A tubular shaft for a tubular shaft instrument includes a hollow shaft component, an actuating rod arranged in the hollow shaft component, and functional elements that are attached at the distal ends of the shaft component and/or of the actuating rod. The actuating rod is axially displaceable relative to the hollow shaft component to move the distal sections of the functional elements toward one another, past one another, and/or away from one another. The actuating rod includes at least one bending area in which flexible segments and support segments alternate and in which the actuating rod has significantly less bending resistance than outside the at least one bending area. A friction-reducing layer on the at least one bending area of the actuating rod reduces the friction of the actuating rod on the inside wall of the shaft component.
