The benefit to the baton controlling technique is that it contributes to the de-escalation of police use of force. After the baton has been used as an impact tool to stop an individual from fighting, the officer can control the person’s arm using the baton controlling technique while the baton is still in hand.

The advantage is three-fold. One, the officer doesn’t need to continue using the baton as an impact tool once the subject has been stopped. Two, the officer doesn’t have to holster the baton and switch to an empty-hand controlling technique, which takes time. And three, the officer has the advantage of leverage, and can use that against someone who’s bigger and stronger, instead of pure strength.