Defense Against a Hammer {Split from Tips on How Women Can Protect Themselves....}

This is related to the serious crime so hopefully I can ask a question, has any of the women every gone against someone with a hammar as a weapon?. What is the best defence apart from getting away as safely as possible without getting too hurt. I was going to ask a friend on how best to defend myself as I might get into this situation when I go home very soon lol. I know a few blocks and arm locks but it doesn't feel like it's enough at the moment, any advice would be helpful.
lisa xx :Angel:

 

I thought this question deserved its own thread

 

Well, the most safe advice would be to get out of the way as fast as you can. If that is not a possibility... my advice would be to hit first, hit fast, hit hard and keep on hitting.

You don't want to be on the receiving end of a hammer...

 

Hammer would have to be swung. Ranging from above your head to sideways. When he swings, you can kick him in the shin of the leading leg And quickly move to the inside kneeing the groin. Throw or push him to the ground. You can run than.

Or after the kick to the shin or groin, angle in to the opposite arm, keeping out range of the hammer. Knee him in upper leg and take this arm into an arm bar. You might not be able to run than.

There is no for sure way. You have to improvise really.

 

If you're serious about needing to learn this you might consider getting a restraining order and a shotgun, not going wherever it is or similar measures.

Be that as it may, I don't know any women who have been in that particular scenario. There are some general things that are helpful to keep in mind.

1) A hammer has a very specific range.
2) It requires a retraction to generate power.
3) The angles it is likely to come in on are within 45 degrees of vertical.

You need to either be close in or far away. Don't stand at the middle distance where his weapon is at its maximum power. Get inside fast, particularly if you can time it with him pulling back or get the heck out of Dodge.

Cover your head as you go in. A broken arm is bad. A depressed skull fracture is infinitely worse.

If possible, have a weapon. If you have a long weapon use it to do damage outside the range he can do damage at. If it's a short one, get in as soon as you can and do disabling things before he can get back out of range.

A hammer certainly constitutes deadly force. If someone takes one to you you are definitely in "immediate and otherwise unavoidable danger of death or serious bodily injury". In other words, you should have no hesitation at all about tearing his head off and beating him to death with it, stabbing him, shooting him, or breaking his neck. If you hesitate there is a very good chance you will die.

 

A pocketbook,backpak,or even a book magazine or newspaper can serve as a shield against to block at least one blow from a hammer.When the attacker retracts for a second attack,you have an opening to counterattack.
This tactic can also be applied to an attack from a weilder of a knife or baseball bat,though the speed and range of attacks varies.

 

get yourself a mag flashlite.

 

Don't forget to stomp the knee as you move in. I'd try and make contact with the handle of the hammer as soon as possable and stick.

 

Well since you don't have to worry about getting cut, going for the grab while kicking might work.

 

May be worth starting to use a walking stick for that sprained ankle of yours and do some practice with it to find the range of movement you have.

Alternatly keep some large friends around you.

A lot of our weapons practice is to let us see how a weapon CAN be used - where the power comes from and when the 'weak points' appear. Grab a hammer and get the feel of it - apply some of your MA techniques and look for the things you can do and the things you can't. That will give you clues on how to face one. [Then try very hard not to get to the position of having to face one]

Take care of yourself

 

This is very good advise.

It's a hammer. You can do anything from backhanding someone across the face with it, like it was a tennis raquet from outside of punching range, to punting them in the ribs/kidneys/spine and back of the head with it from the clinch.

This is true, although you can, say, chop diagonally upper-left to lower right then upper right to lower left with it.

I wouldn't bet my life on this. Basically you can do everything with a hammer you could with a short stick (think philipeano type drills) and a bit more besides.

Look, it's all about planning ahead, preperation and prevention. Avoid the man(I assume it's a man) at all costs. Don't go to places where he might turn up. If you do run into him check what he's carrying. Can you see his hands? Could he be hiding a hammer somewhere? And make a quick exit with friends to somewhere well lit with lots of people. Do think about carrying an equaliser. Make sure you know how to use it.

 

But the range that you really have to worry about is, well, the range that you use a hammer at. It's not harmless at other distances, but it's definitely a medium range impact weapon. That puts the basic defenses against it into certain well-understood classes of response.

You can do these things, but you can't prepare for absotely everything. A person is most likely to use the hammer along those arcs. The first attack will almost certainly be along them. The overarm blow is the basic default human armed attack. The quickest one is the forehand or direct overhand. The backhand gives you a chance to move in as the arm's being pulled across and back.

