The tabak-toyok (sometimes colloquially referred to as ''chako'') is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

flail weapon consisting of a pair of sticks connected by a chain. It is closely related to the Okinawan

nunchaku is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately 30 cm (sticks) and 1 inch (rope). A person wh ...

, the primary difference being that the Filipino version tends to have shorter handles and a longer chain than its Okinawan counterpart, making it better suited for long range. Each handle is approximately 8-9 inches long. The length of the rope or chain that connects the handles is approximately 4-7.5 inches, but the weapon's ideal size depends on the user. Because the small size of the tabak-toyok allows for easy concealment and bigger size allows for control, it is often used in street brawls in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Filipino martial artist

Dan Inosanto Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

teaches tabak-toyok techniques as part of his

kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

curriculum. He introduced the weapon to his friend and student, the martial artist and actor

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

.The fighting weapons of filipino martial arts by Jay de Leon - World Black Belt Online
Lee would later become famous for using the similar nunchaku in his films.

References

Flail weapons Martial arts in the Philippines Filipino melee weapons {{Blunt-weapon-stub