Uechi-Ryu Circle Block

[isshinryuronin]

Are you trying to control your hands? or trying to control your elbows? Generally with any of that sort of fighting movement if you make sure your elbows are in the right place your hands look after themselves.

This clip (did not copy in quote) shows the elbows in, as they should , but could be better anchored at the end. Hip action is missing and no footwork is included, though the clip may be intended solely for most basic demo. Still, some hip should be stressed as it's so integral to the move, even for beginners.

Let's take beginner level training aside, am I the only person who thinks the following clip training is better?

This clip nicely shows advanced use of the entire body.

 

[_Simon_]

Better for who?

Beginners need to start with something much simpler and move on to a more complete version. As Flying Crane pointed out, its a progression and if you throw too much, too soon at someone they can't take it in. For a person just starting out, that clip training is not better, its much harder. I personally would need to start, most likely with the hands first. Then the feet. Then both together. Then integrating the body. Maybe its just me and I am slow... but if you expect me to go from no experience in that art to what that clip shows, it isn't going to happen. I will probably do more things wrong than right.

The best training, is the training that is at or slightly above where the student is at.

Yep, also something that I don't think has been mentioned, sometimes a block just needs to be a quick parry, and doesn't need your whole body moving to support the deflection. Can't count how many times in sparring that I've done a quick parry/deflection for a really quick follow up strike. If I'd have used my entire body moving with that block, I would've just gotten thwacked.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

sometimes a block just needs to be a quick parry,

Sometime you just want to deflect a punch. Sometime you want to move your body out of your opponent's attacking path (or hurt your opponent's punching arm).

For

- speed, your body chase your hand. When you smash a mosquito with your hands, your hands will move before your body stat to move.
- power, your body push your hand. When you push a car, your power will come from your leg.

In fighting, sometime you may have to trade power with speed. When you throw 3 punches within 1 second, your body will not have enough time to generate 100% power.

In the following clip, you see more hand movement than body movement.

In the following clip, you can see more body movement. There are some moves that he did not even punch out his arm. But you can still see his power has been generated from his body.

The day that you can punch without using your arm, the day that you truly understand power generation.

 

[WhiteBeltNoStripe]

I'm pretty sure it's called a wauke.

The concept is simple one. It shouldn't be hard to duplicate.

Lol yeah stepping took a minute, I still step to wide at times.

I didn't understand what you were saying until I watched this and tried to mimic it. I too seem to have a problem performing the movement as simple as it looks.

 

[WhiteBeltNoStripe]

so this thread has been silent for a few months, but I figured I'd give an update. I've now been training for 4 months and I'm finally beginning to feel more comfortable in the stances and with the circle block (main reason for the start of this thread). My instructor recently promoted me, still a white belt but now i have a shiny green bar at the ends of it. I know some Uechi Ryu schools use the full gambit of color belts, but we only use white, green, and brown. Also one other white belt has now joined our small school (7 people, included the instructor), which is kind of cool the other students have been training with my instructor for 10 years or more so not being the only beginner has been good.

Long winded way of saying that after a few months the circle block is becoming more natural, guess i was a little impatient at the beginning, thinking it should have come instantly.

My new Uechi school also uses the traditional (I'm guessing it's traditional) ranking system of white, green and brown only.

 

[drop bear]

I didn't understand what you were saying until I watched this and tried to mimic it. I too seem to have a problem performing the movement as simple as it looks.

I saw some people the other day struggling with parries. And their issue was they were trying to paw at the strike with their hand rather than create a solid frame.

That block is about the frame. You can see the elbow lock in towards the body. Rather than extend towards the opponent.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I saw some people the other day struggling with parries. And their issue was they were trying to paw at the strike with their hand rather than create a solid frame.

That block is about the frame. You can see the elbow lock in towards the body. Rather than extend towards the opponent.

That's a very good point. When you parry down your opponent's punching arm (or guarding arm), you should let him to feel your body weight.

 

[hoshin1600]

The wauke shown in the video is a very basic beginner version. It's a muti purpose tool. that guiding hand really doesn't move much in application. It gets locked into place and the hips turn to actually deflect the attack. The circle hand has one application as a clear and then grab. Uechi is a derivative of a Chinese tiger style so there are lots of grab and control. In specific you would be grabbing the shoulder, biceps area or behind the neck. Most beginners have problems with this block because the actions are very small and subtle and beginners tend to move their arms around too much. It's not really a block as such. As the name wa- uke means . Wa , harmony or blending, uke- defense

 

[JowGaWolf]

The wauke shown in the video is a very basic beginner version. It's a muti purpose tool. that guiding hand really doesn't move much in application. It gets locked into place and the hips turn to actually deflect the attack. The circle hand has one application as a clear and then grab. Uechi is a derivative of a Chinese tiger style so there are lots of grab and control. In specific you would be grabbing the shoulder, biceps area or behind the neck. Most beginners have problems with this block because the actions are very small and subtle and beginners tend to move their arms around too much. It's not really a block as such. As the name wa- uke means . Wa , harmony or blending, uke- defense

This is similar to movements in Jow Ga Kung fu and Tai chi. I use it all the time when I spar against my MMA sparring partner or any one who tries to dominate my center with grappling. I don’t use it for dealing with punches unless the punch is at my chest.

I like to think of it as blocking my opponent's effort to control my center and not as blocking like a shield. For me it's good for defending under hooks while positioning my hands close to my opponent's face. This gives me the options to strike the face or initiate head control.

For BJJ folks, if your T-Rex had longer arms then it would look like this.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I saw some people the other day struggling with parries. And their issue was they were trying to paw at the strike with their hand rather than create a solid frame.

That block is about the frame. You can see the elbow lock in towards the body. Rather than extend towards the opponent.

I blame Hollywood for that. It's a classic misunderstanding of what we see with our eyes and what our brains think is happening. All it takes is to receive a good parry to understand the energy that is put into it.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

A "downward parry" should follow with an "upward comb hair (or upward arm wrap)". If your opponent rotates his arm the same direction as your arm is doing, when you reverse your arm rotation direction, his arm will meet with your arm.