Is it difficult to defend oneself from an attacker armed with a stick or baseball bat?

Question

Let's suppose the attacker doesn't know any martial art.

Answer 1

if you mean defence buy not getting hit then yes. its callsed rinning. very effective defence

Answer 2

do you know a martial art? is so is it aikido?

and if it is then no! the basics are a form to defend yourself like that and even getting more higher

and i guess the best way is dodge it or make the impact in your arm if he is attacking your head

and then disarming him and then get him in a lock for him to cool down

Answer 3

**** ya it is. I guess you could try to dodge the first swing and then take him down. That would be your best bet since you cant exactly block a bat. Or just shoot him in the face...

Answer 4

What do u think buddy, he's got a long weapon, regardless of martial arts skill or not, one solid swing could put you out, and if you attempt to block it, you could end up breaking something. So no ****, its difficult.

Answer 5

It would be difficult to defend yourself for the first couple of swings. But after that your attacker would start getting tired and the swings would have less and less speed and power. So when that happens you would have a greater opportunity to be the attacker and end the fight or just run.

Answer 6

Difficult?  Yes!  Impossible?  NO!!!  You can take a hit from even a bat as long as you counter-strike immediately.  Obviously, it is most important to block a strike to the head (jo-don), and then follow up by (1) grabbing the weapon and using it against him/her.  You can get them in a choke from this position, use it to knock them off of their center in which they'll fall.  Or you could simply "twist" or in some other way take the weapon away and flee (WITHOUT turning your back on the attacker!).   Fleeing is usually the best option if you don't know your abilities vs. the attackers.  If you're a juvenile, this is most certainly the best choice.  Make a lot of noise, get others' attention and possibly their help!

I hope this is just for curiosity sake and that you don't expect something to happen in the future (i.e. a threat).  If you've been threatened, be sure to let some one else know of the threat!

Answer 7

Actually if you see the attack coming, it is easier to defend against a stick or a club in many respects, then against bare hands. Okinawin karate regurly trains with and against weapons. A stick or a bat has one direction it can hurt you  at a time, and has to complete that journey before  it can be redirected, unlike empty hand attacks, that can be thrown a lot faster and at more different angles.

For one thing your attacker is going to focus more on the weapon then any of his other weapons(fists, feet, elbows), especially if he is untrained, it's human nature, because that weapon gives him power.

The only advantage it gives him is reach, so you must immedietly move into grappling range to negate that advantage. Most untrained fighters that have their weapon immobalized will still focus on getting it free to use, rather then striking with another body part that is free, because again this is their power.

If you do block, make sure you block the weapon as close to his body as possible, this lessens the impact. Best bet is to actually block on the arm holding the weapon, rather then the weapon itself. This in itself can be a strike as opposed to a block.

Okinawin karate treats a weapons attack the same as a empty hand attack, the same basic principles apply. I would much rather face a bat then a knife. I've done that already, and wouldn't recomend it.

Answer 8

If it's a blitz attack and you don't see them coming, yeah they could take you out with one swing.  The heavy hard wood is going to be moving much, much, faster than a hand or foot can be because it's going to be further away from the fulcrum (the swinger's shoulder).

However, if you know they're coming - their hands are committed to that weapon.  It's awkward to grapple or kick with a weapon, so they've pretty much only got that swing and you've got all of your martial arts at your disposal.

I've defended myself from an attacker with a golf club by running through them with my hands raised.

Answer 9

THE Spar got it right. A bat is most dangerous when it catches you at long range. You never see a baseball player hit a home run with the low end of the bat. You have to commit yourself to closing in with your opponent. If you step inside the arc, you are relatively safe. Unfortunately, the person with the stronger grip usually ends up controlling the bat.

Answer 10

You have a number of options available to you, depending on how much warning you have of the attack. With ample time, avoidance is your first, easiest, and most effective option to keep from getting your head knocked off. All the martial arts training in the world goes out the window if you miss the first block and get clobbered, so if you CAN get away, swallow your pride and get the heck out of there.

Now, if you absolutely MUST continue with the confrontation, then don't allow yourself to be at the end of the bat; it hurts more there. As soon as you can, preferably BEFORE the swing is in full motion, CLOSE with your opponent and remove the bat from the equation. Once your are there, you have all KINDS of options available; knee strike to the groin, elbows to the temple, foot sweep, hip throw, etc. Do NOT stand back and think you will be able to block the swing, because doing so could shatter your arm, which puts you at an even BIGGER disadvantage than when you started. if you find yourself in a situation where you HAVE to block, don't block the bat, block at the attacker's forearm or wrist, then close again and counter with the above mentioned techniques (or one of your own, whichever suits the situation).

but always, always, ALWAYS, your best defense against an attack is to not be there when the attack happens. I've never been knocked out by a blow that didn't hit me