Right arm inside block

Kung Fu Wang

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When you make a right arm inside block, do you

1. Move your right arm without moving your body?
2. Treat your body as one unit. You move both your right arm and your body at the same time?
3. Move your hip/waist to your right while moving your right arm to your left?

Which method do you use?
 

Dirty Dog

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When you make a right arm inside block, do you

1. Move your right arm without moving your body?
2. Treat your body as one unit. You move both your right arm and your body at the same time?
3. Move your hip/waist to your right while moving your right arm to your left?

Which method do you use?

All of them. Depends on the circumstances.
 

skribs

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When you make a right arm inside block, do you

1. Move your right arm without moving your body?
2. Treat your body as one unit. You move both your right arm and your body at the same time?
3. Move your hip/waist to your right while moving your right arm to your left?

Which method do you use?

  1. How I do the block in forms
  2. How I do a hard block
  3. How I do a soft parry
In our forms, we typically keep our shoulders and hips square when executing techniques.

If I'm trying to knock my opponent off balance, or I want to follow through the block and grab them, I will use a full body block.

If I'm just trying to evade the technique, I will slip one way and push the other. It doesn't take much force to deflect a strike, since all you're doing is bouncing it off target. You don't need the full weight of your body for that.
 

dvcochran

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Much like a boxer, often moving Your body/position is more important than what you do with your hands/arms.
If we are talking about stepping forward to block, think of your body as a spring, using the opposing resistance to create power (Yin/Yang). An unorthodox block should still have opposing power from the upper body.
 

Danny T

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When you make a right arm inside block, do you

1. Move your right arm without moving your body?
2. Treat your body as one unit. You move both your right arm and your body at the same time?
3. Move your hip/waist to your right while moving your right arm to your left?

Which method do you use?
Yes to all of them. When? When it is appropriate.
 

Martial D

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When you make a right arm inside block, do you

1. Move your right arm without moving your body?
2. Treat your body as one unit. You move both your right arm and your body at the same time?
3. Move your hip/waist to your right while moving your right arm to your left?

Which method do you use?

I'm not sure what you mean by right arm inside block.

Do you mean a rear hand response to a jab or hook(assuming both are orthodox/mirrored)?

That would be a parry or 'hair comb' cover.. respectively.

If you mean a karate style forearm on forearm 'block', the answer would be never.
 
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Kung Fu Wang

Kung Fu Wang

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I'm not sure what you mean by right arm inside block.

Do you mean a rear hand response to a jab or hook(assuming both are orthodox/mirrored)?

That would be a parry or 'hair comb' cover.. respectively.

If you mean a karate style forearm on forearm 'block', the answer would be never.
When you use "hair comb", you have allowed your opponent's fist to be too close to your head. IMO, it's just like to use boxing guard to protect your head, it's too risky.

For the person on the left, his 1st block (before high punch, low punch, parry and back fist) is the inside block.

PM-drill-2.gif
 
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Gerry Seymour

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When you use "hair comb", you have allowed your opponent's fist to be too close to your head. IMO, it's just like to use boxing guard to protect your head, it's too risky.

For the person on the left, his 1st block (before high punch, low punch, parry and back fist) is the inside block.

PM-drill-2.gif
I’m okay with that hand being close. It makes a transition to grappling easier, if I’m moving inside. How far they miss by is immaterial, so long as they miss. I had a sparring/training partner who told me he was always sure he was going to hit me just before a transition. That sureness kept him in place (in his punch) that tiny instant longer.
 

Martial D

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When you use "hair comb", you have allowed your opponent's fist to be too close to your head. IMO, it's just like to use boxing guard to protect your head, it's too risky.

For the person on the left, his 1st block (before high punch, low punch, parry and back fist) is the inside block.

PM-drill-2.gif
Well it's true that when you cover a hook, it is indeed getting close to your head. IIl give you that. I'll even take it one further and add that you are then dealing with it at maximum force, whereas if you got to it sooner you could eliminate dealing with that force...so in theory it is better to meet a strike half way.

The reason I don't rely on more traditional hand techniques like those, but instead covers and parries (and as DB mentioned, most importantly of all, footwork and positioning), is that the latter require far less reaction time.

If you try to meet a strike half way with your arm (such as shown in the video), you had better hope you are ten times faster than he is, because that is the difference between initiation time and reaction time. In other words, if you are not that much faster, you will usually miss his incoming strikes, and further you are now open for further strikes.

Personally, I'm not nearly that fast.
 
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Kung Fu Wang

Kung Fu Wang

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Well it's true that when you cover a hook, it is indeed getting close to your head. IIl give you that. I'll even take it one further and add that you are then dealing with it at maximum force, whereas if you got to it sooner you could eliminate dealing with that force...so in theory it is better to meet a strike half way.

