People have
been hitting each other with sticks since, well, since there has been
people on the planet. Not much has changed in stick fighting for centuries;
perhaps technique has evolved into fighting arts like escrima or kobudo,
but the implement itself remains a simple stick.
This has changed with
the advent of the telescopic baton. Introduced in Japan in the 1960s,
the "tokushu
keibo" or telescopic baton
makes a baton-sized stick easier to carry, whether openly as on a police
officer's belt or lawfully concealed. Early models suffered from poor
materials and construction, and weren't as reliable as a simple length
of turned hickory, or a molded plastic tonfa.
In the 1980s, custom
firearm maker Armament Systems and Procedures (ASP) introduced a telescopic
baton using firearm metals and methods. The Wisconsin company's product
became so popular that the term "ASP" is often used instead
of "telescopic baton," much as the word "Kleenex"
is used instead of "facial tissue."
