When a tubular cantilever beam is loaded by a dynamic force applied transversely at its tip, the strain hardening of the material tends to increase the load carrying capacity and local buckling and cross-sectional overlization occurring in the tube section tends to reduce the moment carrying capacity and results in structural softening. A theoretical model is presented in this paper to analyze the deformation of a tubular beam in a dynamic response mode. Based on a large deflection analysis, the hardening/softening M-${kappa}$ relationship is introduced. The main interest is on the curvature development history and the deformed configuration of the beam.