Open Hand Blocks

[joesteph]

Okay, USCMAAI, I've read the Blocking Techniques printout, and it may be premature, but I've got a scenario that I'd like to see if I've identified two blocks properly--according to your breakdown--and they're both open-hand blocks.

In a video by Peyton Quinn some years ago, "Defense Against the Sucker Puncher," the scenario was that the sucker puncher was throwing a right cross to the face. According to Quinn, splitting the opponent in half vertically, if you're on his right-hand side, the punch is coming in fairly straight, but if you're on his left-hand side, it's curving/hooking. The curving/hooking punch is the one I analyzed.

Quinn says to step forward to the opponent, turning your body so that your face would actually be looking at the inside of his punching arm. While doing this, both arms go up, your inner wrists touching one another and forming an "X," and this open-hands block would press against the attacker's inner wrist/forearm. I think this is a parry.

From this position, you can strike the attacker with a knife hand, but Quinn warns that the opponent might be fast to react to your block, and so there would be a second punch, this one by the attacker's left arm and going for your head. Quinn then demonstrated taking the hand that would have made the knife hand strike and rapidly placing it at the shoulder of the opponent's left arm, stopping the power of the strike at what I'd call its "root." I think this is a check.

I hope I've explained it so that it's able to be envisioned. If I have, would I be right about what kind of blocks these open-hand ones are?

[bushido_man96]

Nice explanations, joesteph. Your X position could be a block, if it stops the attack dead. In actuallity, it may be more of a cover, during which the attack is blocked or parried, depending on what happens to it.

I would call the other a check, too. Good post.