What is the best way to deal with someone who swings an ax at you? [Archive]

Budokan

03-05-2001, 12:53 AM

One-handed or two-handed axes? Two-handers are somewhat unwieldy and may give you an opportunity to either run away or go inside the swing radius to attack. One-handed axes might be neutralized through any one of a dozen knife-disarms--which, by the way, I'm not totally convinced will always work.

Anyway, my two yen. :)

K. Mark Hoover

JerryLove

03-05-2001, 03:04 AM

As asked, one or two handed. If two handed, is he swinging like a baseball bat or is he using hit like the "half-blade" method of swordfighting? Perhaps a third way?

If the hatchet, is he swinging it like one would a machette or using the weight as an intercepting weapons like one should a knife?

Case 1, get instide and jam. Case 2, grab the axe at about the same points and try to destroy his base, case 3, same counters as a machette, case 4, same as a knife.

Martial Joe

03-05-2001, 06:44 AM

Shoot them.

Metal Fist

03-05-2001, 04:52 PM

LOL, I like Martial Joe'e approach. It's simple and ends it quickly. :D :D :D

"Do whatever it takes to be the last man standing!"

phantom

03-05-2001, 10:56 PM

Jerry, exactly what is the best way to defend against a machete? Also, when you say the half-blade method for two-handed ax, do you mean swinging over his head and diagonally? What if he swings it straight downward towards you?

JerryLove

03-06-2001, 05:50 AM

To avoid going into great detail on something as complex as armed combat. Work against a machette is usually very similar to work aganst a stick (ala FMA) with a few cavets. One is that you no longer find it desireable to put even tough portions of your anatomy in front of the machette. Secendly, there is more of a focus on getting the machette back into the assailant, than with a stick. In short, Typically the machette is passed (hopefully back into the opponent) then jammed or grappled. You rarely want to jam or stop-hit prior to the swing, as you can do with a stick.

Half-blade useage (hope I got the nominclature coorect) is (when applied to a tree ax) holding the axe with one hand near the head and another near the base. The axe is "swung" with body pivots rather than swinging arms. The base of the haft can be used to hit, trip, and parry. As can the middle. The head can eaisly be manuverd in. Go to a site like HACA and look at close range fighting with large swords. You'll get the idea.

MegaA

03-06-2001, 09:14 AM

Let me just say, first of all unless you messed around with the wrong guy, no one in their right mind would use an axe against you let alone a battle axe. :)

Like Sifu says, the best way to defend against an attack (especially ones with axes) is to avoid a confrontation in the first place. If you feel you cannot take on your opponent, the best defense is to run.

"The most beautiful thing is the mysterious, it is the source of all true art and science"
Albert Einstein

soy

03-06-2001, 10:09 AM

Run. Fast.

illusionfist

03-06-2001, 12:51 PM

.50 cal uranium tipped round should do the trick. If not, run like hell ;)

Peace :D

Martial Joe

03-07-2001, 04:01 AM

A bb gun could do the trick..then you have time to run....

AsianSifu

03-09-2001, 03:08 AM

Move to another trailer park and stop shopping at Wal-Mart.

I don't have a signature because I have no pen to write it.

Kong Jianshen

03-28-2001, 02:25 AM

Simple, pull out your short-sword and have at them!

Always seeking to learn,
Kong Jianshen
Humble disciple of the Warrior Arts

joedoe

03-28-2001, 09:26 AM

After you sh!t your pants, try running away. Otherwise, I guess you could ask them to stop :)

Guns don't kill people, I kill people

CLFNole

03-29-2001, 10:52 PM

Duck!!!!!!

By the way, where exactly are you hanging out so I am sure not to go there?

MaFuYee

04-02-2001, 08:13 PM

don't be where the axe is.

e.g. of not being where the axe is:
as attacker is swinging axe, roll past assailaint at a 45 degree angle, while simulataneously pulling out your conclealed knife, and cutting the back of his knee, or achilles tendon, as you are rolling past him. - roll to a standing position, and run, zig zagging at 45 degree angles, keeping bent over. (because he'll most likely throw the freakin thing at ya.)

