The art of blocking

[Dragn]

Boxing defences crude and difficult to counter from!???????

Man you gotta go to a boxing gym and try some TMA blocks on a boxer.

Most of them just dont work. Personally I think thats because alot of the movements enterpreted as blocks in TMA were not even meant to be blocks in the first place, but are actually strikes. I used to get really exasperated when I couldn't seem to be able to aply alot of my blocks effectively.I thought it was because I was too slow or something. Don't make the same mistake. Since I developed my boxing skills though my defence is way stronger. Blocking slows your counters.While your blocking hes already throwing the next punch. Use of foot work, slips, bobs etc enable you get out of danger and counter your opponent AS hes punching!. Some pros have this skills so well honed that it looks easy. But dont be fooled. Its not an easy skill to develop at all. But worth the effort.

[White Warlock]

Ah, thanks for reminding me Drag'n.

I instruct in a particular order. I teach and ensure the student(s) understand, and effectively apply, how to properly attack before i teach them how to defend.

Why? Because there is absolutely no logic in learning to defend against things of which you know nothing about.

[lgm]

One notable exception is the X-block. Many experienced fighters would not encourage its use, as it ties up your other hand for an immediate or simultaneous counter or in blocking a simultaneous limb attack, and is potentially injurious to the person's blocking arms as it meets the force head on. However, since the blocking arm is heavily reinforced, using two instead of one arm, the potential damage is minimized.

Gene

I have to disagree with this. The "X-block" is absolutely terrible to use as a block, and in fact will weaken the block, placing the arms against each other like that (Just ask the guy that came to our dojo having broken both his wrists at his previous dojo when his sensei told him to block a mae geri with X-block).

If you check my previous post, I was referring to the X-block as an exception to the more popular way of blocking which is tangential, at right or acute angle to the direction of the attacking limb. Angela, are you disagreeing with this? Or, are you possibly disagreeing that it is an effective block which I never stated. I may have been misunderstood, eh?

As my quote reveals: "many experienced fighters would not encourage its [X-block] use..." You are probably one of them. I too would not encourage its use for blocking because it meets head-on or directly the oncoming attack with attempted full stopping, or if I may use an analogy, head-on collision, and not tangentially.

Had the guy who came to your dojo who broke both his wrists at his previous dojo when his sensei told him to block a mae geri with X-block may not have been around as proof of the X-block's inefffectiveness or injurious effect to its practitioner, master Itosu would have scrapped the use of X-block (juji uke) when he constructed his famous Heians 4 and 5 that we all practice now and probably replaced them with, at least, augmented forearm blocks (pun intended).

The only block I would advocate using as a pure block, and can in fact be using going in on the opponent is the soft block. This is where the arm is flung at at an angle past 90degrees (Preferably at 135) and in a relaxed state. So still not meeting force with force. This is a great stopper for hook punches, and the bonus is the harder they hit the worse it will hurt them.

Right, it's a good block. But, with me, I would not advocate it as the "only" block to use. There are many more variants that can block the attacking limb at tangential points with varying angles and are effective too. But, we agree that the guiding principle should be that force should not directly or head-on be met with force, if there's a better way available in the course of fighting.

Other than that in a real altercation I would not advocate any blocks, and instead would suggest shifting, parrying and redirecting.

Tai sabaki (bodyshifting, as in evasion or ducking) is the most economical as it doesn't even have to necessarily make contact with the attacking limb and definitely no collateral damage on one's blocking limb. However, in a fight, we must be ready to defend in a progressively expensive and risky fashion proportionate to the lethality and nature of the attack, from the most economical, safest and least dangerous to us to the one that is most expensive and risky, all in the aim of protecting ourselves from permanent or fatal damage.

[Jay]

if you block properly you wont need to touch the other person it is just to guide the hand or foot away from you because you have already moved out of the way of the punch

[lgm]

if you block properly you wont need to touch the other person it is just to guide the hand or foot away from you because you have already moved out of the way of the punch

Excuse me, Jay, I don't dig what you mean here. "Blocking" means you are physically deflecting or stopping the attacking limb from hitting you and this requires that your blocking limb comes in physical contact with that of your opponent.

For clarification purposes, I can cite three ways how you could defend against a punch, strike or kick from your opponent:

First, you can block with your arm, hand, leg or foot without moving your whole body away (meaning, you remain stationary in your stance as you block) and by "blocking", this means simply moving away the attacking limb of your opponent with your arm, hand or foot from its intended line of attack

Second, you can block in the manner described above and at the same time move your whole body away too, as when you sidestep and at the same time block.

Third, you may not block at all and simply evade or duck away from the attacking limb of your opponent.

Are we on the same page?

[Superfoot]

Perhaps the Sabaki method, or something similar is better in that after parrying a strike, you are in a position to attack whilst in your opponents blind spot.

[White Warlock]

Just to touch your comments above Igm, there's more than merely those three:

• Block: A direct disruption of the path, or a stopping of a strike.
   
  Parry: A redirection, or change of path of a strike.
   
  Evade: To step out of the line of the path of a strike.
   
  Deflect: To change your body's position, or angle, at the moment of impact so as to cause a strike's impact not to penetrate.
   
  Resist/absorb: To take the impact head-on and resist the impact's effect.
   
  Shift: To change the point of impact, or the target, so as to decrease the injury sustained by ensuring it hits a less vulnerable area.
   
  Jam: To prevent a strike from even being committed, or to prevent it from reaching its full potential.

