Mike Barroca

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE FALL OF 1999 IN THE COLD STEEL MAIL ORDER CATALOG, "SPECIAL PROJECTS" COPYRIGHT ©1999 LYNN C. THOMPSON COPYRIGHT ©1999 COLD STEEL, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Over the years I’ve read quite a few articles onthe tomahawk — and even three or four bookson the subject. But outside of Bill Bagwell’sarticle in Soldier of Fortune magazine in the mid1980s, I’ve seen very little in print about how toemploy this uniquely American weapon in hand-to-hand combat.

That’s why I’ve decided to share a little of whatI’ve learned about its advantages and disadvan-tages as a weapon and how to actually wield thetomahawk in a fight.

ADVANTAGES• One Shot Kill - Unlike a stick, machete,

knife or even a bullet, one hard hit from a toma-hawk is enough to put the biggest opponent downfor the count. You see, it’s just plain hard to beata solid tomahawk blow to the head as a certainand immediate fight finisher.

• Hooking/Trapping - I believe one ofthe biggest advantages of the tomahawkas a weapon is that its following edgecan be used to trap or control anadversary’s weapon or to catch ormanipulate his arms, legs, neckand even his torso!

• Extremely Durable - It’s hard to think of ahand held weapon that’s more durable than atomahawk. The head, when drop forged anddifferentially heat treated, is virtually unbreakable.Its edge, when convex ground and properly sharp-ened, will laugh at abuse that would quickly ruin aknife or sword. Even the handle of a tomahawk isextremely durable, especially when made of straightgrain hickory, hornbeam (ironwood) or Osage orange.In fact, my favorite game scout in Africa has beenchopping away with a Rifleman’s Hawk, equippedwith the original handle, now for six years withoutbreaking it. How’s that for toughness! If your handleshould break, it’s easily and cheaply replaced even inthe field where a reasonable facsimile can be fash-ioned from a sapling or tree branch.

• Reach - Most tomahawks measure some-where between 18" and 24" in overall length.Granted, this is not as long as the averagemachete, but it is longer than many other com-monly encountered weapons.

• Easily Obtained - As far as I know,there are no laws on the books prohibit-

ing anyone from owning a tomahawk(with the possible exception of New

York City). They are easily obtainedanywhere in the USA. What’s more,

a reasonable substitute in the formof a hatchet can be obtained fromany hardware store in the world!

• Inexpensive - Dollar fordollar, I’ll bet you’ll be hardpressed to find a weaponwhich offers as much utilityand fighting performance asa tomahawk. Many qualitytomahawks can be had for$20 - $40! At these prices

you can afford to stock upand get one for every member of your family,plus stash one in every car, truck, boat, traileror plane you own!

• Hard To Stop- The heavy mass of atomahawk generates tremendous force and willoften crash right through the defenses of anopponent who is blocking with a cane, stick,knife, machete or the like.

• Can Be Thrown - A tomahawk is one of theeasiest weapons to learn to throw. It can behurled in combat from a distance of just be-yond arms reach to clear out to 50 feet or more.As in anything, practice makes perfect. Expectto make quite a few thousand practice throwsbefore counting on your skill in combat, andalways think three times before throwing youronly weapon.

• Versatile - When you think about it, almostevery part of a tomahawk can be used as aweapon. For instance, let’s take a look at a ColdSteel Norse Hawk. Here you have a sharp edgefor chopping and slashing which terminates ontop and bottom in two points which can be usedfor stabbing, gouging and ripping. What’s more,opposite the blade there’s a solid steel buttwhich can deliver a terrifically effective blow.Finally, let’s not overlook the top of the eyewhere the Hickory handle protrudes. How wouldyou like to get smashed in the face with that?

DISADVANTAGES• Head Heavy Balance - The single greatest

disadvantage of using a tomahawk in hand tohand combat is its extreme head heavy balance.This characteristic makes it almost impossibleto redirect a stroke once it is launched. It alsoseverely retards your recovery time after a missedstroke, as your wrist, forearm, and shoulderstruggle to regain control. This in turn leavesyou momentarily vulnerable to your enemy’scounterattack.

