[longrange1947]

Originally Posted by x-factor

My wife out of the blue asked me to buy her one of those extendable batons to carry, but I'm not sure its such a good idea and I don't want her to have a false sense of security.

She's only 5'1", untrained (only one semester of self defense and that was years ago in college), and not especially athletic. She's very threat conscious and she's not squeamish. I don't doubt she'd have the will and presence of mind to wack a guy, but I don't know if she'd be able to really employ the baton effectively.

Any advice would be appreciated. What size/brand baton? One she's got it are there any drills or techniques that would allow her to handle it better? If negative on the baton, would pepper spray be a better option?

This is, as TR stated, a bad idea. The baton becomes a deadly weapon once the weapon is used incorrectly. If you strike the head then you have created a bad situation. You are not supposed to strike joints, only long bones, ie upper arms, lower arms with caution, thighs, lower legs. As you can see, you are really close to the assailant when this occurs.

Echos, if you ever get Mace, for whatever reason, remember it is not fired into the face but onto the chest so the vapors hit his face.