What are Kubotans - How Do I Use One?The kubotan or yawara is basically a small piece of wood, bone, PVC, or metal. They usually run about 5 1/2 inches give or take a 1/2 inch. There are many who claim to have "developed", "discovered", or created the
Kubotan or Yawara. That is a subject of two long articles and not germane to our discussion here. It is certainly not a threatening weapon, in terms of appearance, but getting hit correctly with one is possibly the last thing one would want to experience. They are quite versatile in applications, and simple to learn as well.
Having discussed more benign approaches to thwarting attackers, such as a keychain alarm, or pepper spray, they pale in comparison to the destructive power of the tiny kubotan. Sure, no assailant wants the sound and lights flashing from a personal alarm, they would rather work silently and in the darkness. We know that some mentally disturbed attackers, and some drunken or doped up assailants walk right through a cloud of pepper spray, only to complete a vicious assault on the person who sprayed them. True? Well, yes it is true, but not ordinarily.
The configuration of a kubotan or yawara is generally: long enough to fill the hand, with a bit protruding above the hand, and below it. These ends are sometimes "round knobs", flat, or pointed on one (the new keychain models), or both ends. This author prefers the pointed end and carries a beautiful, hand milled, checkered grip, dual pointed stick made from aircraft aluminum. It feels like your hand is empty if not for the checkered grip, and the methods it can be employed in are almost as limitless as the places available to strike the opponent. Trust me, they'll add thunder to your fists!
Let's discuss a couple of "carries" for the kubotan, and some strikes you can employ immediately upon purchasing one. You may use the empty space of air, and imagination as your training partner, but some prefer a heavy bag or a rubber training dummy, which is a lifelike simulation of a man from the waist up. There are several choices available.
The first carry is in a closed fist, and using the downward protruding tip, like the end of a hammer striking a nail. Grip your weapon tightly and drive down into the shoulders - near the neck - on either side! And you thought the "Vulcan Nerve Pinch" was bad huh? Also, it can be driven into the orbital areas surrounding the eye, and will blind an opponent or crush the fine bones surrounding the eyeball - a real show stopper! If you're a woman defending against a determined man, it can still be hammered down and into the attacker's neck, chest - just below the sternum (maximum effect), or into the pectoral muscles (causes extreme pain).
Another popular "closed fist" carry, and use of the Yawara is to employ the portion sticking "out and above" the clenched fist (above the thumb). This is an excellent method, used for thrusting or stabbing strikes, to the solar plexus, rising to the throat and under the chin, in the soft area of the neck - just behind the point of the jaw. It conceals a major pressure point. A kubotan can also be thrust into the bladder, groin, or rising to impact the opponent under the armpit, and into the major nerve centers located there. It will be an unforgettable experience for your assailant.
There are hundreds of strikes and many variations of the "carry". If you have any martial arts skills you'll recall that a weapon is merely an extension of your hand. Any strike that you can land, at any angle, can be done with the aid of the kubotan or yawara. Imagine the strikes that you can throw with your hands, then add the kubotan to your fist - now you're starting to get the picture!
In fact they are so affordable, I would sincerely recommend purchasing a few of them at about $5 to $10 each at most online retailers. Keep one handy in the house, in your vehicle, or wherever. Go ahead and spring for one of those karate "pressure point" charts, a training manual too (if you can find one), and practice driving the kubotan into those marked areas, as you do repetitions and drills with your new weapon.
You have my word that after only a week or two of practice with imagination and a sincere desire to employ this weapon, and you'll be amazed at how quickly you'll rely on it, not shying away in the least, from using a kubotan or yawara for self defense. Dynamite comes in small packages!
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