• Cuts a Small Swath - Unlike a 12" kukriblade or 25" cutlass, the edge of the averagetomahawk is quite short (seldom more than41/2" long) and thereby cuts a relatively small

The basic rule of thumb when buying a fighting tomahawk isto get the heaviest head and the longest hickory handle youcan comfortably swing.Go ahead and try a bunch of different hawks. Weigh theheads and play around with different handle lengths. Don’tbe afraid to experiment, but before deciding what’s right foryou please remember this single piece of advice. Neverovermatch your own physical strength. You will alwaysfight more effectively with a tomahawk that is a little toolight than one that’s a bit too heavy.Now that we have the length and weight of yourtomahawk out of the way, there’s really only one thingmore to consider — what blade shape you want to use.I realize, of course, that tomahawks come in allshapes and sizes, but in my opinion there are twoshapes that are best suited for combat.One tomahawk blade type is what I call the

Eastern American Indian style, which features a long narrowblade with a short cutting edge. This type of blade shape actslike a chisel and concentrates the force of a hard blow in a verysmall area. It is ideal for the “one shot kill” and lends itself tosurprise attacks and ambushes in which the contest is decidedvery quickly or when facing heavily protected opponents withextra thick skulls.The tomahawk blade which I favor is what I call the Vikingstyle. The blade resembles the ancient Norseman’s battle-axand is long, broadand wide with a big cutting edge which terminates in twosharp points. Its long suit is the fact that it will cut and chopa wide swath through flesh and bone with almost equalaplomb. In a general melee where there’s little room for fullarmed swings, its dual pointed edge can be put to good use inmounting a stabbing, gouging or ripping attack.

—Lynn Thompson

A. Butt or PollB. Cutting Edge or BitC. EyeD. FaceE. Following EdgeF. Leading Edge

A

B

C

D

E

F

Choosing a Fighting Hawk

swath. This means a person wielding a toma-hawk must be very precise in his targeting. Ifhe’s not, he can easily overstrike his target andhit with the handle or strike short and miss italtogether.

• Hard To Hold - If you attempt a heavy blowwith your tomahawk and miss your target, youwill immediately notice two things. One, thehandle is hard to hold. Two, recovery from thestroke is difficult and slow at best. Why? Tworeasons - design and centrifugal force. You see,a tomahawk handle is designed for throwing aswell as chopping, so there is no hook, “return” orguard on the end to aid your hand in resistingthe pull of the heavy head and centrifugal force.Instead, you must rely solely on your grip strengthto retain control of your weapon. The end of thehandle, by reason of its dual mission, must bestraight and smooth in order to glide easily fromthe hand when thrown.

• Semi-Vulnerable Handle - While highlyunlikely, it is possible that your tomahawk handlecould be severed or broken by multiple blowsfrom a big Bowie knife, kukri or sword. How-ever, you can take some comfort in the fact thatI was unable to put a Cold Steel tomahawkhandle out of action even after giving it 5 goodsmacks within a 6" area with a Trail Master.

Let’s FightSince this is an article, not a book, I have only

enough room to make some general commentsabout fighting. If you have questions, most an-swers can be found by sparring it out. A fewhundred hours actually fighting with a practicetomahawk made of PVC pipe, foam, tape, etc., willgo a long way toward making you a real expert.

Get A GripI suggest you grasp your tomahawk with a

hammer grip near the bottom of the handle. Becareful to leave about an inch of wood stickingout of your fist because it may come in handy foruse in a butt stroke if you are forced to fight atextremely close range.

Choking UpModifying your grip on the handle of your

tomahawk is often a good idea. Here are somecommon reasons why you should be familiarwith choking up.

