Empty Hand & Baton Skillset

Bill H. was the jujitsu instructor who taught me that someone won't be good with a weapon who is not already good with his empty hand technique. It was not until recently that I began to deconstruct the baton techniques he taught me in light of that truth.

He taught an approach to the baton that I have not seen elsewhere. Instead of grasping the baton at one end to wield it like a club or a whip, you grasp it in the middle so that you have equal use of both ends.

As you hold the baton vertically in front of you, think of the upward portion as the front of the baton and the downward portion as the back. (This is not official terminology; just a convenience to help you visualize the descriptions that follow.)

Now let's take a look at an empty hand technique that you'll find in the bonus section of my book, 12 U.S. Military Combat Techniques That Could Save Your Life.
This is a thumb strike to the base of the throat. (Take care! If you miss & hit the Adam's apple, the strike could be fatal.)

Now picture the same strike, only the practitioner has a baton (grasped in the center) in his hand. He is striking with the forward tip.

The gross motor skills are the same with the baton as with empty hand.

To be continued . . . .