Blocking and parrying in combat

[Menjo]

The real problem is that many traditional schools don't teach traditionally. Traditionally, kung fu students did the full spectrum of exercises from simple running to weight lifting to more specialised training with specialised equipment. ALso traditionally, training involved fighting. How many schools these days even talk about weight training? How many schools advocate going out to test yourself against others?

I agree with you, and I wish this was a more well known situation.

[Kajukenbopr]

i think thats why we do sparring with other schools, or full contact tournaments- if you've never seen the guy in your life and he's coming at you, should get ur adrenaline pumping.

Eventually, u get used to it, and u learn not to get overwhelmed

Sparring is worlds apart from real self defense situations. It resembles almost nothing you will see if you are attacked by someone really intent on hurting/killing you. So whilst sparring will help you deal with the adrenaline you face while sparring, it wont help with much else.

in my school we are taught to take out the attacker no matter who it is.

we do fighting between schools so we dont know who is going to try to hurt us.

of course, we're not really "traditional", but you get what i mean

[shift]

I feel blocking has it's place but it's better to get out of the way. I would never in a million years use a formal block in fighting. They are like all other formal techniques, they look all spiffy, but don't look anything like how you would use when fighting. How many people fully chamber a reverse punch when they're sparring? Very few, but people still use the reverse punch.

Agreed

[Kajukenbopr]

the thing is, formal blocks do work and you could even use every formal move to make a fight, the problem is, noone teaches the student to fight that way anymore.

you get taught Karate(for example) and when you sparr, you become a bad boxer, and a bad tae kwon do.

My teacher knows how to use Karate moves in real self defense moves, but most of us dont like that kind of training, so we use a bit of his and develop our own moves.

[cross]

the thing is, formal blocks do work and you could even use every formal move to make a fight,

Any proof?

[Kajukenbopr]

the thing is, formal blocks do work and you could even use every formal move to make a fight,

Any proof?

other than having used them myself, and what ive seen my teacher and his brother(another high ranking teacher) do in a fight, no

granted, they werent fights made completely with traditional movements, but they can in fact be used

[Cybren]

I was always taught that a parry and block were two different things: A block intercepts a strike, knocks it aside, or at the very least puts something between your face and the other guys fist. A parry is supposed to guide th attack to just miss.

Of course that's easier said then done.

[bushido_man96]

I was always taught that a parry and block were two different things: A block intercepts a strike, knocks it aside, or at the very least puts something between your face and the other guys fist. A parry is supposed to guide th attack to just miss.

Of course that's easier said then done.

Yes, I feel this way as well. Blocking, parrying, and voiding are all different types of the same concept: defense.

[Justin Treadaway]

I have heard a lot of talk about when you are surprised your motor skills go... Well why the heck do you train martial arts if you can't use it? The other day I was in Wal-mart parking lot and a friend of mine ran up to grab/scare me, before i knew it i had him in a wrist lock with his arm behind his back, and had his head pulled back with his hair. If you fully train your art it becomes second nature, thats the whole point. If you have to think about it, then its useless. If a lot of you feel that you cant use your skills in a fight, i would certainly be looking for a different school/style. Everything we do, we will drill full speed and not pull punches. If you miss the deflection you will get hit in the face, and higher ranks you don't know what moves are coming at you. So you better be ready for a kick or a punch or you might be curled up on the floor. If you don't train this way then your wasting your time. I think a lot of schools mess up when they do point sparring especially at white belt level. All it teaches them to do is back fists, roundhouse kicks, front kicks, and not to even do the properly. Thats what most tourni fighting is. And for mma most of the complex things we learn you cant do. Also another note about joint locks/throws. If you know what your doing its very effective. We are taught to parry/empty(strike)/then joint lock or throw. If you go straight for a joint lock then no it prob won't work. But if you know when to use it, its awesome.

[cross]

I have heard a lot of talk about when you are surprised your motor skills go... Well why the heck do you train martial arts if you can't use it? The other day I was in Wal-mart parking lot and a friend of mine ran up to grab/scare me, before i knew it i had him in a wrist lock with his arm behind his back, and had his head pulled back with his hair. If you fully train your art it becomes second nature, thats the whole point. If you have to think about it, then its useless. If a lot of you feel that you cant use your skills in a fight, i would certainly be looking for a different school/style. Everything we do, we will drill full speed and not pull punches. If you miss the deflection you will get hit in the face, and higher ranks you don't know what moves are coming at you. So you better be ready for a kick or a punch or you might be curled up on the floor. If you don't train this way then your wasting your time. I think a lot of schools mess up when they do point sparring especially at white belt level. All it teaches them to do is back fists, roundhouse kicks, front kicks, and not to even do the properly. Thats what most tourni fighting is. And for mma most of the complex things we learn you cant do. Also another note about joint locks/throws. If you know what your doing its very effective. We are taught to parry/empty(strike)/then joint lock or throw. If you go straight for a joint lock then no it prob won't work. But if you know when to use it, its awesome.

Its scientifically proven that under high stress situations cognitive processessing goes out the window. This includes the use of fine motor skills controlled by the frontal part of the brain. Most peoples training either uses techniques that are 2 fine motor skill based to be effective under this high stress, or they do train gross motor skill tactics but dont train at the intensity to have used the skills when the mid brain is controlling the bodies reactions. The only time you regain access to your fine motor skills is when the shift has been made from prey to predator and you no longer feel threatened. This can only occur after you have used gross motor skills to injure the attacker to some extent.