Minecraft wiki entry for Things_not_to_do, associated text: If the player does not have a carved pumpkin or high-quality armor with which to fight an enderman, a simple strategy is to build a small roof two blocks high, and take refuge under it while fighting the enderman. The player can enter a space that is two blocks high, but an enderman cannot, as they are three blocks tall. Hiding under the roof and striking any enderman with a sword is an easy way to dispatch the mob without taking damage, although most other mobs can still hurt the player. Alternatively, constructing a pillar four blocks high and attacking from the top of it produces roughly the same result, as an enderman cannot attack the player from that height. In all cases, the player should still be cautious of other wandering mobs, especially skeletons which can shoot players off of pillars.