Now, each of these have a myriad of approaches. The catch is, learning those approaches that are both economical and viable. There are many concepts to be understood, and in order to gain the most out of ones studies, you need to learn how to 'combine' the various defensive actions and also incorporate, or merge, them with your offensive actions. Merged defense/offense actions include catches, hitblocks, disrupts, imbalance, etc.

[lgm]

Just to touch your comments above Igm, there's more than merely those three:

• Block: A direct disruption of the path, or a stopping of a strike.

  Parry: A redirection, or change of path of a strike.

  Evade: To step out of the line of the path of a strike.

  Deflect: To change your body's position, or angle, at the moment of impact so as to cause a strike's impact not to penetrate.

  Resist/absorb: To take the impact head-on and resist the impact's effect.

  Shift: To change the point of impact, or the target, so as to decrease the injury sustained by ensuring it hits a less vulnerable area.

  Jam: To prevent a strike from even being committed, or to prevent it from reaching its full potential.

Thanks, WW. But, the three general modes I mentioned should include these specifics. Parrying, deflecting, shifting and even to some extent resisting/absorbing and jamming are variants of blocking because they involve generally meeting physically or being in actual physical contact with the attacking limb by your defending limb or body to prevent the former from hurting you. These would fall under my first and second category.

Only evasion/ducking (body shift evasion or tai sabaki) doesn't need to get in touch with the attacking limb, and that would be my third category.

I'm not disagreeing with your intent to add to my list. What you mentioned are very helpful. I'm just explaining that my list is more or less comprehensive.

[Tommy_P]

Blocking techniques as well as their effectiveness are varied. Depending on the type of attack and the situation at hand you may have to pick and choose among your tools. If you are caught off guard by a haymaker you may only have enough time to use a flinch response which may come out like a half high block, I think the important point is where you block and what do you do from there.

Body positioning is what makes what we call blocks work.

A problem arises at times due to translation and the mental image it presents. I'd be interested to hear what the actual translation is for the Korean or Chinese word used for "block". In the Japanese arts we use the word uke which in most books and all schools is said to mean block. This immediately conjures up notions of "stopping" something or blocking it's path...force against force. The truth is the translation of uke is closer to receive or reception. With this in mind (and our practice) we can start to look at defenses not as blocking or stopping but accepting or receiving our opponents attack.

We do this by combining our hand movements (parry and blocking hands) with body shifting and unbalancing. A reception should in one motion redirect the attack while we move off line and away from any other potential danger (limbs) which at the same time is unbalancing our opponent. This makes him ripe for counter attack. It's evasion with control of our opponent. The ideal situation is while controlling the limb you also damage it.

I don't like to view blocks as against specific techniques such as a punch or a kick. I just think of a limb coming at me, like an arm. It may be a punch or it may be a grab attempt or a choke whatever, the blocking (receiving) principle remains the same. If I take an inside to outside block and an outside to inside block combo I can give a simplified example for the sake of demonstration of the principle.

A right hand is coming at me to grab my shirt or jacket. I use the setup hand (left) of my inside to outside block to parry it as I move to my left and slightly forward (towards his right rear). Almost simultaneously the blocking arm (right) is taking over the redirecting of his attack and grabbing hold as I begin my outside to inside block now being used as a forearm smash to the back of his arm at the elbow. He is in a disadvantageous position while I am at an advantage, he is bent over forward with his arm/elbow/shoulder hyperextended and I am in position to knee him in the head, stomp his knee into the ground, reverse punch the base of his skull, grab his hair and pull his head back so I can knife hand his throat...the choice is yours. Two simple blocks applied without force against force. Evade/parry, control and damage, finishing blow.

'

Then there are those times when you can use a traditional "block" to clear the way of arms in your face!!!

Tommy

[lgm]

In the Japanese arts we use the word uke which in most books and all schools is said to mean block. This immediately conjures up notions of "stopping" something or blocking it's path...force against force. The truth is the translation of uke is closer to receive or reception. With this in mind (and our practice) we can start to look at defenses not as blocking or stopping but accepting or receiving our opponents attack.

Uke, in Japanese, literally translates "receive". This is its etymological meaning. Its conventional and common usage meaning is "block". I don't see any contradiction or it being a misnomer here because in truth we actually receive or meet or get into actual physical contact with the attacking limb at some point in uke, but the objective in doing so is to deflect, re-direct or move away the attacking limb from its intended line of attack and target.

We do this by combining our hand movements (parry and blocking hands) with body shifting and unbalancing. A reception should in one motion redirect the attack while we move off line and away from any other potential danger (limbs) which at the same time is unbalancing our opponent. This makes him ripe for counter attack. It's evasion with control of our opponent. The ideal situation is while controlling the limb you also damage it.

Good explanation.

I don't like to view blocks as against specific techniques such as a punch or a kick. I just think of a limb coming at me, like an arm. It may be a punch or it may be a grab attempt or a choke whatever, the blocking (receiving) principle remains the same. If I take an inside to outside block and an outside to inside block combo I can give a simplified example for the sake of demonstration of the principle.

In other words, what differentiate blocks is mainly their vector or directional orientation. Blocks can also be distinguished generally as to whether you are using hand/arm or foot/leg. With hand blocks, these can be further distinguished as open hand (edge, back or heel, etc.) or closed fist types. Also, blocking movements can either be sweeping, cutting, striking, pushing, pressing, etc. These classifications are not intended to be exhaustive, but merely illustrative.

Anyway, what is important is that they are all classified as "blocks" because they deflect, redirect and move away the attacking limb from its original intended line of attack or target.