Stick, Pipe and Bat Attacks

A baseball bat, or similar stick-like weapon, is not as easily concealed as a knife or a gun, which means it’s unlikely to be a weapon that an attacker has on them, as part of their everyday carry. This means that it will likely need to be fetched before an attack– such as a tire iron, retrieved from the trunk of a car – or found, e.g. a piece of pipe lying on the ground, a pool or snooker cue in a bar, etc. Otherwise, it’s part of a pre-planned assault, such as a weapon to be used in a robbery. I once witnessed a guy try, unsuccessfully, to smash the glass of a Post Office counter in Liverpool. Understanding the context of an attack is important, as it gives us ideas about tactics and strategies we may employ; if an assailant goes to the trunk of their car to get a weapon, then we may in that moment have time to disengage and put an obstacle between us such as another parked car, if an attacker’s focus is on smashing a window to break through to a cashier in a Post Office or bank we are in, if we haven’t an opportunity to exit, we may be able to move to a place where we are not a visible or obvious target. If we do have to deal with an attack with a stick-like object, there are several things we should note.

The real power of a baseball bat attack – or similar – is in the last third of the stick, and the power generated decreases exponentially the closer you get to where it is being held; moving in and closing distance represents your best chance of dealing with an attack, if there are no other options present e.g. disengaging, using barricades and obstacles, using an improvised weapon such as a chair to defend yourself with, and/or pool/snooker balls as projectiles, etc. Understanding that the bat/stick only has power along a limited part of its lengths, means that although such a weapon gives an attacker range, it only does so at a certain point; once you are inside of that last third, getting hit may be uncomfortable but it shouldn’t stop or disable you. Obviously, an assailant can manage range, and step back, to keep you at distance, meaning you will want to try to get an attacker to move forward. This way, as you try to move past this corridor of power, they will not be able to quickly move backwards, and control the distance between you. In a stand-off between yourself and an attacker, where they are threatening you with the weapon without committing to an attack, you should be careful of feints, where they pull the weapon back, and then slightly forward, without making any commitment to the attack; trying to move in at this point, could see them step back, and then swing. Before moving in, you will need to make them commit to an actual attack in some way. If you are close enough and have the chance to pre-emptively assault them before they have a chance to even pull the weapon back, that is obviously a preferable option.

Try to control the attacker, not the weapon. Although a stick/baton/bat, can be grabbed, most of the leverage advantages are with the assailant, not with you. Even a person who is not trained in weapon retention, will have an innate understanding that if they twist and pull in a certain way, they will be able to release your grip on the stick. Trying to wrestle it out of their hands unless you have a clear and obvious opportunity is not advisable. It is generally better to try to control the assailant’s arms and/or body, than the weapon itself. This may mean having to move a lot further in than you would if you were going for the weapon, but it will enable you to have better control of the attacker’s ability to retain and swing the bat, than if you were trying to directly control it. Rather than grabbing, attempting to wrap their arms with yours will give you a greater degree of control.

Disarming shouldn’t be your priority, unless you need to equip yourself with a weapon to deal with other attackers, etc. Whilst you have control of their arms, and are hanging on to the stick, their hands will be occupied and they won’t be able to use them for striking and grappling; at close range, unless they know how to grapple with a stick, it is worth letting them hold onto it, whilst you use combatives to soften them up and shut them down. Their best chance for freeing their arms, comes from releasing the stick, however many attackers will be too weapon-focused/centric to do this, and will continue to hold on to the weapon even when it is of no use to them. If you believe you can exit the area safely without doing so, don’t get caught up in trying to disarm them; if your attacker has had the fight taken out of them, and is sufficiently disabled, go. The longer you spend engaging with them, the greater the chance that somebody may come and assist them, or that they will begin to formulate a strategy for dealing with you. Ego may tell you to stay and teach them a lesson, whereas survival will tell you it’s time to leave. If you do need to disarm, then do so, but understand from a legal perspective a separation may have occurred and depending how the fight continues, you may now be judged as the aggressor. These considerations should be factored into your solutions and strategies ahead of time, rather than in the moment.     

It is easy to look on dealing with sticks and bats as simple and straightforward – and on paper this may be the case – however in reality, moving towards an aggressor, and through the danger-zone, where the bat has power is a scary proposition. In some cases where the stick is moving too fast (and may have nails and/or sharp objects embedded in it), for you to get past it, and control the arms, your only option may be to try and go under it and tackle the aggressor. This should never be your first option, but if your attacker is using their weapon in such a way that you won’t be able to control their weapon arm(s), your next option – and you always need a next option – is to try and control them; the same rules apply here, such as getting them to move forward with their attack, etc. Attackers deliberately don’t make it easy for us to counter them, and we should always have options, even when our preferred ones have run out, or are not available to us.