• Heavy Head - Sometimes you may findyourself forced on to the defensive with a toma-hawk, hatchet or even an ax that is just tooheavy to control in full arm swings. Or, maybeyou’ve been wounded or are so exhausted thatyour tomahawk feels like solid lead in yourhand. At times like these it often pays to choke,

tight to your short ribs with your left or weak fistheld just to the side of your jaw. Finally, bendboth knees slightly and get up on your toes toassure rapid mobility. Often, your best defenseagainst an attack is to simply get out of the way!Advantages Of A Strong SideForward Stance:

• Longer Weapons - Putting your strong sideforward will bolster both your offense and de-fense when facing longer weapons like a ma-chete, steel pipe, baseball bat, ax or sword.Why? Because it forces longer weapons to comethrough a substantial offensive or defensivezone, as defined by the full length of your armand tomahawk, before they can reach your heador the trunk of your body.

• Better Offense - The strong side forwardstance will improve your offense for two rea-sons. One is obvious. This stance dramaticallyincreases your reach when compared to theweak side forward stance. The other reason maybe a little more elusive until you have spent afew hours sparring. But, after you have a little

switching your grip from the end of thehandle to the middle where you willimmediately gain improved control. Ofcourse, there’s no free lunch, and bet-ter control will cost you about halfyour reach.

• Limited Space - If you areattacked in a tightly enclosed orconfined space, you may findthat there is not enough roomto use the full length of yourtomahawk without banginginto walls, ceilings, furniture,etc. If this is the case, it’s helpfulto choke up on the handle and“shorten” your tomahawk to betterfit your environment.

• Grappling - The tomahawk isnot well suited for fighting at ex-tremely close range, such as in aclinch or grappling situation becausethere simply is not enough space todeliver normal blows. However, all isnot lost. The best tactic here is to takea lesson from the cavemen and em-ploy our tomahawk just as they did asharpened rock. To make your toma-hawk effective at short range, chokeall the way up until your hand restsjust under the head. Then use yourshortened “hand ax” to smash,slice, gouge and rip your opponentinto submission!

FightingStance

I use two basic stances when fighting with atomahawk. One is strong side forward, andthe other is strong side back. Each stance hasits own advantages, and the appropriate onefor your situation is determined by severalfactors. Let’s take a minute to explore thesestances briefly.

Strong Side ForwardTo assume this stance, take up a basic boxing

position with your right hand forward (to youright-handed boxers, this is a southpaw stance).Grasp your tomahawk in a hammer grip near thebottom of the handle and extend it straight fromthe shoulder until your upper arm and lower armform an L shape. Your gripping or strong handshould now be close to level with your rightpectoral muscle, and your tomahawk blade willbe about level with the top of your head. Makesure your weak shoulder is pulled back well tothe rear. This will help in alining your body so itpresents a narrower target to the enemy. Also,remember to keep your left elbow in close and

(Left) Strong SideFoward Stance(Right) Strong SideBack Stance

Continued on the next page.

experience under your belt, you’ll soon under-stand that the strong side forward stance pro-vides great freedom of movement, making itpossible to strike forehand and backhand blowswith almost equal force and accuracy. Thisin turn facilitates the ability to advance orretreat while striking blows in combinationor even the ability to deliver a continuousbarrage of blows.

Strong Side BackAssume a conventional right handed boxing

stance with your left or weak shoulder for-ward. Grasp your tomahawk in your righthand with a hammer grip near the bottom ofthe handle. Bring your right hand up to yourribcage until it’s about level with your rightpectoral muscle and keep your elbow bentand pointing back so your arm is in a cockedposition. Make sure your right shoulder isturned well back to narrow the target yourbody presents to your enemy. Now, moveyour left elbow to just in front of your left shortribs and keep it in tight as you bring up yourleft hand. Depending on your size, your lefthand will extend 8" to a foot or more from yourleft shoulder. When viewed from the leftfront, your weak arm should resemble a big Vshape with the shoulder and fist at the tops ofthe V and the elbow at the bottom. Next, bendyour knees slightly and get up on your toes soyou can move quickly.Advantage Of A Strong SideBack Stance:

The only advantage of fighting with yourstrong side back is the ability to put your fullbody weight and muscular strength into a blow.The result with a heavy, sharp tomahawk isdevastating. Nothing that walks on two legs,and little on four, can continue to fight afterbeing struck with a blow delivered from this

stance. An opponent must fear and respect youwhen you adopt this stance. The slightestmistake or miscalculation on his part will, in alllikelihood, prove immediately fatal (more onthis later).