Seeker of the Way

04-02-2001, 09:03 PM

A small, weighted one-hand axe is definately the most effective axe to use in a fight. You'd have to use knife disarms against that, and I'm far too inexperienced to help you there :(

However, if we're talking the classic woodsman's axe, it's a quite unwieldy double-handed mofo. Dodge the first swings like crazy and eventually your opponent WILL overextend his blow. That's where you step in behind the swinging axe, and from there you can basically take him, bend him over and make him call you daddey :cool:

Peace,
SotW

"I know Kung Fu."

JerryLove

04-02-2001, 11:18 PM

Ever watched a professional swing and axe? Even with the "both hands nead the pommel" swing you are describing (which the imagined opponent by no means needs to use) there are many who can recall that axe quite quickly to a position with one hand on either end of the shaft. Effectively readying for another swing or giving him a heavy, sharp, metal weight in one hand for hitting with and a stick end in the other.

As with any weapon scinerio, controlling the weapon is important. And I agree that behind the swing is usually one of the better times to close. But I think you are oversimplfying the matter and that you'd better have a better plan than "make him tell you who's daddy" once you have passed the weapon.

Sam Wiley

04-02-2001, 11:30 PM

An Axe? Jeez, that's brutal, man!

My first suggestion is to run if you're not cornered. I would say that's the best option. Best not to turn and run, but to run forward and then past him.

My second suggestion would be to get inside where the handle is to get in a strike or two and then try to get the axe away from him. The only reason I suggest trying to get it away from him is that axes are really easy to throw, and whether or not the blade hits you, it's still going to hurt like hell.

It might be better to sort of ocmbine those two suggestions. Just get inside to grapple with the axe, claw his eyes, and then disappear around the corner before his eyes stop watering.

*********
"I put forth my power and he was broken.
I withdrew my power and he was ground into fine dust."
-Aleister Crowley, The Vision and the Voice

JerryLove

04-03-2001, 01:36 AM

OK. Here is a scinerio for your suggestion. You run into this guy. He has an ax in his hands. One hand is right below the sharp metal bit and at his right shoulder. The other hand is near the pommel and tucked into the left hip joint.

Now you close real close. All he does is pivot his body at his waist, bringing that head around, secured to his shoulder. What exactly was "inside" that range again?

A hatchet too can be used in grappling, so I do not see how you plan on coming inside that.

Martial Joe

04-03-2001, 06:12 AM

If the man has a ax and he knows how to throw those mofos...you are screwed....
...As I said before.Shoot Them.

JerryLove

04-03-2001, 06:48 AM

I assumed there was a presumption in the question that you could not easily run, you did not have a weapon, you were not surrounded by 50 of your closest friend, and airstrikes were unavailable.

The whole "shoot them" response is cute and all (like the "run away") response. But it's a given to any life threatening situation. And unless the question specifies that there is a gun available, one should assume the poster is looking for an unarmed response.

Otherwise this gets silly. My response to everything becomes "run away". If you can't "call an airstrike". If you can't "have your buddies shoot them" etc.

zen_celt

04-03-2001, 07:43 AM

Hmm, I am kind of partial to Martial Joe's idea myself and I try not to stay out of axe swinging situations. One time, however, I was at a Renaissance Fair and a friend of my uncle(both work at them) jokingly swung an axe at my head. It was a dull blade and it was moved fairly slowly, but it was still a wee bit(okay a lot) scary. I guess depending on how close you are and the type of axe, I would say duck and then leg sweep or punch his knee cap. Something along those lines. Then pick up the axe and castrate the bum! BTW, why are guys swinging axes at you

JWTAYLOR

04-03-2001, 04:19 PM

Jesus guys, no means no.
JWT

If you pr!ck us, do we not bleed? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. MOV

phantom

04-03-2001, 09:52 PM

You are 100% correct. Do you guys really always carry a gun on you wherever you go? Here in the United States, I believe it is illegal to do that, even if you have a license to own the gun.

