Kubotans are really little more than steel batons with one important extra feature--a key ring. It's hard to imagine that the metal loop at the end of your baton could inflict such misery on an attacker, but in the right hands that's exactly what it does. The ring's hooking ability may be used to draw combatants closer and do even more damage than striking alone.

The appeal of the steel baton is that it lacks the stigma of other types of weapons such as nunchakus, throwing stars, and brass knuckles. While these devices hold a certain cinematic mystique (who's ever heard of a great kubotan scene in a martial arts flick?), they're generally too exotic for most people to ever consider carrying. Not so with the kubotan.

Don't Bring a Knife to a Gunfight

One of the crucial determinants of your self-defense strategy is the weapon and skill level of your opponent. At the extreme end of the spectrum, a gun is quite lethal, even in the hands of an unwitting child. On the opposite end of that spectrum, an assailant who makes his move with nothing more than his own bare hands is to be judged solely by his physical prowess and training. Even an intermediate kubotan user can successfully thwart a fast and massive opponent who has little if any fighting skill.

The point then is that a steel baton won't save you in a shootout, but it can be an excellent deterrent in a hand-to-hand street fight. Kubotans are designed to maximize the impact of their striking force, so you needn't be a highly trained master to achieve the results you're after. It does help, however, to understand a few basic moves and techniques that can be applied using a baton, as these will only increase your range of options during a tussle.