Club (weapon)

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An assortment of club weapons from the Wujing Zongyao from left to right: flail, metal bat, double flail, truncheon, mace, barbed mace Wu Jing Zong Yao Wu 02.jpg
An assortment of club weapons from the Wujing Zongyao from left to right: flail, metal bat, double flail, truncheon, mace, barbed mace

A club (also known as a cudgel, baton, bludgeon, truncheon, cosh, nightstick, or impact weapon) is a short staff or stick, usually made of wood, wielded as a weapon or tool [1] since prehistory. There are several examples of blunt-force trauma caused by clubs in the past, including at the site of Nataruk in Turkana, Kenya, described as the scene of a prehistoric conflict between bands of hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago. [2]

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Most clubs are small enough to be swung with one hand, although larger clubs may require the use of two to be effective. Various specialized clubs are used in martial arts and other fields, including the law-enforcement baton. The military mace is a more sophisticated descendant of the club, typically made of metal and featuring a spiked, knobbed, or flanged head attached to a shaft.

Examples of cultural depictions of clubs may be found in mythology, where they are associated with strong figures such as Hercules or the Japanese oni, or in popular culture, where they are associated with primitive cultures, especially cavemen. Ceremonial maces may also be displayed as a symbol of governmental authority.

The wounds inflicted by a club are generally known as strike trauma or blunt-force trauma injuries.

Law enforcement

Truncheon, Yuan dynasty Chinese four sided truncheon - mace Tie Chi .jpg
Truncheon, Yuan dynasty

Police forces and their predecessors have traditionally favored the use, whenever possible, of less lethal weapons than guns or blades. Until recent times, when alternatives such as tasers and capsicum spray became available, this category of policing weapon has generally been filled by some form of wooden club variously termed a truncheon, baton, nightstick, or lathi. Short, flexible clubs are also often used, especially by plainclothes officers who need to avoid notice. These are known colloquially as blackjacks, saps, or coshes.

Conversely, criminals have been known to arm themselves with an array of homemade or improvised clubs, generally of easily concealable sizes, or which can be explained as being carried for legitimate purposes (such as baseball bats).

In addition, Shaolin monks and members of other religious orders around the world have employed cudgels from time to time as defensive weapons.

Types

A Yuma war club Bulletin (1932) (20430590681).jpg
A Yuma war club

Though perhaps the simplest of all weapons, clubs come in many varieties, including:

Animal appendages

Some animals have limbs or appendages resembling clubs, such as:

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flail (weapon)</span> Weapon consisting of a striking head flexibly attached to a handle

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singlestick</span> British martial art using a short wooden stick

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<i>Jitte</i> Japanese non-bladed weapon

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<i>Ikkaku-ryū juttejutsu</i> Japanese Traditional School

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<i>Tekkō</i> Japanese weaponized stirrups and horseshoes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shillelagh</span> Wooden walking stick and club or cudgel

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waddy</span> Aboriginal Australian hardwood club

A waddy, nulla-nulla, leangle or boondi is an Aboriginal Australian hardwood club or hunting stick for use as a weapon or as a throwing stick for hunting animals. Waddy comes from the Darug people of Port Jackson, Sydney. Boondi is the Wiradjuri word for this implement. Leangle is a Djadjawurrung word for a club with a hooked striking head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rungu (weapon)</span> Traditional East African wooden club

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baton (law enforcement)</span> Club of less than arms length

A baton is a roughly cylindrical club made of wood, rubber, plastic, or metal. It is carried as a compliance tool and defensive weapon by law-enforcement officers, correctional staff, security guards and military personnel. The name baton comes from the French bâton (stick), derived from Old French Baston, from Latin bastum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hōten-ryū</span> Japanese martial art founded in 1600 CE

Hōten-ryū (法典流) is a Japanese martial art founded in 1600 CE. It is a school based on the use of the sword; however it has several different kobuki in its curriculum. It is also notable for its hidden weapons or items that appear to hide among everyday things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Improvised weapon</span> Ordinary object used as a weapon

An improvised weapon is an object that was not designed to be used as a weapon but can be put to that use. They are generally used for self-defence or if the person is otherwise unarmed. In some cases, improvised weapons are commonly used by attackers in street fights, muggings, murders, gang warfare, during riots, or even during insurgencies, usually when conventional weapons such as firearms are unavailable or inappropriate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gada (mace)</span> Blunt mace or club from India

The gada is a mallet or blunt mace from the Indian subcontinent. Made either of wood or metal, it consists essentially of a spherical head mounted on a shaft, with a spike on the top. Outside India, the gada was also adopted in Southeast Asia, where it is still used in silat. The weapon might have Indo-Iranian origins, as Old Persian also uses the word gadā to mean club; see for example the etymology of Pasargadae.

References

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  2. Lahr, M. Mirazón; Rivera, F.; Power, R. K.; Mounier, A.; Copsey, B.; Crivellaro, F.; Edung, J. E.; Fernandez, J. M. Maillo; Kiarie, C. (2016). "Inter-group violence among early Holocene hunter-gatherers of West Turkana, Kenya". Nature. 529 (7586): 394–398. Bibcode:2016Natur.529..394L. doi:10.1038/nature16477. PMID   26791728. S2CID   4462435.
  3. Image of clava cefalomorfa Archived 2014-03-14 at Wikiwix Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
  4. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Single-stick"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 148–149.
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  12. "leangle – Definition of leangle in English by Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries – English. Archived from the original on 2017-08-23.
  13. "Notes on the Sherlock Holmes story The Bruce Partington Plans". Sherlockholmes.stanford.edu. 1908-12-12. Archived from the original on 2011-12-26. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
  14. Eric Kjellgren, How to Read Oceanic Art (Metropolitan Museum of Art/Yale University Press, 2014), p. 153.
  15. "On modifications in form and ornament of the Australian Aboriginal weapon the lil-lil or Worraga, etc; with additional remarks on the Langeel, Leonile, or Bendi". Internationales Archiv für Ethnographie. 10: 7–10. 1897.