Sparring Block?

[Alan Armstrong]

I've never blocked a day/night in my life...never!! We're taught to receive the attack or to deflect the attack; an actual block would be alien to me/us.

Spot on!

Having a sparring block is psychology issue; or does this topic have a duel meaning or perhaps it has gone off topic?

I think Sensei8 was referring to the other meaning and was intejecting his views on "blocking". A little off topic but it fits in terms of discussing the arts in general.

I believe Sensei8 being of an old school back ground was pointing out that there is not such thing as a block in Karate. The term Uke means to receive not to block and is utilized/implemented as a strike, sweep, trap, deflection, redirection, or unbalancing technique.

You of course are correct in your interpretation of the discussion being psychological. The mental block (good use of the word block within the real utilization of the word in Karate) inhibiting a student during sparring/Kumite.

Having a psychological block is a normal phenomenon for writers and artists also, the hope is that it is a temporary state, the real problem arises if it is cronic and everlasting.

Meditations help to unblock the mind letting thoughts flow freely in an uninhabited state, to be relaxed and also aware.

Another Eastern World concept is the I-Ching (Book of changes) unlocking stagnating thoughts with changing ideas.

As with the physical blocking, Karate has had a bad rep for doing it; it is refreshing to hear that it has changed for other alternative methods described above by MatsuShinsii.

[MatsuShinshii]

I've never blocked a day/night in my life...never!! We're taught to receive the attack or to deflect the attack; an actual block would be alien to me/us.

Spot on!

Having a sparring block is psychology issue; or does this topic have a duel meaning or perhaps it has gone off topic?

I think Sensei8 was referring to the other meaning and was intejecting his views on "blocking". A little off topic but it fits in terms of discussing the arts in general.

I believe Sensei8 being of an old school back ground was pointing out that there is not such thing as a block in Karate. The term Uke means to receive not to block and is utilized/implemented as a strike, sweep, trap, deflection, redirection, or unbalancing technique.

You of course are correct in your interpretation of the discussion being psychological. The mental block (good use of the word block within the real utilization of the word in Karate) inhibiting a student during sparring/Kumite.

Having a psychological block is a normal phenomenon for writers and artists also, the hope is that it is a temporary state, the real problem arises if it is cronic and everlasting.

Meditations help to unblock the mind letting thoughts flow freely in an uninhabited state, to be relaxed and also aware.

Another Eastern World concept is the I-Ching (Book of changes) unlocking stagnating thoughts with changing ideas.

As with the physical blocking, Karate has had a bad rep for doing it; it is refreshing to hear that it has changed for other alternative methods described above by MatsuShinsii.

I appreciate the kind words but I must clarify that it is still heavily utilized in this way in most modern day arts of Karate and is taught as such. Few old school arts teach that Uke is not a block.

You coming from a Chinese back ground (at least you have spoken of Chinese styles and concepts before) would understand this concept as ours came from Quan Fa origins and are thus primarily the same except for the fact that it is practiced in the Okinawan way versus the Chinese way.

Apologies for my assumption of your back ground being Chinese in origin. I guess it could be old school Okinawan Todi and not in the Chinese arts. I assumed due to other posts but I guess you could be either.

[Alan Armstrong]

My background since I can ever remember was boxing, due to my father being a boxer and it was what people did back then.

Then I dabbled in Judo.

In the late 1970' I took up Shotokan.

To cut a long story short "Traditional Karate" blocking was taught along side Kick boxing.

No one used "Traditional" blocking techniques while kick boxing, would only use them while doing katas.

Seemed like a contradiction to learn traditional karate blocking and not to use it when sparring.

My Shotokan Sansei had a Gung Fu background also, so what is the deal to teach traditional Shotokan to students and when he was sparring with his students he was doing Gung Fu techniques.

I switched to TKD and found out there, that once again they had there issues as well.

JKD has always been lurking about in the background since the 1970's.

Was introduced to Wing Chun in the early 1980's

and Tai Chi.

In the late 1990's Aikido was interesting; especially the Samurai.

Switched back to TKD, I was heavily contaminated by other styles by then and was, to sum it up politely, not welcome.

Eventually floated around and dabbled MA with a Wing Chun expert. His teacher's teacher was Ip Man. What I learned from him "My Sifu" was incredibly profound, he taught me the essence of Wing Chun.

So as of today, more than 30 years later, after being introduced to Wing Chun, I am still learning the many intricacies this style has to offer.

In Wing Chun we use our body to jam the opponent or use the term wedge instead of using the term block.

There is a division in Wing Chun, some practice/use it in a hard way such as strength against strength and others use it in a soft way; (such as myself) with touch sensitivity and speed.

[MatsuShinshii]

My background since I can ever remember was boxing, due to my father being a boxer and it was what people did back then.

Then I dabbled in Judo.

In the late 1970' I took up Shotokan.

To cut a long story short "Traditional Karate" blocking was taught along side Kick boxing.

No one used "Traditional" blocking techniques while kick boxing, would only use them while doing katas.

Seemed like a contradiction to learn traditional karate blocking and not to use it when sparring.

My Shotokan Sansei had a Gung Fu background also, so what is the deal to teach traditional Shotokan to students and when he was sparring with his students he was doing Gung Fu techniques.

I switched to TKD and found out there, that once again they had there issues as well.

JKD has always been lurking about in the background since the 1970's.

Was introduced to Wing Chun in the early 1980's

and Tai Chi.

In the late 1990's Aikido was interesting; especially the Samurai.

Switched back to TKD, I was heavily contaminated by other styles by then and was, to sum it up politely, not welcome.

Eventually floated around and dabbled MA with a Wing Chun expert. His teacher's teacher was Ip Man. What I learned from him "My Sifu" was incredibly profound, he taught me the essence of Wing Chun.

So as of today, more than 30 years later, after being introduced to Wing Chun, I am still learning the many intricacies this style has to offer.

In Wing Chun we use our body to jam the opponent or use the term wedge instead of using the term block.

There is a division in Wing Chun, some practice/use it in a hard way such as strength against strength and others use it in a soft way; (such as myself) with touch sensitivity and speed.

Wow. Now that is diversity in the arts.

I started at the age of 10 and was first introduced to MA by way of Fu Jow Pai Gung Fu until one of my friends convinced me to try Karate at the age of 13. It turned out to be Matsumura Seito Shorin Ryu which I took until I was 18. I also took Matsubayashi Ryu during the last year to see if I enjoyed that more but it did not stick with me. I continued my training under my Shinshii in Matsumura Shorin Ryu from 18 until present day. Within that art I also studied Kobudo.

I have dabbled in other arts like Judo 1 yr, Iaido 2 yr and Ryukyu Kempo 4 yrs (really enjoyed this art but the Sensei moved and left me with no way to pursue it further) but always while training in my core art. For whatever reason something about it always kept me firmly implanted within the art and none of the other arts stuck. Maybe because I never gave them a real chance because I always felt I wasn't devoting the time my core art deserved and ended up quitting.

I think it was the fact that the techniques worked and once I began my research I was hooked for life. I have learned several Chinese forms while researching my art but can not claim to have ever taken the arts themselves.

I have been fortunate in that I have been able to find teachers of some of the original arts that Matsumura studied that were willing to show, answer questions and give details about the applications to the original forms/Kata either in person, via videos or pictures and in emails or over the phone. So I guess in a very small way I have cross trained in several arts but in reality I can only claim one true art in terms of a life time of study. However that life time is never ending because I feel that I have only scratched the surface of the art and still feel like an intermediate student in terms of understanding and perfecting the skills. A life long beginner if you will.