Armchair World Home Page Armchair World's Company Store Articles on science, history and health Articles on food preparation, wine, ingredients and recipes Travel information, articles, travel insurances, hotels, airlines, railpasses Armchair World
main World Perspectives Menu Time Warp--On Science--On Health-- On Defense-- Artcam  

.

Self Defense Against a Crowbar Attack

by

Bernd (Bernie) Weiss, Ph.D.

Introduction

This column involves a large, deranged man armed with a crowbar who tried to indiscriminately attack anyone within reach in a U.S. Post Office. The defender was a beginning blackbelter at my karate school.

Circumstances

An escapee from a mental institution walked into a post office holding a crowbar in his left hand. Without provocation or observable reason he ran up to the only customer in the place and struck him with a glancing blow to the side of the head.

As the victim crumpled to the floor with blood gushing from his wound, a postal employee ran into the back room screaming for someone to call the police. The manager called the police immediately.

At this point our "victim" walked through the door looking down at his hand preoccupied with counting his change for the stamps he wanted to buy.

The Attack

Something got our hero to look up. When he did he saw the deranged southpaw stepping toward him ready to strike with the crowbar (simulated in Figure 1 to the right.)crowbar attack Figure 1

At the same time the defender recalls seeing the collapsed body of the other victim.

He also began to be aware of the screaming coming from the back room

The Defense

Our hero dropped his change and immediately stepped forward striking into the attacker's wrist with the edge of his hand (see Figure 2). crowbar attack: Fig. 2Figure 2

This checked the crowbar at the beginning of its swing. He immediately followed up with a left-side, upward elbow strike to the assailant's chin (Figure 3), He then did a bottom-fist to strike to the attacker's nose (Figure 4).

crowbar attack: Fig. 3 Figure 3.

crowbar attack: Fig. 4 Figure 4.

The attacker's knees started to buckle, his eyes were watering, his nose was bloody and his grip on the crowbar loosened.

The defender merely twisted the crowbar out of the attacker's hand and was able to hold him for the police who arrived within minutes. An ambulance was right behind the police unit.

The victim who was hit on the head was taken away in the ambulance. The assailant was treated at the scene, and the police took him to a contract psychiatric hospital after writing their report.

© 1998 Bernd Weiss

More Bernie Weiss on Self Defense


Homepage | Armchair World Directory

© 1998-2002 Armchair World