OffenseI am a firm believer in the saying, “The best

defense is a good offense.” So, please pay specialattention and learn the following attacks.

• Punch Attack - From a strong sideforward stance, punch your right or stronghand forward. At the last moment, swingyour wrist down, driving the blade of yourtomahawk full in the face of your opponent.The emphasis in this attack is on all outspeed with no concern for power. The weightof your tomahawk head and its sharp edgewill do all the work. Be careful not to over-train when practicing this attack. It can behard on your elbow.

• Drop Stroke - This is one of the most powerfuland effective blows you can deliver with a toma-hawk. When done right, it can be accomplishedwithout the slightest warning or telegraphing ofyour intention. To execute it, start with your strongside forward and pick a target such as youropponent’s weapon hand. Fix the position of hishand in your mind’s eye. Without looking directlyat his hand, begin your stroke by moving yourstrong shoulder toward your target as far as youcan without upsetting your balance. Next, extendyour arm and drop the edge of your tomahawk onto your target. Now, here comes the hard part. Ittakes practice to perfect. As your arm begins todescend toward the target, you must also simulta-neously bend both knees, drop your butt straightdown and drive your body weight behind the blow.When done right, the drop stroke uses coordina-tion, speed and the sudden transfer of body weightto get the job done.

• Power Or Kill Shot - As any good boxerwill tell you, it’s hard to take out a toughopponent with a single blow. The problem is,to get the power one needs it is often neces-sary to “load up” by digging in with the feet.This in turn telegraphs your intention and letsyour opponent know a knockout blow is onthe way. The same situation occurs preparingfor a power or kill shot with the tomahawk.There just doesn’t seem to be a way to harnessall of your power behind a blow without “tele-graphing”. So, make sure you have a clearopening before launching this fight finisher.To execute a power shot from the strong sideforward stance, move your front shoulder, hipand arm well to the rear and assume a cockedor loaded position. Next, drive forward withyour legs, hips, shoulder and arm in a mightychopping motion and drive your tomahawkstraight through the target. As you can imag-ine, this blow requires the total commitmentof your body. If you miss, recovery will beslow and difficult at best.

• Stabbing - Many opponents become somesmerized by the danger of your tomahawk’sedge and its chopping potential that they for-get you can deliver a straight, non-telegraphedstabbing attack as well. To execute a stabbingattack from a strong side forward stance, ex-tend your right shoulder without warning.Then, drop the head of your tomahawk intoline with your target and fully extend the armwhile simultaneously bending the front kneeto help put body weight behind the blow. Forbest results, drive the pointed tip or leadingedge of your tomahawk into your opponent’sthroat, mouth or eye, although any stab to theneck or face with a 24-ounce tomahawk isgoing to be pretty effective don’t you think?

• Hacking - The goal of a hacking attack isto substitute power for speed and repetition.

You see, in a melee or at close quarters thereoften isn’t enough space or time to deliverpower or kill shots. Instead, you might have touse a hacking attack and deliver a series ofshort, light, quick blows to get the job done.To execute a hacking attack from the strongside forward stance, drive your tomahawktoward your target in a quick snappy mannerusing just your arm, elbow, and wrist forstrength. As soon as your edge penetrates or“bites” into the target, concentrate on retract-ing your arm just as quickly as possible andstriking again in the same spot. Keep this upuntil either the target is destroyed or the dy-namics of battle force you to change or adapt.One hint to make your hacking attack moresuccessful is to refrain from putting a lot ofbody weight or shoulder power into each blow.This keeps your commitment to each blow ata minimum and really speeds up recoverytime for successive blows.