In fact, you can't do everything with a hammer that you do with a stick. It's lousy for thrusting. It's shorter than most bastons. The punyo isn't normall used. It can do some things that a stick can't do very well. They are different weapons that demand slightly different replies.

Yep. Yep. Yep. If you are in an area which allows you to tote them around I'd strongly recommend a countermeasure that goes *BOOM*. A hammer is deadly force. You shouldn't screw around with anything less than deadly force in your response.

Avoidance is like blocking. It only delays defeat. If someone is after you personally the laws of chance dictate that he will find you if he doesn't lose interest first. Be prepared. If possible let the law deal with it before you have to. If not, be prepared for a fight for your life and develop the mindset appropriate to same.

 

Sort of, I did a lot of work labouring on building sites in my university vacations and there are a couple of things:
1) When you're up a ladder and a nail's in a funny position it's amazing the different ranges you can work at comfortably rather than getting down to move the lader.
2) When you want to break things with it rather than hitting a nail on the head, it's often better to swing it horizontally from the shoulder than in a hammering motion from the elbow.

The nice thing about a backhand from an attackers point of view, is it can occure streight off a draw from an inside pocket, with no wind up needed, and from outside an expected fighting range. I'd happily use it as a first technique.

All true, it does suck for thrusting, but I'm sure an untrained thrust to the stomache/chin would do more damage than an untrained punch. I just don't want anyone thinking that if they get attacked by someone with a hammer he's just going to hit them like they're a nail sticking out a wall.

 

Get a hammer with a longer shaft and beat them. If you can control it, if you've just moved out the way of a strike and it hits something like a table in that sorta limbo where its stationary grab it and from there you can use a variety of armlocks/breaks to punish them or disarm your attacker.

 

I'm biased, but I would suggest the Krav Maga stick defenses. They are easy to learn and very effective. Krav modified their stick defenses a few years ago so they would work against a fireman's axe. Apparently, the Palestinian's were fond of using axe's and the old way didn't work. I'm guessing that the defense that works against impact weapons ranging from a stick to a fireman's axe would fit your bill nicely.

Of course, if you're serious about maybe getting hit with a hammer, you might want to consider not going home in the first place.

 

For those that have read certain other areas of MAP, it might be as serious as this - with 'home' being the estate she lives on Not a nice story by the sounds of it.

 

Consider the hammer. A ballpeen hammer has two blunt ends, a carpenters hammer (claw hammer) has one blunt end and basically two spikes on the other side, the roofer's hammer is blunt on one side and essentially an axe on the other. All will deal serious damage, but all are still club like as a weapon.

If you can, drop the villian with a shotgun . Shotguns (with as short a barrel as possible, i recommend a pistol grip and cutting the barrel if needed) are the best home defense tools ever. Wide spread means little aiming required. The pellets rarely have enough power the penetrate interior walls.

I always suggest that people carry mace/pepper spray. Range/distance is your best friend in self defense. If it is illegal in your area check your local stores for insecticides. Some aerosol bug killers can shoot up to 20 feet.

If you have to enter hand to hand combat get in close. Impacts from the hammer's shaft or the villians arm will be far less severe than from the tool's head. Then go for the basics: eyes, throat, groin, shin, instep. Any items you can throw or use to distract the timing of his attacks will better your odds. Keys are useful. I don't subscribe to putting them between the fingers and punching, but prefer grasping one between thumb and forefinger then using it for slashing and stabbing attacks.

 

The real problem with pepper spray is that it's worthless against someone who really wants to hurt you. Literally thousands of experiments and several police department review articles all come to the same conclusion - it just won't stop motivated attackers. I submit that someone who tries to kill you with a hammer is probably motivated.

 

Might I suggest a look at http://www.kravmagauk.co.uk/

In their DVD, Tamir demonstrates defences against a mallet. The straight arm is raised against the ear to defend the head from the mallet whilst stepping forward very rapidly and raining blows into the opponent's face. Then the mallet is controlled, seized and used against the opponent. Tamir goes from motionless to full speed and it is this instant response to the threat, carried out with no hesitation, that is the key to success. Yes, hand axes are weapons of choice in Israel and Tamir explained to me that the attacker can be on you so fast that a pistol cannot be drawn in time, so the Krav Maga is the first line of defence.

Standing off is not effective unless you can shoot. Close with the attacker and get inside the swing to smother the force and smash them to the ground and confirm the kill.

Pericles

 

Think of the hammer as a knife, and defend accordingly. The added bonus is you CAN grap this weapon without losing your hand.

Above all defend your head, and neck, you can do this by hunching your shoulders, tucking in your chin, and raising both elbows to point directly forward. My primary concern would be smashing the limb that holds the weapon