Steel Batons Can Maim or Kill

I don’t ordinarily recommend a telescopic steel baton to most people for self defense.  Yes they are lightweight.  Yes they are very easy to carry holstered and open for use quickly.  Are they the best self defense product for John or Jane Doe?  No, in my opinion they aren’t.

A steel baton is an effective and potentially lethal self defense weapon in the hands of a skilled user.  This would be a person well versed in Kali/Eskrima/Arnis, a trained Police Officer or just an ordinary Joe, who has taken the time to learn how to use one by continuous swinging and fooling around with the baton.

For the average person, they can easily lose control of one during the stress and adrenaline rush brought on by an encounter that they feel, requires one’s use.  Sure you can get lucky and smack someone in the ‘noggin’ with one and beat a hasty retreat.  But odds are that your attacker will still be standing and fighting after that swing.  Unless your strike was a one shot disabling blow – get ready to keep swinging.  Chances are that your attacker will be a better fighter than you and may wrestle it from your grasp and use it on you!  That’s a bad strategy.

For those well versed in using a baton, they can be deadly – which is another concern for the Doe family if they end up in jail for battering an unarmed man/woman with a steel baton and happen to cripple or kill the attacker.  I think these are best suited for law enforcement and skilled fighters who know where to strike and how hard – to achieve the desired result.

Tonight there was a clip on TV showing a So. American Security Guard who became distraught while arguing with a photographer outside a building, when out of the blue, he beat this poor fellow half to death before members of his own team came and stopped him.  They were last seen running from the scene of the uncalled for “beat down” and out of the view of cameras.  Nice job there cool breeze!  He almost killed an Asian photographer 1/2 his size because he lost his temper and was armed with a telescopic steel baton.  He could have simply grabbed him under the armpit and ran him off on his tip-toes but he lost his cool and someone nearly died for that lapse in self control.

If you have one, use it wisely - they are great weapons, but only in the hands of someone who is properly trained and certified to use it in an appropriate fashion!