• Hooking - As previously mentioned, oneof the biggest advantages of the tomahawk isthe curved underside of its blade. It can beused to hook your opponent’s body, therebyallowing you to momentarily incapacitate orcontrol him. To execute a hooking attack fromthe strong side forward stance, use the curvedportion of your tomahawk’s blade to sud-denly reach out and snag or capture youropponent’s weapon, wrist, arm, ankle, leg, shoul-der or neck. Then, either pull down, back or tothe side as appropriate. Of course, your goal isto either jerk him off his feet, destroy his balanceor momentarily incapacitate his weapon, givingyou a huge advantage.

• Throwing - Most people believe you canthrow a tomahawk from 20 or even 30 feet awayand strike an enemy edge first every time. Thetruth is, if you make ten thousand practicethrows like the Master of the Blade, Bob Karp,

has, you actually can. However, most of usmere mortals will never obtain Bob’s phenom-enal skill and will have to be content withthrowing a hawk in combat from extremelyclose range.

One close-up throwing method which hasworked well for me over the years is to advanceon your adversary until you are just out of arm’sreach (3-4 feet away) and then, without tele-graphing your intention, hurl your hawk directlyinto his face. Make sure to keep your wristlocked when you throw and that your arm isstraight and fully extended when you let go.When done correctly, your hawk should flystraight as an arrow for three or four feet withoutrotating in its flight and impact the target withthe top of its head.

A variation of the above technique is to movein even closer on your opponent. Before youthrow, line up the cutting edge of your toma-hawk with your target. Next, punch your armsuddenly forward. Just before it’s fully ex-tended, let go. If you keep your wrist locked atthe moment of release, your tomahawk shouldfly straight for two or even three feet and landedge first on the target. Of course, throwing yourtomahawk in a fight is always risky and borderson downright foolish unless you are desperateor armed with another weapon and prepared totake advantage of the opening created whenyour enemy receives a 24-ounce tomahawk fullin the face.

DefenseWhile I prefer to use footwork as my primary

defense against my opponent’s blows, thereare definitely times when it pays to be skilledat blocking and parrying with your tomahawkas well.

FootworkUsing footwork to avoid an opponent’s attack

is almost always a good idea. It leaves you withboth hands free tocounter and eliminates

the possibility of a much heavier weapon crush-ing through your block. However, this is a hugesubject and I can’t even begin to cover it ad-equately here. I can, however, give you thefollowing hints...

• Stay On Your Toes - When practical,get up on your toes and stay there through-out the fight. I guarantee it will vastlyimprove your mobility.

• Avoid getting tangled up in your own feetand losing your balance. This is accomplishedby first moving the foot that is closest to thedirection you want to travel. For instance, ifyou are in a strong side forward stance and youwant to move laterally to your right, step offwith your forward or right foot first. Then,recover your stance by moving your rear foot.

• Concentrate on learning how to sidestepattacks. Learn to escape the onrush of a sparringpartner by moving to the side, not backwards.

• When forced to retreat in the face of anattack, avoid taking one or two steps backwardbefore moving to the side. If you move back-ward exclusively when retreating, you’ll beoverrun. Remember, no one can move back-ward as fast as his opponent can move forward.

• Don’t give your opponent an easy target.Keep your profile narrow and don’t stand directlyin front of your adversary, but rather to the side.

• Don’t let an opponent get a “fix” on yourposition. Practice constantly changing the dis-tance that separates you and mess with his mindso he never really knows your range or when youwill move.

• Always try to take an opponent’s unprotectedflank. Move from side to side and circle him.Always look for a momentary opening. Breakhim up by changing the speed and rhythm of yourmovement.

• Learn to set traps and ambushes. Forinstance, retreat a few steps backward in the faceof an attack and let your attacker really commit tohis rush. Then, suddenly switch directions andattack him. I guarantee this tactic will take manyopponents by surprise.

