the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

Interesting choice of weapon that we don't normally see in street fights.

The victims are lucky that the attacker didn't take a few more swings at them. Otherwise they would have probably both ended up in the morgue.

Back in my teenage years there was an small Albanian gang in my hometown, it was rumored they all carried(hidden) small axes, well it turned out that only one of them carried such....no Kung-Fu Hustle gang.......But yes it’s horrible that in modern “civilized” societies such things going on.

ANDY
Published on Jul 4, 2018

Jiangmen smashed the urban management segment to film 咁 horror:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrQ3IMSs43E

Now I’m no expert. But if thinking how it would have been before firearms invention, to arm the mass of an army axe-like weapons where probably most common, it could be attached to a whatever size pole and required less metal than a sword to be made thus arming more troops……But in today’s world the axe should just stay as a trade tool of course. In today’s news I read a knife wielding man injure ten people in a crowded bus in Germany, crazy world

Horrible incident. No idea whether this attack was in some way "provoked" or not; doesn't make any real difference, it remains a vile criminal act.

Whatever the case, there's a very clear takeaway from this video. If someone is carrying a weaponlike object in a place where that's not the norm (and even more so if the behaviour or body language of this person is challenging, threatening or in any way 'off'), then DON'T let this person out of your sight. That doesn't mean you have to mirror their conflict behaviour, you can be neutral, laid back or even friendly. But BE AWARE !!

To tie into my previous post a little. Many have an fascination for ancient bladed weapons and also practice with such(blunt replicas) for sport and recreational purpose such as it’s done in CMA to HEMA, all quite interesting. But, well at least for me when see news report of such as in the OP, that fascination get a somewhat hard hit of an horrible reality even that I’m not amongst the victims.

I wonder what was said before the attack. "What is someone like you going to do with that axe?"

Here in China it’s not uncommon to see some laborer walking in the street(from or to the worksite I guess) carrying a sledgehammer or some big “stone-hacker”(don’t know it’s name) on the shoulder, a sight that would have looked somewhat strange in for example Sweden .

Giles wrote:Horrible incident. No idea whether this attack was in some way "provoked" or not; doesn't make any real difference, it remains a vile criminal act.

Whatever the case, there's a very clear takeaway from this video. If someone is carrying a weaponlike object in a place where that's not the norm (and even more so if the behaviour or body language of this person is challenging, threatening or in any way 'off'), then DON'T let this person out of your sight. That doesn't mean you have to mirror their conflict behaviour, you can be neutral, laid back or even friendly. But BE AWARE !!

Good points.

In addition, victim should have controlled position (angle) and distance, which was fine at the beginning—close enough. However, he did not notice the attacker take a step back; creating enough distance for the opponent to swing the ax.

"If the opponent does not move, then I do not move. At the opponent's slightest move, I move first." — Wu Yu-hsiang

The victim could have let the attacker go first giving him better awareness and position, behind the opponent.

If it weren't noted in the title, I'd never thought a transgender person was involved. The attack seems to be out of rage as opposed to being random. If the person had wanted to kill, it would have been relatively easy.

True, if someone walks into a gift store carrying a hatchet, it would draw attention. Though, every plumber, carpenter, logger, or iron worker walks around carrying deadly weapons. It's rare that they attack anyone with those tools. And, everybody buys something from a hardware store every once in a while.

I don't think there's any specific way to prepare for random attacks. Sure, you could say that seeing someone holding a potential weapon should raise alarms. Then, again, what about people carrying guns? What about people in the park with swords? Imo, this is only a matter of one's perception of threat. It might have been logical for the victim to have been concerned about the attacker. But, he was smiling and talking to the attacker at first. He didn't expect the attack, but I don't think it was random.

The interaction between the attacker and the victim before the attack is where it could have been prevented. And, if that wasn't successful, then the victim should have removed himself from the situation or attacked first.

Steve James wrote:If it weren't noted in the title, I'd never thought a transgender person was involved. The attack seems to be out of rage as opposed to being random. If the person had wanted to kill, it would have been relatively easy.

It was "random." She attacked two innocent strangers. Per her trial testimony, she was mentally disturbed, heard voices and on drugs.

Steve James wrote:True, if someone walks into a gift store carrying a hatchet, it would draw attention. Though, every plumber, carpenter, logger, or iron worker walks around carrying deadly weapons. It's rare that they attack anyone with those tools. And, everybody buys something from a hardware store every once in a while.

I don't think there's any specific way to prepare for random attacks. Sure, you could say that seeing someone holding a potential weapon should raise alarms. Then, again, what about people carrying guns? What about people in the park with swords? Imo, this is only a matter of one's perception of threat. It might have been logical for the victim to have been concerned about the attacker. But, he was smiling and talking to the attacker at first. He didn't expect the attack, but I don't think it was random.

One can prepare by practicing controlling distance and position (angle) with various weapons (e.g., bat, axe, swords, etc.).

Steve James wrote:The interaction between the attacker and the victim before the attack is where it could have been prevented. And, if that wasn't successful, then the victim should have removed himself from the situation or attacked first.

It's highly unlikely any interaction would have prevented the attack, given the state of the attacker.

Here's an article on her current trial, "Transgender Axe Attacker Heard Voices Telling Her To “Kill And Maim”, https://www.lolwot.com/transgender-axe- ... -and-maim/

A couple of months ago I saw from my bedroom window a guy(later teens it seemed) holding a very realistic handgun replica(it must have been?) aiming it at various object while walking along the street, walking beside him was what I think could be his mother, no one in the street reacted the slightest everyone seemingly just minding their own business. If that was in the US or EU there would probably be panic amongst he crowd, understandingly.

It was "random." She attacked two innocent strangers. Per her trial testimony, she was mentally disturbed, heard voices and on drugs.

I didn't look up the case, and the video had no explanation or sound. Yeah, my idea of random applies to rational people doing something for no reason. I didn't know the person had a mental illness, or was hearing voices. I was just going by what I saw on the video.

Sure, if the victim heard someone carrying an axe talking to himself and acting crazy, he should have taken more precautions. But, as I said, I don't know how he was acting before; and I would still argue that the solution is preventative.

Damn... Very lucky the victims got out of that with what looks like relatively minor injuries.

What Giles said, -- in a situation like that... The least you can do is BE AWARE. (Of course that alone isn't enough, which is why EVERYONE should learn at least some MA, but it's a hell of a lot better because you get a better chance of getting away before things get physical.)

Steve James wrote:

It was "random." She attacked two innocent strangers. Per her trial testimony, she was mentally disturbed, heard voices and on drugs.

I didn't look up the case, and the video had no explanation or sound. Yeah, my idea of random applies to rational people doing something for no reason. I didn't know the person had a mental illness, or was hearing voices. I was just going by what I saw on the video.

Sure, if the victim heard someone carrying an axe talking to himself and acting crazy, he should have taken more precautions. But, as I said, I don't know how he was acting before; and I would still argue that the solution is preventative.

That is the problem you "don't know." Even after interacting with the attacker, you still may "not know." In both of the posted videos, the victims "interacted with the attacker" and received serious injuries.

Controlling distance and position, before interacting (if at all), could have prevented those injuries. There is a place for interacting: from a safe distance and position.