The best block?

[Gerry Seymour]

the problem with that is that forces being equal and opposite what ever force you instill into your oppoinent with your block is also felt by you. Now this can work if your hitting bone in to muscle as he get more damage for the force created, but bone on bone or flesh on flesh and you are doing exactly the same to yourself as you are to him.. I my instructor keeps wacking me with a full force block and it hurts, but I know it hurts him just as much
I dont see deflective blocking as defensive, more it opens him up to a counter attack, but I find blocking,difficult as I would rather move than block if I can

If your block hurts you as much as the other guy, you're doing it wrong.

 

[jobo]

It works for me, on the street.

to be fair grabbing your attacker by the nose can work on the street

 

[Ironbear24]

I think both ways have their functions in sparring and which one you use will depend more on what you want to do in response to your opponent then anything. We call the "pulling" blocks a parry and I have used them in sparring, although I don't use them to bring them closer to me per say. We use them to redirect the opponents attack off their center line to throw them off balance. How well it works will depend much on your skill level vs your opponents as well as your timing. Attacking the limbs in response to an attack is perfectly fine. Redirecting your opponent's attack and throwing them off balance works well too. Again, it all depends on what you are trying to do and what your intentions are.

I like to be very close, and I mean very close, the closer I am the less likely I am to get punched well, many people do not know how to fight that close. So anything I can do to draw them into me is what I tend to shoot for.

are you suggesting blocking a kick to the leg by putting your leg in the way? Isn't that counter productive, if you have enough time to do that,you have enough time to move out of range

If I move out of range they are not getting hurt. If I do this they will be off balance and I will be closer to them, this opens a chance for me to strike back.

 

[JP3]

Yesterday I learned some interesting blocks that basically "pull" my opponent off balance and drawing them closer to me. This more than likely can only be done with punches/arm strikes of course, I can't imagine it working with a kick.

Anyway I guess my point is a block should always do more than simply stop yourself from getting hit. For example many karate blocks being more of a strike to their limb than a "block." Making them hurt and pay a "Tax" for throwing a strike.

What is your opinion and ideas of the best block?

Some of those blocking techniques just might work on kicks as well, sometimes work Drastically well. Catastrophically well, in fact. Remember a kicking person is standing on one leg, after all, throwing a lot of force, weight, momentum... inertia out into space... it's got to go somewhere. If it happens to miss, sometimes that causes problems for the kicker. Just something to think about IB.

Persoanlly, I'm a fan of Miyagi's "Best way block punch, you no be there" method. Works the best, as long as you are able to use it. Sometimes it's not possible. If I'm caught in Drop Bear's woodchipper for instance (love that phrase), meaning right in front of the guy who is throwing right-left-right-lefts at me my very first short term tactic is to get behind an arm, either arm, thus eliminating the guys ability to right-left-right-left me into the ground. Pretty much any block "can" be used to accomplish this, but some are better than others, based on the position of the two opponents.

 

[JP3]

All blocks are strikes in reality. We simply use the term strike to differentiate hitting the body core or head from hitting an extremity.

But the best block of all is distance. The more distance between you and your opponent, the harder it is for him to hit you.

I'd add position to distance in the above.... being too far away, bad guy can't hit you. Be in his "wrong place" and the bad guy can't hit you, either. Shikaku, dead angle, like that. The only thing is, being too far away is fixable by him, he can close, requiring you to move. If you're in his dead angle, he can turn... and you guessed it, requiring you to move.

 

[JP3]

are you suggesting blocking a kick to the leg by putting your leg in the way? Isn't that counter productive, if you have enough time to do that,you have enough time to move out of range

That's what he's talking about, Jobo yes.

It's used in Muay Thai all the time. Thai leg kick inbound at my lead (here my left) leg, and in my stance I lift the left knee high, allowing the leg to go relaxed, which absorbs the energy of the kick... and if I want to as the kick is being absorbed I can slightly extend the leg and open up the guy... and as Bill said, Hit them. This was one of the neat-O counters I did have in my toolkit out of TKD. Opponent leg kicks me, I Thai block it, send him slightly to his right/my left... left foot drops and the TKD twitch switch-kick fires off and I thai kick them back... in the hip, lower belly or lower ribs, depending on what was open at that instant. I hardly ever had an opening for the switch-kick to the head, most of the Thai fighting guys I was working with had very good head coverage with their hands/arms. But... it left their midsections open. Normal Muay Thai stuff.

And yes, you an move back and out of range... but then you merely start the engagement over again and have gained no advantage. You always want to try to create advantage tactically, not merely extend the engagement.

 

[JP3]

I like to be very close, and I mean very close, the closer I am the less likely I am to get punched well, many people do not know how to fight that close. So anything I can do to draw them into me is what I tend to shoot for.



If I move out of range they are not getting hurt. If I do this they will be off balance and I will be closer to them, this opens a chance for me to strike back.

You really are learning. Excellent. Good on you.

 

[jobo]

I like to be very close, and I mean very close, the closer I am the less likely I am to get punched well, many people do not know how to fight that close. So anything I can do to draw them into me is what I tend to shoot for.



If I move out of range they are not getting hurt. If I do this they will be off balance and I will be closer to them, this opens a chance for me to strike back.

if your close very close you won't let punched or kicked, but you might get elbowed or kneed
if you move out of range your not getting hurt either. That's always an advantage, as opposed to letting them actual kick you. If they kick you hard enough its fight over, it doesn't matter if they are off balance

 

[jobo]

That's what he's talking about, Jobo yes.