Up CloseFace Throwing

Face Throwing

Continuedon the next

page.

BlockingThe stout hickory handle and forged steel head

of a tomahawk are very sturdy and will stopattacks from most weapons. For the purpose ofillustration, we will choose to employ them againsta typical street weapon known around the world asthe machete. All blocks and parries will be ex-ecuted from a strong side forward stance. Remem-ber, it is often advisable to step “off line” from an

Drop Block

“A Frame”Block

“A Frame”Block Left

Side

incoming attack when blocking and parrying.• A - Frame Block - This simple blocking

method is easy to learn and can be employedagainst attacks directed at either side of thehead and upper torso. To protect yourself froma slash at the right side of your head, move the

blade of your tomahawk forward a few inchesuntil the head of the hawk is centered justabove the middle of your forehead.

Next, lift your strong, or right elbow andshoulder up and away from your body untilthe head and handle of your tomahawkassume an angle of approximately 45 de-grees and present an appropriate barrier to

the incoming slash from the machete. Be sureto push forward slightly as you make contactwith the incoming weapon to prevent anypossibility of its crashing through your block.(Note: It is almost always a good idea to pushforward or into an incoming weapon whenblocking. To block a machete slash directed tothe left side of your head (your weak side),move your strong hand (right hand) all theway across your body until it is approxi-

mately lined up and even with your weak, orleft shoulder. A foot or more of space shouldbe separating your strong hand and shoulder.

Next, as the slash comes in adjust the angleof your tomahawk head and handle as appro-priate (generally about a 45-degree angle ispreferred) and push into the blade with yourhandle to stop it.

• Vertical Block - This blocking motion isused against horizontal cuts directed at yourbody from mid-torso level to the top of yourhead. To execute a vertical block to stop a cutat the right side of your neck, keep your toma-hawk head up and use your right, or stronghand to push your hickory handle into the path

of the blow. Keep both the handle and yourhand vertical. Don’t forget to push into the cutjust prior to impact to stop it dead in its tracks.

To employ this block to stop a cut aimed at theleft side of the neck, do the following. Push thehandle of your hawk across your body, keepingthe head and handle vertical. Just prior tocontact, exert forward pressure into youropponent’s weapon to keep it from crashingthrough your block.

• Drop Block - This type of blocking tech-nique is almost a strike. It is usually employedto stop an attack directed at your lower torsoand legs. Your goal, when executing this block,is to knock, or slam your opponent’s weapon, orweapon hand right into the dirt. To stop a cutdirected at your forward thigh, gauge the incom-ing blow with your eye and quickly take a stepback with your forward leg. This gets it out of thepath of the oncoming cut. At the same time,drop your tomahawk down on the incomingmachete and smash it harmlessly into the ground.Try and make contact with your enemy’s bladewith the portion of your tomahawk handle thatlies just under the head. When done correctly,a drop block gets the leg being attacked safelyout of the way and reliably stops the attackingweapon, giving you a chance to counter.

• Roof Block - This block mimics the slopingrafter of a roof and is derived from the Filipinomartial arts as well as Western saber fencing (asare all the other blocks discussed here). It can beused to stop attacks to the middle and left sideof your upper torso, neck and hand. To executea roof block to protect yourself from a slash tothe left side of your head, push your strong handforward and up until well above your head. Atthe same time the end of your handle is rising,drop the head of your tomahawk until it is about

level with your left shoulder. The thick shaft orhandle of your tomahawk should now be slop-ing at a downward 45-degree angle from strongside to weak, to present a barrier just like a roofrafter to the incoming slash. When done cor-rectly, this block is superbly effective in harm-lessly deflecting the hardest blow.

