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“Stay ‘unreasonable.’ If you
don’t like the solutions [available to you], come up with your
own.”
Dan Webre
The Martialist does not
constitute legal advice. It is for ENTERTAINMENT
PURPOSES ONLY.
Copyright © 2003-2004 Phil Elmore, all rights
reserved.
Intuitive Tomahawk
By Phil Elmore
The
tomahawk is a remarkably effective close combat weapon. A relatively
recent surge in interest in the weapon owing to several factors, among them
the prominence of the ‘hawk in the Mel Gibson film The
Patriot means that there are plenty of quality ‘hawks on the market.
Less
common though it does indeed exist is instruction in the use of the tool
as a weapon of self-defense.
The beauty of the tomahawk, however, is that it can be a relatively intuitive
weapon. Most of us, at some point in our lives, have used a simple claw
hammer. There is a set of basic physical movements that can be
used to wield the tomahawk
that are little different than the mechanics of swinging a hammer.
Now, I can hear the ‘hawk veterans out there grinding their
teeth. Yes, I’m aware of the fact that you can use the tomahawk
differently, and yes, I’m aware that many of you don’t consider the tomahawk
anything like a hammer. My aim, however, is to equip the average reader
with an expedient means of using the tomahawk to inflict damage and nothing
more. I see no reason to complicate the issue with esoterica. The
‘hawk can be compared to a hammer and used intuitively on that basis,
so why not start from there? Those wishing to put the time into playing
with the ‘hawk over the long term will find methods that suit them.
Now, a bladed weapon like a ‘hawk and a hammer will handle
differently in application, most notably because one always feels compelled to
“break” the wrist more when using an edged tool. Getting a feel for this
is why we practice. Use these basics and go out there and train,
‘hawking up the helpless target dummy of your choice.
Okay, on to the basics. Whenever
wielding a single weapon, the off hand should be used to protect the
center. In some of the photographs that follow, my off hand is not
precisely over my centerline either because I was turning (and reorienting
my hand) during the strike or simply keeping my hand out of my face for the
sake of the shot. Centerline awareness is a very important skill to
develop in self-defense and should not be neglected during weapons
training.
When wielding
the tomahawk or any other weapon in one hand, the off hand generally comes
forward to protect the body when the weapon comes back. Exceptions to
this include situations in which extending your hand would get your fingers
lopped off or give your opponent something with which to grab and hold
you. When the weapon is before your body, by contrast, it gives you some
degree of protection but you cannot simply leave it hanging out there
mindlessly or your opponent may try a disarm. Locking your arm
out in front of your body is a great way to render workable all those
otherwise questionable disarms taught in some dojos today.
Concerns
specific to the tomahawk involve the arcs through which its sharp and pointy
ends must travel to inflict damage on an enemy, versus the portions of the
‘hawk that are not harmful. We’ll call the latter the ‘hawk’s
“non-strike zones.”
Picture your
hand and arm as an extension of the tomahawk. Where your arm
pivots at your wrist, at you elbow, or at your shoulder becomes the pivot point
of the weapon, depending on how you swing it. The more you use your
shoulder over your elbow or wrist, the more committed your movements become. The
more committed you are, of course, the more critical the situation becomes,
for greater is the reduction in your ability to recover from an error.
The
arc of motion described by your joints translate to arcs along
which the blade or the point of the tomahawk must travel to strike the
enemy. (The butt of the tomahawk can also be used for strikes, but
depending on how light the handle is compared to the weight of the tomahawk
head, these strikes won’t have the power that is generated with strikes from
the head. Think of using the wooden end of a hammer instead of the
hammer head to drive a nail.)
The area
inside those arcs of motion a sphere encompassing your hand and the handle
of the ‘hawk defines the non-strike zone. It is here that an opponent
could jam or grab the weapon. You must be mindful of this in wielding
the tomahawk. Keeping your motions tight to avoid the danger of attacks to the
non-strike zone. This also diminishes the chance that you will telegraph
your movements.
Take,
for example, a simple overhead strike with the tomahawk. No matter how
tight you manage to keep your movement, your arm and elbow comprise a
“stop zone.” A quick opponent could attempt to jam or trap
your arm and elbow, trusting that the dangerous portions of your ‘hawk cannot
be brought to bear against such a counter. Striking from side to side
has the same inherent vulnerability, in that the elbow of the weapon arm (as
well as the haft of the tomahawk) can be slapped and grabbed without harm.
The T-shape of the tomahawk makes it extremely useful for trapping, hooking,
and grappling. If you can grapple with the butt of a stick, as some
Filipino Martial Arts practitioners do, you can perform the same locks and
hooks with the butt of the ‘hawk. More usefully, you can use the head of
the tomahawk to hook and claw as a cat does when it lashes out with its paw.
James
Keating, in an article on Tomahawks in Knifeforums: The Magazine,
commented on the usefulness of the point of the ‘hawk. This is a
viciously effective piercing tool that delivers great penetration. Just
as ancient war hammers with pointed spikes were used to pierce armor, the
point of the tomahawk can be driven through the target with all the momentum one
can generate with the elbow and shoulder.
Basic
striking with the tomahawk is, as you’ve already figured out, intuitive.
You can strike to the inside or backhand to the outside. You can also
strike down and hook up. It is relatively easy to rotate the tomahawk in
the hand (another movement specifically mentioned by Jim Keating in the
article mentioned previously), but doing this under stress is
inadvisable. Take a strong grip on the tomahawk and use it as you’ve
gripped it.
The
mechanics of wielding the tomahawk as a weapon may be easy, but just how does
one apply the ‘hawk to personal defense? Provided you are not in danger
of being hauled off to jail for carrying one concealed, tomahawks while not
the most concealable of personal weapons can be carried in packs, on your
belt, or even under a coat in shoulder rigs (such as this excellent adjustable
rig from Survival
Sheath, below). They are excellent camp tools, too, which means they
can do double duty if you’re worried about personal safety while far from
“civilization.” As a close-quarters weapon for most of us,
though, the ‘hawk is best kept at home in some readily accessible location,
where it can be used for self-defense against intruders.
Many
weapons require quite a bit of training to be used effectively. The
tomahawk is deceptively simple, but it still requires education and practice
to be used to its full potential. Like any weapon, it’s not a magic wand
and it’s not capable of doing good or evil unless it is held by a human being.
Give
this intuitive tool the consideration it deserves.