() is the martial art of stick fighting using a bà Â, which is the Japanese word for staff. Staffs have been in use for thousands of years in Asian martial arts like Silambam. Some techniques involve slashing, swinging, and stabbing with the staff. Others involve using the staff as a vaulting pole or as a prop for hand-to-hand strikes.
Today bà Âjutsu is usually associated either with Okinawan kobudà  or with Japanese koryà « budà Â. Japanese bà Âjutsu is one of the core elements of classical martial training.
Thrusting, swinging, and striking techniques often resemble empty-hand movements, following the philosophy that the bà  is merely an "extension of oneâÂÂs limbs". Consequently, bà Âjutsu is often incorporated into other styles of empty-hand fighting, like traditional Jà «-jutsu, and karate.
In the Okinawan context, the weapon is frequently referred to as the kon (æ£Â).