Years of martial arts, but a guy with a hammer made me feel helpless

Last week, for the first time in my life, I came close to a situation where I might have had to physically defend myself.

I was trying to park near my house when a guy started tailgating me. I felt pressured to park quickly because of the car behind me, and it pissed me off. I ended up yelling at him (car windows were closed, he could not hear me. He only saw it). For context, I recently became a father, I’m barely sleeping, and my patience hasn’t exactly been at its best lately. No excuse to get mad, I am aware.

When I got out of my car to get to my house, I noticed that the other driver had stopped too. He grabbed a hammer and started walking towards me.

I’ve trained martial arts for most of my life. I have a brown belt in judo, years of kickboxing and MMA experience, and some wrestling experience as well. I always understood that real-life violence is unpredictable, but I guess I never truly understood what it would feel like to face someone who was actually threatening me with a weapon.
All that training suddenly felt irrelevant.

I didn’t feel confident or prepared. I didn’t feel like a fighter. The only thing I could think to say was, “Did you really just grab a hammer over this?”

I know that de-escalating the situation and getting home safely was the right priority. I’m not upset that I didn’t fight him. I’m upset by how helpless I felt in that moment, despite all the years I’ve spent training.
Part of me knows that avoiding a potentially life-threatening confrontation was the sensible thing to do. Another part of me keeps interpreting that feeling of helplessness as some kind of failure.

Has anyone here with a martial arts background experienced something similar?
How did you deal with the mental aftermath? Did it change the way you view your training or your ability to handle yourself in a real-life confrontation?
I’m not looking for advice on how to beat someone armed with a hammer. I’m trying to understand why I reacted the way I did and how to stop interpreting a sensible decision as a personal failure.

Submitted October 11, 2026 at 02:32PM by Fantastic-Estate-938 https://ift.tt/IXm4KSt

Is a jaw punch MOST LIKELY gonna cause someone to get knocked out?

/r/stupidquestions/comments/1x2zpbw/is_a_jaw_punch_most_likely_gonna_cause_someone_to/

Submitted October 11, 2026 at 01:48AM by nexusgaming11 https://ift.tt/QgPpDX4

Need help in self Defense

I’ve been dealing with this bully for quite sometime now and it’s gotten to the point where he would always follow me home just to beat me up I already tried going to the police but nothing was done and he shows no sign of stopping he has a huge size advantage I think he’s 6 foot and I’m 5,4 and very skinny everytime I tried fighting back he would always overpower me by grabbing me if anyone knows how I can fight back I’d appreciate it

Submitted October 10, 2026 at 07:12PM by Fearless-Teacher6991 https://ift.tt/N0Hv9Qd

Kick between the legs

Hello, is a kick between the legs in women as effective as in men?

Submitted October 10, 2026 at 01:18PM by Superb-Tea-8613 https://ift.tt/7xezuIt

Recommendations for Self Defense Classes in LA

Hi all, I am an old man in the Midwest so these recommendations are not for me. They are for my daughter. She is a new college graduate and living on her own in the LA area. I have been thinking about purchasing her some self defense classes but this is an area where I know absolutely nothing. The last fight I was in was 50 years ago while in the 7th grade after a disco dance class at the local park district (flame away). It taught me one thing: that I am not a fighter.

Anyway, suggestions about the types of classes that would be best for a single, young woman on her own and, if allowed, recommendations to actual places in LA that would be good. I know LA is huge so think Playa Del Rey/Westchester areas (north of LAX).

If it matters, my daughter is on the smaller side (5'3ish) and not a particularly serious work out person so she has little to no experience with weight lifting and/or physical confrontations. She has never been in a physical fight in her life. She spends a lot of her time outside walking with her dog. Recently she had a "strange" interaction with a guy near a dog park and this is what triggered my interest in finding her some type of professional self defense training.

Thank you all for any advice!

Submitted October 8, 2026 at 12:44PM by Nika65 https://ift.tt/ofC4sPO

Hand Wrapping Step By Step Tutorial for Boxing Training 🥊

https://youtube.com/shorts/xjPaHh8SAZ4?si=8fsdFwvmnynT6dPc

Submitted October 8, 2026 at 10:39AM by heck28 https://ift.tt/65JgtaA

Are martial arts actually useful for defending yourselves?

This is a question for anyone with any relative combat experience (military or police).

I know a lot of people recommend martial arts in this thread.

BJJ - I imagine in ground fighting you don't know where you could end up: near glass shards from some bottle, rocks, or some kid's left-behind plastic toy (because everyone's littering).

Another suggestion is judo; you don't necessarily have to go to the ground; there are throws while standing up, but judo is known to have more frequent injuries. Any tips on doing Judo safely?

Though is Krav Maga or Kali actually useful?

Striking arts (boxing, Muay Thai, etc.). If you grapple your opponent, you can avoid doing excessive damage. The only exemption would be multiple opponents (you can't exactly grapple your way out of that); then again, I don't think any martial art can save you from that, not to mention striking arts put your lifespan in danger (strikes to the head during training), not enough return for the risk. I'm assuming your only chance is running away.

But are these relevant or worth it for civilians (they don't have handcuffs or other equipment)?

Skills like sprinting (for running) or first aid help you help others, potentially treat yourself; those are probably the priority.

Submitted October 8, 2026 at 07:35AM by Fine-Market9841 https://ift.tt/RPfb52o