Collection: Baton

One of the central issues surrounding the use of a baton for self-defense is retention. Like I stated earlier, a stick of any kind is about the most natural weapon for any human being—or any primate for that matter—to wield as a weapon. It’s much easier to use than a knife, a gun, or a pair of nunchucks. Give a child with no training a stick, and he can hurt someone with it. That being said, it’s also just as easy to get the stick or baton taken from you and then used against you.

One advancement in baton technology that helps with regard to retention is the advent of expandable batons and automatic expandable batons. A steel baton that expands and detracts requires that the tip of the baton be much smaller than the grip, and of course, a smaller diameter is much harder to grab and hold onto than a wider one. So, using an expandable baton, like this ASP baton, is a great choice. Your opponent would have to literally get a hold of the grip where your hand is to have a good chance of stealing the weapon. 

Nevertheless, no matter what sort of baton or nightstick you’re using, from the expandable to the billy club, you absolutely must keep retention in mind. Use your free hand to keep individuals away from the grip. The moment you feel an opponent get a hold of the other end of your baton, use a defensive escape maneuver, such as quick, hard, small circles to break the grip. Place both hands on the weapon, and create a fast, hard whirlwind with the baton, and then pull back to your guard position the moment it’s free. This swift circling motion should be sufficient to break a hard grip