
The kubotan was developed by Shihan Tak Kubota from his famous pen technique. Even though it retains the joint locking and striking techniques of the famous Yawara judo stick, it is definitely not a smaller version of it. The main principle for the effective use of this technique is based on that of pain compliance.
After training in this particular format, a person can administer a lot of pain to an attacker and restrain his advances, no matter what his size, weight or strength is. All this is done through careful training that can be learned from any of the specialized institutes and will teach you how to defend yourself in a fight.
An important point to note is that the tool is sold to only those people who have been sufficiently trained in the varied techniques. Given its small size, the wooden stick can be easily carried by random people and can thus be used for crime rather than self defense. To make sure that this does not happen, the kubotan is only sold to people who have been trained in using it.
This stick is usually carried around as a key ring with keys attached at the end. But even with that, it becomes a lethal nunchaku, because the entire device can be used for striking and hitting an opponent.
These days, the device is even being designed in the form of a kubotan flashlight, where the original body is retained and it is fitted with a flashlight. Thus it serves a dual purpose.
Techniques
The specialized techniques are meant to teach you the correct ways of how to use a kubotan effectively. Even though this section will supply you with some specialized techniques, it is advised (and highly recommended) that you take special training before using these techniques.
Technique 1
As the attacker is advancing towards you, put your weak arm and leg forward (left for right-handed people and vice versa) so that your strong arm and leg are free to act.
Grab the attacker's weak wrist (you can gauge from the way he/she stands. For e.g., if there is a weapon in their hands, it'll be in their strong hand.)
Make sure the stick is in your strong hand.
Put the kubotan over the attacker's wrist so that it is horizontal to the ground.
Hold it in place with your weak thumb, while the rest of your fingers should be clasping the attacker's wrists.
Tighten the grip on the stick by drawing your weak thumb in and squeezing the hand tightly.
Simultaneously, push downward with the strong hand and maintain even pressure.
Do not allow the device to slip at any cost.
Now, apply tremendous pressure to the suspect's wrist and step back with the entire pressure on your strong leg.
Pull and throw the suspect to the ground.
Keep the weak wrist trapped with the kubotan and call for help.
Technique 2
With the attacker advancing towards you or trying to punch you, put out your weak arm and shift the weight onto your strong leg.
Side step from the punching zone and get the stick into your strong hands.
Get to the attacker's wrists and use your weak hand to hold the kubotan in place over the wrist and the strong hand to firmly grasp it.
Apply even pressure on both hands and using extra force, force the attacker onto the ground.
Step back onto your strong leg. This will force the attacker to remain on the ground.
Not letting go of the stick, bend the attacker's arm and press down onto his/her waist with your knees. This will render his movements useless.
Continue to apply pressure and cause pain.
Call for help because your hands will be tied.
The kubotan techniques are commonly used by police academies to train their officers. As more and more civilians are learning the importance of self-defense tactics, it is not long before this technique will be used fairly commonly by all. So if you're thinking of enrolling for some self defense classes, then kubotan should definitely be an option on your list.