I have never seen anybody practice any ax disarms. Do any of you guys know of any ones that are realistic? Thank you for any advice that you could give me concerning this topic.
One-handed or two-handed axes? Two-handers are somewhat unwieldy and may give you an opportunity to either run away or go inside the swing radius to attack. One-handed axes might be neutralized through any one of a dozen knife-disarms–which, by the way, I’m not totally convinced will always work.
Anyway, my two yen. 
K. Mark Hoover
As asked, one or two handed. If two handed, is he swinging like a baseball bat or is he using hit like the “half-blade” method of swordfighting? Perhaps a third way?
If the hatchet, is he swinging it like one would a machette or using the weight as an intercepting weapons like one should a knife?
Case 1, get instide and jam. Case 2, grab the axe at about the same points and try to destroy his base, case 3, same counters as a machette, case 4, same as a knife.
Shoot them.
Axes
LOL, I like Martial Joe’e approach. It’s simple and ends it quickly. 
“Do whatever it takes to be the last man standing!”
Jerry, exactly what is the best way to defend against a machete? Also, when you say the half-blade method for two-handed ax, do you mean swinging over his head and diagonally? What if he swings it straight downward towards you?
To avoid going into great detail on something as complex as armed combat. Work against a machette is usually very similar to work aganst a stick (ala FMA) with a few cavets. One is that you no longer find it desireable to put even tough portions of your anatomy in front of the machette. Secendly, there is more of a focus on getting the machette back into the assailant, than with a stick. In short, Typically the machette is passed (hopefully back into the opponent) then jammed or grappled. You rarely want to jam or stop-hit prior to the swing, as you can do with a stick.
Half-blade useage (hope I got the nominclature coorect) is (when applied to a tree ax) holding the axe with one hand near the head and another near the base. The axe is “swung” with body pivots rather than swinging arms. The base of the haft can be used to hit, trip, and parry. As can the middle. The head can eaisly be manuverd in. Go to a site like HACA and look at close range fighting with large swords. You’ll get the idea.
Let me just say, first of all unless you messed around with the wrong guy, no one in their right mind would use an axe against you let alone a battle axe.
Like Sifu says, the best way to defend against an attack (especially ones with axes) is to avoid a confrontation in the first place. If you feel you cannot take on your opponent, the best defense is to run.
“The most beautiful thing is the mysterious, it is the source of all true art and science”
Albert Einstein
Run. Fast.
.50 cal uranium tipped round should do the trick. If not, run like hell 
Peace
A bb gun could do the trick..then you have time to run…
Move to another trailer park and stop shopping at Wal-Mart.
I don’t have a signature because I have no pen to write it.
Simple, pull out your short-sword and have at them!
Always seeking to learn,
Kong Jianshen
Humble disciple of the Warrior Arts
After you sh!t your pants, try running away. Otherwise, I guess you could ask them to stop
Guns don’t kill people, I kill people
Duck!!!
By the way, where exactly are you hanging out so I am sure not to go there?
don’t be where the axe is.
e.g. of not being where the axe is:
as attacker is swinging axe, roll past assailaint at a 45 degree angle, while simulataneously pulling out your conclealed knife, and cutting the back of his knee, or achilles tendon, as you are rolling past him. - roll to a standing position, and run, zig zagging at 45 degree angles, keeping bent over. (because he’ll most likely throw the freakin thing at ya.)
Depends on axe.
A small, weighted one-hand axe is definately the most effective axe to use in a fight. You’d have to use knife disarms against that, and I’m far too inexperienced to help you there 
However, if we’re talking the classic woodsman’s axe, it’s a quite unwieldy double-handed mofo. Dodge the first swings like crazy and eventually your opponent WILL overextend his blow. That’s where you step in behind the swinging axe, and from there you can basically take him, bend him over and make him call you daddey 
Peace,
SotW
“I know Kung Fu.”
Ever watched a professional swing and axe? Even with the “both hands nead the pommel” swing you are describing (which the imagined opponent by no means needs to use) there are many who can recall that axe quite quickly to a position with one hand on either end of the shaft. Effectively readying for another swing or giving him a heavy, sharp, metal weight in one hand for hitting with and a stick end in the other.
As with any weapon scinerio, controlling the weapon is important. And I agree that behind the swing is usually one of the better times to close. But I think you are oversimplfying the matter and that you’d better have a better plan than “make him tell you who’s daddy” once you have passed the weapon.
An Axe? Jeez, that’s brutal, man!
My first suggestion is to run if you’re not cornered. I would say that’s the best option. Best not to turn and run, but to run forward and then past him.
My second suggestion would be to get inside where the handle is to get in a strike or two and then try to get the axe away from him. The only reason I suggest trying to get it away from him is that axes are really easy to throw, and whether or not the blade hits you, it’s still going to hurt like hell.
It might be better to sort of ocmbine those two suggestions. Just get inside to grapple with the axe, claw his eyes, and then disappear around the corner before his eyes stop watering.
“I put forth my power and he was broken.
I withdrew my power and he was ground into fine dust.”
-Aleister Crowley, The Vision and the Voice
OK. Here is a scinerio for your suggestion. You run into this guy. He has an ax in his hands. One hand is right below the sharp metal bit and at his right shoulder. The other hand is near the pommel and tucked into the left hip joint.
Now you close real close. All he does is pivot his body at his waist, bringing that head around, secured to his shoulder. What exactly was “inside” that range again?
A hatchet too can be used in grappling, so I do not see how you plan on coming inside that.