It's used in Muay Thai all the time. Thai leg kick inbound at my lead (here my left) leg, and in my stance I lift the left knee high, allowing the leg to go relaxed, which absorbs the energy of the kick... and if I want to as the kick is being absorbed I can slightly extend the leg and open up the guy... and as Bill said, Hit them. This was one of the neat-O counters I did have in my toolkit out of TKD. Opponent leg kicks me, I Thai block it, send him slightly to his right/my left... left foot drops and the TKD twitch switch-kick fires off and I thai kick them back... in the hip, lower belly or lower ribs, depending on what was open at that instant. I hardly ever had an opening for the switch-kick to the head, most of the Thai fighting guys I was working with had very good head coverage with their hands/arms. But... it left their midsections open. Normal Muay Thai stuff.

And yes, you an move back and out of range... but then you merely start the engagement over again and have gained no advantage. You always want to try to create advantage tactically, not merely extend the engagement.

That's what he's talking about, Jobo yes.

It's used in Muay Thai all the time. Thai leg kick inbound at my lead (here my left) leg, and in my stance I lift the left knee high, allowing the leg to go relaxed, which absorbs the energy of the kick... and if I want to as the kick is being absorbed I can slightly extend the leg and open up the guy... and as Bill said, Hit them. This was one of the neat-O counters I did have in my toolkit out of TKD. Opponent leg kicks me, I Thai block it, send him slightly to his right/my left... left foot drops and the TKD twitch switch-kick fires off and I thai kick them back... in the hip, lower belly or lower ribs, depending on what was open at that instant. I hardly ever had an opening for the switch-kick to the head, most of the Thai fighting guys I was working with had very good head coverage with their hands/arms. But... it left their midsections open. Normal Muay Thai stuff.

And yes, you an move back and out of range... but then you merely start the engagement over again and have gained no advantage. You always want to try to create advantage tactically, not merely extend the engagement.

yes i can see that going shin against shin is preferable to letting kicked in thigh, but it's not as preferable as not getting kicked at all. Taking one to land one is only a good strategy if you hit harder than they do,

 

[JP3]

yes i can see that going shin against shin is preferable to letting kicked in thigh, but it's not as preferable as not getting kicked at all. Taking one to land one is only a good strategy if you hit harder than they do,

Right. That is exactly what is happening in the exchange I was attempting to describe. Basically, my opponent was kicking, and it is being blocked, the energy being absorbed and redirected downwards. Then, the counterkick drops into their hip/belly/ribs. It's simple, not easy. And it hurts, but the other guy is hurt more than you are, if you were paying attention to your leg conditioning and the technique of blocking in this manner.

Of course, if I was fast enough, I'd much prefer to slip outside the kick range, then dart back in to deliver my mayhem, but that's a bit difficult to actually manage. The thing above is easily insertable into anyone's game, it just takes practice and conditioning to do it.

 

[Midnight-shadow]

she appears to be punching very slowly with both arms together. We drill stiff like this I'm im not at all convinced that it actually works with someone who throws a punch and doesn't leave it hanging there, well maybe if your fast enough to catch flies, grasshopper and you are lucky enough to be attacked by someone who dramatically reduces their punching power by double punching

Twin moves like this are actually quite powerful and unexpected since most people are used to doing a "jab-punch" combo, one arm at a time. The downside with twin moves is it leaves you defenceless if the opponent strikes you at the same time. So like everything you need to know when to use it to be effective. Also, regarding the block, you are right that if someone is throwing high speed jabs at you, you won't be able to block it, and a simple palm block is more effective. I would either use this block on a hook punch or if I know someone is going to do the basic jab-punch combo, I would dodge or palm block the jab, and then predict the follow-up punch and use the upper crane block. The other way of course is, as JowGaWolf said, in a self-defence scenario when someone is trying to grab you. Even if they do grab you before you complete the block, you can use it to break their grip using a circular motion.

 

[Touch Of Death]

to be fair grabbing your attacker by the nose can work on the street

It can, but that had better not be your goal.

 

[drop bear]

It works for me, on the street.

Oh. The street.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Oh. The street.

I'm gonna have to try that.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Oh. The street.

I've always loved that video.

 

[drop bear]

yes i can see that going shin against shin is preferable to letting kicked in thigh, but it's not as preferable as not getting kicked at all. Taking one to land one is only a good strategy if you hit harder than they do,

Can't always move out of the way.

 

[Buka]

A block is like a breath. Or like a blink. Unless it's your last, it's not really a big deal. A block is just part of a fight.

Now, if you don't care to work it, well, that's up to you.

 

[thanson02]

I like to be very close, and I mean very close, the closer I am the less likely I am to get punched well, many people do not know how to fight that close. So anything I can do to draw them into me is what I tend to shoot for.

Legit. I am tall and lanky and I always have had problems with the inside fighters. If you have any pointers I would love to hear them. Mainly I just try to keep the distance.

 

[jobo]

Can't always move out of the way.

no clearly that not always possible, it depends on his speed/ your reaction and how much room you have. If someone throws a kick at me i jump( literally) out of the way either backwards or sideway dependent on the type of kick. This will have limited use in a tight space like a small room or a ring as sooner or layer am getting trapped in a corner. But in a park or other roomy environment I can keep it going for a long time, certainly long enough that they,start to tire from all the air kicks they have thrown. I of course practise jumping as part of my routeen

 

[jobo]

If your block hurts you as much as the other guy, you're doing it wrong.

I thought we had done newtons laws on that other thread. If you hard block , then the force,experienced by your arm as the blocker and that by the attacker is the same. Exactly the same. If that equates to equal pain is dependent on which part of the,arm is contacted and on the individuals threshold of pain

or if you have,spent a lot of time banging your arm against something, your pain response will be lower.