Blocking and parrying in combat

[mantis.style]

Another question that is hard to answer without knowing what it is you do and how you do it. All I can say is that you have to remember that things are not doing in isolation and that more than one thing happens at the same time. If I am moving to make a block or parry, I am at the same time moving forward, stepping off at an angle meeting the attacking arm and possibly making a strike towards you or covering your second arm. In practice and execution, this might end up looking very similar to what a boxer does when he closees in and covers up or it might looking look how a thai boxer throws a jab to keep your upper body away or it might look like textbook wing chun pak sau, gum sau, punch.

[Justin Treadaway]

Yeah, thats one thing i like about kung fu, we never "karate Block". Its a deflection then a strike. We slap "Bear Slap""robin wing" it out of the way while we are moving so even if we miss the deflection we still get out of the way(Its called a ward off) The move is a slap with one hand while the other follows it moving it out of the way, then the hand that slaps does a strike its very very very fast and very effective. Also soon as we deflect we have a strike coming as part of the technique, so we never block anything even in forms. Its called wu wei "never interupt the natural flow of things", because if you stop his punch, he has time to respond but if you deflect and allow his punch to continue just slightly away from you. He doesnt have time to respond.

[ARADOX]

I'll fight how I train i.e. with traditional blocks, I feel that these are there for a reason and work for me, I seem to be so well suited for my art it's unreal "shotokan karate with an emphasis on the naha-te side of things", these traditional blocks can be extremely fast and deadly with enough practice (ten years enough for ya), with another twenty under my belt perhaps they will become as they were intended and absoloutly blinding, parrying has it's place but the traditional chudan soto-uke is far superior in my poinion, especially when combined with a proper low stable stance.

[Takusankage Soke]

Blocking and parrying is absolutely not unrealistic in a fight. You only have to be experienced enough to perform theses manuevers. Just be careful, without practice you will only get yourself hit.

[cross]

If you want to find the techniques that work, watch any full contact sparring, tournaments, street fight clips. The techniques used in such clips will give you a pretty good idea of what works against a resisting opponent attacking you when and how they want.

[RealWingChunKuen]

The best way to see what works you have to see what works in a street fight and not what works or does not work in a tournaments or sports events.

Unfortunately you can rarely find clips of TMA experts, real ones - not ones who just do the postures to impress unlookers or out of fear - fighting against street fighters. I will keep looking, however.

[50inches]

I'll fight how I train i.e. with traditional blocks, I feel that these are there for a reason and work for me, I seem to be so well suited for my art it's unreal "shotokan karate with an emphasis on the naha-te side of things", these traditional blocks can be extremely fast and deadly with enough practice (ten years enough for ya), with another twenty under my belt perhaps they will become as they were intended and absoloutly blinding, parrying has it's place but the traditional chudan soto-uke is far superior in my poinion, especially when combined with a proper low stable stance.

I feel that these blocks can be used somewhat in selfdefens, not very good in competation (isnt really that important), but why train 20 years to learn these blocks, when you can get a good boxers guard in like 2 years.

[RealWingChunKuen]

I feel that these blocks can be used somewhat in selfdefens, not very good in competation (isnt really that important), but why train 20 years to learn these blocks, when you can get a good boxers guard in like 2 years.

I suppose it is because of the approach of karate and indeed kung fu training. It is for life, and that is, very long term.

Secondly once he masters the more complex moves/blocks in karate he can combine them with his particular style's techniques such as kicking, knee attacks, elbow attacks, open hand chops and finger attacks, locks and joint breaks, takedowns etc. - all of which are techniques that are none existant in boxing - to greater effect.

This ultimately means that using his long term approach he will spend more time learning a richer art, and as a result will get more out of it in the end.

[Montana]

Blocking/Parrying is where it's at. Without a good defense, you have nothing.

What I guess I'm trying to say here is that if ALL you do is offense, and you're fighting somebody with a good defense...say a good boxer for example, then you're screwed.

Blocking/Parrying in a fight, the countering quickly and effectively makes you a much better fighter than just being aggressive and attacking. Sure, against an unskilled opponeent, hard fast attackers work well. But not against someone that knows what they're doing.

My thoughts and experiences anyway.

[bushido_man96]

I feel that these blocks can be used somewhat in selfdefens, not very good in competation (isnt really that important), but why train 20 years to learn these blocks, when you can get a good boxers guard in like 2 years.

I suppose it is because of the approach of karate and indeed kung fu training. It is for life, and that is, very long term.

Secondly once he masters the more complex moves/blocks in karate he can combine them with his particular style's techniques such as kicking, knee attacks, elbow attacks, open hand chops and finger attacks, locks and joint breaks, takedowns etc. - all of which are techniques that are none existant in boxing - to greater effect.

This ultimately means that using his long term approach he will spend more time learning a richer art, and as a result will get more out of it in the end.

I don't think that it is necessary to spend many, many years learning a more complex blocking system to use in combat, when you can be just as successful with more simple techniques.

Adding complexity doesn't necessarily mean something is being made better. Also, I am not saying that complex systems cannot be useful or successful. However, just because something is simple, doesn't mean it can't be a useful, and enriched, system.