Kubotan
The Kubotan (sometimes erroneously spelled as Kubaton) self-defense keychain, is a close-quarter self-defense weapon developed by Soke Takayuki Kubota. It is essentially a derivation of the Yawara stick, usually 5.5 - 6 inches (14 - 15.25cm) long and slightly thicker than a marker pen. Attached with a keyring for convenience and concealment, the kubotan appears as an innocuous key fob to the untrained eye.
Aside from its size and shape, much of it's usage is quite similar to the Yawara stick. As with the Yawara stick, the principal areas for attacks in self-defense include bony, fleshy and nerve targets such as knuckles, forearms, bridge of the nose, shins, stomach, solar plexus, spine, temple, ribs, groin, neck, eyes etc. The Kubotan is usually held in either an icepick (for hammerfist strikes) or forward grip (for stabbing and pressure point attacks). Common uses include hardening the fist (fistload) for punching, attacking vulnerable parts of an assailant's body, and gaining leverage on an assailant's wrist, fingers and joints. With keys attached, it can also function as a flailing weapon. As a pressure point weapon it can attack any point a finger can, but with greater penetration because of the smaller surface area at the ends. A trademark pain compliance technique which Soke Kubota developed specifically for the Kubotan is the wrist gasket pressure lock whereby the attacker's wrist is captured using both hands with the body of the Kubotan laid across the radial bone. Downward squeezing pressure is then applied to the bone to submit the opponent. Its techniques are greatly linked to 'empty handed' martial arts techniques, and almost all of its uses can complement the fighting style in which it is included. It is one of the few weapons that can adapt to an art, rather than just dictate its own set of movements and uses.
The use of the Kubotan (and similar weapons like the Yawara stick and the Koppo stick) makes it a particularly interesting weapon because improvised versions can be readily found and can be equally effective. Since a Kubotan is just a rod of plastic, metal or wood, any restrictive regulation would most likely be ambiguous and undefined due to the ability for any rod-shaped item to essentially be used in kubotan-like fashion. This property makes it one of the few weapons that can be replaced by everyday items, whilst retaining all its combative properties. Typical improvised items can include rolled up paper or magazines, a roll of hard candy, hairbrushes, pens, magic markers and Sharpies®, flashlights, twigs, Tootsie® rolls, etc. Almost anything with roughly the same shape and size can be a viable replacement.
In the United States, Kubotans are still widely unregulated. In the UK, however, Kubotans (and improvised items such as pens/flashlights/markers) are illegal, if it can be proved they are carried with intent to injure.
History
Kubotan is a registered trademark of Soke Takayuki Kubota, who originally developed it as a tool for police officers to restrain suspects without permanent injury. Its popularity began in the mid-1970s when Kubota first brought the weapon to the attention of the LAPD and began schooling female officers in its application. It is often touted as extremely effective in breaking the will of unruly suspects with painful locks and pressure point strikes. Because of that the Kubotan is also sometimes dubbed the Instrument of Attitude Adjustment. The Kubotan gradually expanded toward all law enforcement and civilian self-defense applications and is now a widely recognized self-defense tool.
The authentic Kubotan (as sold by Takayuki Kubota) is a hard high-impact plastic rod about 5.5 inches (14 cm) long and 9/16 (0.56) inch (1.5 cm) in diameter. The body is marked with six circular grooves for added grip and bite, and there is a screw eye with a split ring attached to one end for keys. There are many other forms and variations of the original design available, ranging from aluminum alloy to spiked, pointed, tapered ones to more offensive looking "ninja" models that contain blades, spikes, hidden darts or tear gas. Although they may be marketed as Kubotans, they are not and are actually classified along the lines of Self-Defense Keychain Sticks or SDKS.
The umbrella term pocket stick is also used sometimes to classify rod-shaped hand weapons like the Kubotan.