Made out of titanium alloy, the Bo staff that Tim uses is a telescopic one that can extend to a length of four feet and be compressed into just a couple of inches for easy storage in his costume. The staff can be broken, but it would take great effort to do so. Tim uses it not only as a weapon, but as a pole vaulting device as well as an aide in all sorts of acrobatic maneuvers.
In order to fight crime, well, you need to know how to fight. Tim has trained with some of the best martial artists there are including Batman and Nightwing and even the assassin known as Lady Shiva. He knows and is proficient in a number of styles, including Jujitsu, Kung-Fu and Aikido and tends to merge them when using them, borrowing moves and techniques from them all during a fight. He may not be as much of a natural in his physical abilities as Dick was, but the training he has received and the hard work he has put in have certainly paid off.An opponent underestimating Robin because he's a teenager would be painfully surprised as the young man holds his ground. He would be considered to be among the best in the continent and the world in regards with the level of skill of his particular moves and can be compared with the Huntress, being just under Oracle and Deathstroke.
Would Gambit underestimate Tim?
"I ain't fightning an kid!"