old man's staff / "crutch", also spelled as tongfa or tuifa, also known as T-baton[1]) is a melee weapon with its origins in the armed component of Okinawan martial arts where it is known as the tunkua.
[3] The tonfa is believed to have originated in either China, Okinawa or Southeast Asia, where it is used in the respective fighting styles.
In Cambodia and Thailand, a similar weapon is used consisting of a pair of short clubs tied onto the forearms, known in Thai as mai sok and in Khmer as staupe.
In Thailand and Malaysia, the mai sok often has a similar design to the tonfa, with a perpendicular handle rather than being tied on.
[3][4] In Vietnam, a similar weapon called the song xỉ is made of a pair of steel or aluminum bars.
The song xỉ is used as a small shield to protect the forearms and has a sharp tip at the end to attack.
The natural grip places the handle in the hand with the long arm resting along the bottom of the forearm.