Blocking - Open or Closed Hand?

[Withers M.A.A.]

A block is a block regardless if it is a parry or a solid forarm block. They do the same thing in stopping the punch of kick from hitting you.

 

Pete

[ckdstudent]

All parries are blocks, however not all blocks are parries.

 

 

[searcher]

To answer your question, Goju ryu uses both open and closed hand blocks. In every style I have studied we have learned both. As for use it depends on the situation and the need at the time.

[Eye of the Tiger]

They are both good. Using closed hand strikes are more powerful espescially upper arm blocks where you leave the attacker open to a strike staright to the stomach which could quite easily kill them. Open blocks are used mainly for a counter attack of a non violant way of defeating the oppenant such as blocking grasp the arm and throw it over your body so he lands on his back immobolized, or jus a quick sweep works.

 

 

[Taikudo-ka]

Well this turned into quite an interesting thread. Thanks again.

 

I've tried to use the closed fist blocks as taught during sparring, and they work just as well once I got the hang of it. The closed-fisters I've found can often lead into strikes in one movement. This is a "true parry" I think - I read about old sword fighting techniques and found that the "block" was always a sweeping parry which chambered the arm for the return strike in one motion.

 

Open handed "blocks" are presented to us as a way to, say, grab and rip down an opponents guard before striking. Hehe I like this stuff.