• Reverse Roof Block - It takes a littlepractice to become proficient with this block.When I started sparring I swore it wouldn’twork, but now I find myself using it all the time.

or kill shot. Move on him and exert forwardpressure as you look for an opening to exploit.Don’t fall back into a defensive posture and goon the run. This tactic doesn’t suit the toma-hawk. Instead, watch your opponent, and whenhe or his weapon hand is stationary for even amoment, attack! Always try to attack in astraight line with powerful, repetitive blows. Ifone is blocked, your next swing may crashthrough and give you victory. Avoid low lineattacks to your opponent’s legs unless deliber-ately setting a trap because they will leave youin a undesirable defensive posture if they areunsuccessful.

To employ a reverse roof block against a slash orcut directed at the right side of your upper torso,neck, and head, do the following: First, judgethe angle of the incoming blow and, as appropri-ate, drive your strong hand up and across yourbody until it rests well above and to the left ofyour head. At the same time, relax and bendyour wrist, letting your tomahawk head fall untilit rests about 8" off and slightly below your rightshoulder. The handle of your tomahawk shouldnow slope downward at a 45-degree angle withits highest point beginning on your left side,above your head, and its lowest off your rightshoulder. Since this is a weaker block, it isalways a good idea to simultaneously take astep to your left, away from the force of theincoming cut or slash.

• Parry - A parry is used to deflect to theside an incoming thrust or stab directed at

your torso, neck or head. To parry a stab atyour face, keep the head of your tomahawk

up and push the handle forward at a 45-degreeangle until it intersects the oncoming blade andknocks it harmlessly offline. Do not over-com-mit to a parry. It is a light, quick, deft movement,not a ponderous, heavy one. Remember to useforward pressure when you contact youropponent’s blade and then immediately retractyour tomahawk into your on guard, strong sideforward stance.

Strategy• Always Have a Knife - Make sure you

always have a fighting knife, hunting knife,lockback or even a kitchen knife in your weakhand. There is no excuse for not having anotherweapon at the ready when fighting with a toma-hawk. If you absolutely can’t get hold of asuitable, ready-made blade, improvise one! Youcan easily use your tomahawk to put a long,sharp point on a 12" piece of tree branch, a

sapling, driftwood, mop handle, or broomhandle and make it into a lethal stabbing tool.You see, the one big weakness of fighting witha tomahawk is that a highly skilled and cou-

rageous attacker might be able to “shoot in”under your guard and grapple with you. As

I have said before, grappling and groundfighting are not the strong points of fightingwith a tomahawk. But, if you have a bladeor improvised “stabber,” grappling be-comes an extremely dangerous proposi-

tion for even a world class fighter.• Be Aggressive - As I have mentioned

earlier, when you are armed with a massweapon like a tomahawk, any opponentmust fear you. No one can take even asingle power shot from a tomahawk and

continue as an effective fighter. No onecan afford to use his shoulder or fore-

arm as a shield and absorb your blowin the hope of returning a better

blow of his own because the toma-hawk destroys any muscle orbone it comes in contact with.Use your opponent’s fear to youradvantage. Menace him con-stantly with the threat of a power

(Left)Roof Block(Right )ReverseRoof Block

Always havea Knife

Don’t forget to use your tomahawk to stab andthrust. Most people have absolutely no experi-ence in dealing with a hard, straight stab in theface or throat and will definitely not expect itfrom a tomahawk. Finally, if you are forced toblock an attack with your tomahawk, try to twistor turn its blade and hook or trap your opponent’sweapon or attacking hand. Then, while momen-tarily controlling it, step in and stab him withyour knife or dagger.

It is my sincerest hope that this article hasgiven you some insight on how to properlyemploy a tomahawk. There is, of course, muchmore that could be said on the subject, however,the limited space of this catalog makes it neces-sary to conclude here. As I said at the beginningof this article, most of your questions will beanswered by simply “sparring it out,” becausethe only way to really learn how to fight is toactually do it. Get a reliable training partner,put on a three weapons rated fencing mask, andbody “armor” as appropriate and fight it out! Iguarantee you’ll have a new appreciation for thetomahawk as a weapon and a tool.