Martial Joe

04-04-2001, 12:19 AM

Well if you are from a distance you cant jam them so you have to do something.I dont have a gun and i prolly never will.But if this happend to me(remember from a distance and he knew how to throw it) i would try and get behind a car or something large and maybe throw rocks and try and escape.If i had the gun it would be the best idea but I dont so id do what i said above.I said all this because Jerry is right but if i had a gun i would pull the trigger.Maybe a knife but i dont know how to throw knives.But im sure alot of you do.

Sam Wiley

04-04-2001, 01:33 AM

Jerry,
Do you not realize what you wrote in your first post on the subject?

Nevermind, I give up.

Bloody Hell.

*********
"I put forth my power and he was broken.
I withdrew my power and he was ground into fine dust."
-Aleister Crowley, The Vision and the Voice

Sam Wiley

04-04-2001, 01:37 AM

Before I completely give up on the subject, let me explain why you run towards him.

It's because that's the way he's facing. If you run towards him, you force him to first turn and then give chase or reattack or throw it or whatever. If you turn and run: dead. If you run to either side: dead. Run into him when he winds up for the swing, pop him (preferably in the eyes), and run. And I still suggest taking the axe from him. It's not all that hard, even if his grip is wide on the handle. You jsut need to learn how to twist it out of his hands.

Okay, I'm gone.

*********
"I put forth my power and he was broken.
I withdrew my power and he was ground into fine dust."
-Aleister Crowley, The Vision and the Voice

JerryLove

04-04-2001, 02:19 AM

Yes Sam (not that you are here still) I am quite aware. I suggested going inside the swing aginst a person using an axe like a baseball bat. Not against all situations. It is not a universal solution because there is not always an "inside".

Sam Wiley

04-05-2001, 06:31 PM

Okay, without getting too silly with this, I still stand by my suggestions because of what Martial Joe said. As someone who has competed in ax throwing competitions, and was okay at it until I gave it up, I say the person is going to throw it at you if you don't take out the eyes before running. Without taking the thing from him, that's your best bet that he's not going to throw it.

The original post was about axe disarms, and I presented a method for getting in there to perform a disarm, though I did not present any specific disarm. I fact, I suggested running instead. But there are several different disarm options that present themselves from the position I suggested taking. It is not my fault that you are too blind to see them and instead have decided to attack an honest answer to a question by saying it's not the only solution. Obviously, it is not the only one, and I never stated it was. However, what I did present was something the person who asked the question might identify with instead of using esoteric terms he may have never heard of before.

Secondly, why in the world would I take the guy on when he hasn't swung the thing? Running at him before he has actually attacked would go down the way you described, but then again I never suggested doing anything like that, did I

*********
"I put forth my power and he was broken.
I withdrew my power and he was ground into fine dust."
-Aleister Crowley, The Vision and the Voice

JerryLove

04-06-2001, 10:55 PM

I think you might want to reread my posts. I reread yours and have come to the conclusion that one of us is not understanding the other, as you are making counter-arguments to things I have not said.

If you look at my post near the top of the page, you'll find I was taking issue with your suggestion on the basis that some methods of using an ax would invalidate it. When this question was first poised, I asked for more detail and made some suggestions based on a few assumed scinerios. The reason is your tactic changes based on those. Your suggestion is good against someone swinging an ax like a bat. Against any other realistic scinerio I come up with it's suicide.

And yes, I've played out weapon on weapon against an axe wielding opponent who had thought out how to use the axe and was trying to win (haven't tried it "for real" and hope never to).

drunken_bo

04-07-2001, 08:18 AM

I had a guy swing a camping hatchet at me once.
I know it's a little different...
but with a battle ax it's heavy.
Move, redirect it back into himself...

it's pretty easy to dodge, but if you don't you get a nasty blow/cut

MOVE!

"Survival of the fittest: If you lose you weren't fit. Sucks to be you."

JerryLove

04-07-2001, 09:35 PM

"it's pretty easy to dodge, but if you don't you get a nasty blow/cut"

A badly used anything is easy to dodge. A well used anything is difficult to dodge. And I was referring to a wood axe in my discussion. A battle axe is used differently than either (and there is a great deal of varition in battle axes.