Certain neurons in macaque premotor cortex have hand-centered visual receptive fields selective for rapidly approaching 3D objects and may contribute to the multisensory guidance of avoidance movements. Here, we provide the first direct evidence of hand-centered coding of space in human motor cortex. We measured changes in corticospinal excitability following presentation of 3D visual distractor balls rapidly and unpredictably approaching near to or far from the subject’s right hand. Simultaneously, subjects made speeded index finger movements in response to central targets. Between 40-120ms after distractor ball appearance, single TMS pulses were applied to the left primary motor cortex, eliciting motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the index finger muscle. At 70-80ms, MEP amplitude was significantly smaller for distractors approaching near to as compared to far from the hand. Importantly, this hand-centred MEP suppression was observed across experiments, was independent of hand and fixation positions (left or right of the midline), and was specific to 3D moving objects (i.e., did not occur with static LEDs). Additional behavioural and skin conductance measurements provided converging evidence for hand-centred representation. Given both the rapidity and selectivity of this modulation of human corticospinal excitability, these effects likely reflect automatic, hand-centered avoidance mechanisms, homologous with those demonstrated in macaques