We used to play with jocari bats as kids, They had a length of elastic with a small hard ball attached to the centre, shaped rather like an elongated table tennis bat, usually constructed of layers of ply wood and not very heavy. You can bet some parents found an alternative use for them minus the elastic and ball.
The nearest similarity used in school, was the woodwork teacher at CC, who ran the after school table tennis club. Not only did he get the boys to make bats as part of their projects, he also had his own hand made example and was well know for using in other ways than it was intended.