The reason I don't rely on more traditional hand techniques like those, but instead covers and parries (and as DB mentioned, most importantly of all, footwork and positioning), is that the latter require far less reaction time.

If you try to meet a strike half way with your arm (such as shown in the video), you had better hope you are ten times faster than he is, because that is the difference between initiation time and reaction time. In other words, if you are not that much faster, you will usually miss his incoming strikes, and further you are now open for further strikes.

Personally, I'm not nearly that fast.
Agree with you 100% on this.

meet strike at the end < meet strike 1/2 way < meet strike at the beginning

1. Hair comb - your arm move back.
2. Outside in block - your arm remain the same distance from your body.
3. Push out block - your arm move forward.

IMO, 1 < 2 < 3.

I like the "push out block". Even if my arm may contact on my opponent's forearm, since I push my arm out, I can still slide my arm toward my opponent's up-arm.
 
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skribs

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Well it's true that when you cover a hook, it is indeed getting close to your head. IIl give you that. I'll even take it one further and add that you are then dealing with it at maximum force, whereas if you got to it sooner you could eliminate dealing with that force...so in theory it is better to meet a strike half way.

The reason I don't rely on more traditional hand techniques like those, but instead covers and parries (and as DB mentioned, most importantly of all, footwork and positioning), is that the latter require far less reaction time.

If you try to meet a strike half way with your arm (such as shown in the video), you had better hope you are ten times faster than he is, because that is the difference between initiation time and reaction time. In other words, if you are not that much faster, you will usually miss his incoming strikes, and further you are now open for further strikes.

Personally, I'm not nearly that fast.

You don't have to meet the strike halfway. If you meet the strike at the halfway point and they're already past it, you're still going to hit their arm and bump them off target.

I will agree that footwork and positioning are important, but I will disagree that it's an either/or thing. I think both is better than one or the other alone. In some cases, I find that the block helps gain an advantage over the opponent. For example, if I step outside and I block inside, that twists them around a little bit and gives me more of their side or back. I also find it's a "defense-in-depth". If I miss the block, my footwork will save me. If I misjudge the footwork, my block may save me.

If I had to choose one or the other, I'd take footwork as well. But I'd much rather have both at my disposal.
 
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Kung Fu Wang

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I will agree that footwork and positioning are important, ...
To use footwork to dodge a punch is too conservative. You just dodge a punch, but more punches will come after that.

The reason that you block a punch is you want to wrap that punching arm so your opponent cannot punch you again. IMO, that's more aggressive solution.

matrix.gif
 
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skribs

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To use footwork to dodge a punch is too conservative. You just dodge a punch, but more punches will come after that.

The reason that you block a punch is you want to wrap that punching arm so your opponent cannot punch you again. IMO, that's more aggressive solution.

matrix.gif
Footwork doesn't just mean moving back. It can mean moving forward in such way you don't get hit.
 

drop bear

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To use footwork to dodge a punch is too conservative. You just dodge a punch, but more punches will come after that.

The reason that you block a punch is you want to wrap that punching arm so your opponent cannot punch you again. IMO, that's more aggressive solution.

matrix.gif

You use foot work to position yourself to an advantageous angle.

Which is advantageous without anyone having to throw a punch at you and against anything they will then throw at you.

I am constantly moving to get off that 12 o'clock position. And he is moving to do the same. Before any punches are thrown this positional game is being played.

Which as a side note can be played during a verbal confrontation rather than being a dummy and sitting in arms reach at 12 o'clock and thinking you are safe with the fence.
 
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Kung Fu Wang

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You use foot work to position yourself to an advantageous angle.

Which is advantageous without anyone having to throw a punch at you and against anything they will then throw at you.
Old saying said, "Even a kid who swings a stick at you, if you just keep dodging, soon or later, that stick will still hit you."

The simple solution is to "take that stick away from that kid's hands".

When your opponent holds on your wrist, you can

1. break apart his grip and move away.
2. grab his forearm, smash your elbow into his chest, and move in.

IMO, 1 < 2.
 

drop bear

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Old saying said, "Even a kid who swings a stick at you, if you just keep dodging, soon or later, that stick will still hit you."

The simple solution is to "take that stick away from that kid's hands".

When your opponent holds on your wrist, you can

1. break apart his grip and move away.
2. grab his forearm, smash your elbow into his chest, and move in.

IMO, 1 < 2.

You basically can't grab a wrist in a fight.

You have to do a heck of a lot of other things first. Which I coincidentally just started a thread on.
 

skribs

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Which is advantageous without anyone having to throw a punch at you and against anything they will then throw at you.

Most positions you put yourself in, there's something your opponent can do to take advantage of it. For example, in Taekwondo sparring, if I move close, my opponent can use an axe kick. If I move to their outside, a back kick becomes a shorter pivot. If I move to their open side, their back leg gets closer.

The advantage comes from going where your opponent doesn't expect, or for having a technique ready before he can respond.
 

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