Anbo-jytsu

Anbo-jytsu is a special form of staff-fighting developed in 2168 by Kathar Eltrin, a native of the planet Alpha Centauri. Some regard it as "the ultimate evolution in the martial arts," though most scholars and fighters consider this a gross exaggeration. It is a highly effective fighting style in the right circumstances.

Anbo-jytsu practitioners fight with their eyes closed. Eltrin, who was blind, created the style so that she could defend herself from attacks by ruffians. Her teachings, and the teaching of her (normally sighted) students, have stressed a reliance on senses other than sight when fighting. Anbo-jytsu students develop extremely heightened senses which allow them to hear an opponent's slightest footstep or swing, feel the air currents which his movements create, and even tell by smell where he stands.

Most citizens of the Federation know anbo-jytsu as a sport more than a true fighting art. "Fighters" wear padded armor with sealed helmets and use a three-meter-long staff with a sonic proximity detector on one end whose pitch changes as it gets closer to the opponent. The end opposite the detector has a thick pad. Points are scored for any hit and for knocking the opponent out of the ring.

Reference(s)

• Isaacs, Ross A., et al. Star Trek: The Next Generation RPG Players Guide, Culver City, CA: Last Unicorn Games, 1999.