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 An important message from the president of J & L:Hello everyone, and thank you for visiting our site. After more than 10 years of online retailing with our original shopping system, we have finally completed our "New" modern database shopping site. As of Mid-April 2008, we have offically turned off shopping capabilities on these static pages. All side navigation buttons will lead you to the proper catagory in the new system. All product pages have buttons that link to the same item in the new system where you will have a more pleasurable shopping experience with advance searching and more organization. To move right into the system click here. I welcome you to email your comments and suggestions about the new site to New-site@jlusa.com. I hope you enjoy your safe and secure shopping experience. - Irv Miller |
A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE "The Kubotan"
By Andrew Breen
What is the most common martial
arts weapon in the united States? While weapons such as the PR-24 and
extension baton have found growing acceptance in law enforcement circles,
what about the general population? Undoubtedly, the most popular, and
quite possible the most versatile personal defense weapon is the Kubotan.
Carried by thousands of men and women, martial artists and non-practitioners
alike, the Kubotan was developed by Shihan Tak Kubota, who based his invention
upon the principles of the weapon than the key ring it often serves as,
it retains all the striking and joint locking capabilities of the yawara
stick.
A Karate oriented practitioner may prefer striking techniques, utilizing
the ends of the Kubotan for painful blows to soft tissue areas or disabling
blows to an opponent's vital points. Conversely, a JuJitsu or Aikido stylist
may feel more comfortable with hooking, trapping, and pain compliance
techniques, using the leverage and intense pain generated by the Kubotan
to immobilize an adversary's limbs. Even for those without experience
in a martial art, the Kubotan provides an economical and easily learned
method of self-protection.
The most basic applications involve striking or poking vulnerable areas
of the body with the Kubotan. generally speaking, swinging strikes work
better against bony surfaces while fleshy areas are more susceptible to
pokes and jabs with the ends of the Kubotan. With this concept in mind,
a person avoids the confusion and frustration of trying to remember specific
strikes for specific targets. Instead, one simply remembers to strike
bones and poke nerve centers and pressure points. The Kubotan greatly
intensifies the destructive power of any blow. Consequently, it is not
necessary to waste time or miss an opportunity by trying to be overly
precise. It is better to react naturally. For example, the fundamental
objective of striking the arm may entail hitting the elbow; but it can
also mean hitting the wrist, back of the hand, or the knuckles. There
are many worthy targets aside from the arm. The shin, hip bone, collarbone,
ankle, and kneecap are all desirable targets. A sharp crack to a bony
area will prompt an assailant to discontinue his attack. A harder, well
placed blow can easily break bones--especially if the force of the blow
is not diminished by clothing.
Kubotan strikes are most effective at medium range such as when an assailant
reaches out to grab or push his victim. The extending limb can be disabled
with a quick, snapping strike. The tactic also works against a punch or
kick. When the opponent attacks, move away and meet his technique with
a quick flick of the Kubotan. the blow does not have to be perfect; since
the nerves are so close to the surface of most bony areas, even a glancing
blow will inflict enough pain to make your attacker regret his actions.
If an attacker has already managed to grab onto an individual, he or she
can break the hold by pressing or poking the Kubotan into whatever target
presents itself. Although one's movements are restricted when caught in
a headlock, bearhug, or choke, Sensei Freedman recommends jamming the
tip into whatever part of the attacker's anatomy that you can reach. "There
are no wrong movements; make a technique work from the position you find
yourself in," counsels Freedman. Accordingly, a hard thrust with
the Kubotan to the kidneys, ribs, or sternum can devastate an attacker
and damage internal organs.
Since there are such a wide variety of ways to use the Kubotan, there
is no one correct way to hold the weapon. Different strikes require different
grips and much depends upon an individual's personal preferences. According
to Kubotan Instructor Sensei Freedman, how one holds the Kubotan depends
entirely upon the situation. "If you're pinned from behind, you might
want to hold it like an icepick to stab backwards. Another option for
poking is to place the kubotan loosely so that it can slide through the
hand." Freedman also stresses using not only the Kubotan itself but
the keys that are usually attached. "You can hold onto the keys that
are usually attached. "You can hold onto the keys and swing the Kubotan;
or you can grip the Kubotan and swing the keys. You can also hold the
Kubotan and drive the keys into an attacker's face."
For those proficient in martial arts that emphasize grappling and joint
locks, the Kubotan provides added leverage. Wrist locks, arm bars, come-alongs,
chokes, and leg locks instantly become more agonizing with the Kubotan.
The Kubotan can be used to dig into the wrist or elbow joint. Similarly,
a captured leg can immobilized with grinding pressure to the ankle or
knee. In life threatening circumstances, the Kubotan can intensify choking
techniques and, if need be, crush an assailant's trachea. Indeed, nearly
all joint locking techniques common to Jujutsu and Aiki-Jutsu become easier
to apply with the Kubotan. The weapon's rigidity makes it much more resistant
to an opponent's efforts to power out a hold or lock. Obviously, a fundamental
knowledge of anatomy and the body's lever points are necessary to make
these techniques work-with or without a Kubotan. However, for those who
have such a knowledge, the Kubotan reinforces these techniques and makes
them more disabling.
The Kubotan is also valuable for snagging limbs before or after applying
a striking technique. By holding the weapon with several inches protruding,
you can hook a part of the attacker's body with the Kubotan and then follow
up with an immediate strike. You can reverse the process and strike first,
hooking the neck or wrist to control the opponent's balance. In effect,
the Kubotan enables an individual to literally lasso a foe's head, forcing
it downward, backward, or to the side. A person's body will follow in
the same direction that his head is being jerked, thereby making him extremely
vulnerable to any number of finishing techniques.
Make no mistake, the Kubotan is not a magic wand. But it is one of the
few conceivable martial arts weapons that is legal and entirely unregulated.
There is a reason, of course. Despite its popularity among martial artists,
to most people, the Kubotan is little more than a nondescript key ring.
Even for those in the martial arts and law enforcement communities who
recognize its potential, the Kubotan does not invoke the unsavory connotations
and legal difficulties of many other edged and impact weapons. While the
Kubotan is not particularly intimidating, like its ancestor, the yawaram,
it remains a superbly versatile instruments for self defense. Although
it requires a modest amount of training to develop competence, in the
right hands, the Kubotan truly becomes a fistful of dynamite.
