After hitting someone with a MagLite on the street and not wanting to break all of my flashlights on people, I purchased an ASP-21 Baton. The number following ASP is usually the length when opened. I've owned the shorter [can't remember the open length of it! 16 sounds right!] and longer, 26-Inch Model. I carried the 21 for work, for approximately 7 years and never had a failure with it.
Looking back, I should have purchased two of them because I eventually had Taper Lock failure on the 21 to the point it would not stay open on a thrust into an Everlast Heavy Bag...I just beat the bag with no mercy back then with it. The shafts will eventually wear out. I never had a problem on the street though and used them on several occasions.
The funny thing about an ASP or any Telescoping Baton is, they are alot like a folding knife that you snap open using inertia, or a Switchblade or Balisong...it's usually dark when bad things happen and it appears you have nothing. All of the sudden with a sliding-snapping sound, you have a 21 inch piece of steel in your hand and I've had more people back-off immediately from that and that alone, then I had to hit. Although some of them did not get the message until they got hit. Such is life...
It's a great weapon for Street-level Self-defense where you can carry them legally. Most people on the street, not all - but most, use very cheap knives and if you hit their wrist with an ASP, you're going to break the bones, you hit the hands or fingers, they're going to break. If you hit most folding knives with one that street criminals would carry, the knife is either going to go flying or it is going to break.
I can tell you about three altercations with them that I was involved in. One, a fellow outside of a bar was hanging with some friends/miscreants...and I had to secure a building across the street and they came over and it all began very badly. Alcohol does not promote rational thought in many people. He ended up having a Budweiser bottle broke in his hand. That's a hint. That was a good shot too. I'm proud of that one.
Another, ASP hit knife hand, knife flew every bit of 15 feet out into the street. Guy turned and ran holding his hand.
Another, I thought I was going to have a problem with a critter and I smacked him low on the outside of the thigh...hit the nerve perfect. Leg buckled, down he went.
All were on the job, legal and justified, no "Barney Badass" stories or Walt Disney Tales.
The ASP, where you can carry it without it being a Felony, is an excellent weapon. It can be a first line before you resort to swimming in bodily fluids. This is a time for smart fighting and like I always tell people who say, "God, you carry a KNIFE!!?!" I simply say, I never want to cut anyone, Hep and AIDS will kill you. I'd do it if I had to, I'd prefer not to be soaked and you will be soaked in alot of cases...it's not a sterile form of Combat. Neither are firearms...
To those of you that carry an ASP Baton, I would give you the following advice...
1. Work the heavybag with it. Alot.
2. Use dumbells, solid steel bars...VERY SLOWLY, without weights being on the small bar, rotate the wrist for Abanico movements, it will strengthen your wrist and forearm because an ASP is steel and it is totally different from the rattan you may be used to. It has different dynamics in almost every way you can imagine.
That would be, holding the arm out with the bar in your hand, palm towards the floor, rotate the palm to the right, palm up, go back and then go left. Do it until you want to croak. You can slowly add weights to that, VERY SMALL AMOUNTS and ADD SLOWLY so you do not damage yourself. Soon, you will see when you use the real deal on the heavy bag, you will fly and hit harder.
3. Hang a tennis ball from a tree outside, etc. Practice Abanico on that. Get it going and focus on using the tip of the ASP and not the length. Get your targeting down.
4. Unless it is a situation where you would be legally justified in using a firearm or an edged weapon for Self-defense, do NOT hit people in the head, neck or clavicles with the ASP. All of which ASP has down as lethal areas. Try to work within those parameters and you can always say, "Even though I'm not a Police Officer, I followed the Manufacturer's advice and did not target areas that carried with them the possibility of death."
If the guy has a knife and you have to hit him in those areas, that, in most cases, would probably be justified. [I'm not a Lawyer, but in general, lethal force can be met with lethal force].
If the guy is already in medium range and you do a double Abanico to the hand and head...I think you would be justified as long as you did not turn his head into a plate of lasagna after he hit the ground.
Because of some people just being very tough, the presence of alcohol and many other things that can
Chemically Fuel an attacker, you may have to hit them more than once. In a situation where you are legally justified in hitting them in a lethal area, you might have to hit them more than once to put them down for the count.
Just be careful and realize you need to train with the ASP and not just rattan if you are carrying one.
