Post by pathwinder14 on May 22, 2013 7:34:36 GMT -7
This is part 5 of my small series. Here we will discuss Blocks.
What is a block? We can loosely define blocking (in martial arts) as placing something (an arm, leg, broom handle, shield, etc.) between yourself and the incoming attack. It is a simplistic definition because there are many things involved in a good block.
Safety caveat: Do not try without proper instruction. Serious injury or death can occur!
As my old Aikido instrustor would state, "When a train is coming you want to get off the tracks." I would often jokingly retort, "What if you cannot get off the tracks?"
Ideally you want to get out of the way of an incomming attack. Sometimes that's not an option. You need to be able to block incoming attacks if you cannot completely get out of the way.
First let's discuss a bad block. Poor blocking results in a failed attempt to stop the attack. If the opponent's punch or kick still hits their intended target your block failed. Blocking the incoming attack will often result in minor soft and hard tissue injuries on the arm you are blocking with. This is normal. However, if you injure yourself in the process (like spraining your wrist or finger), the block failed.
A good block is not passive. It is active and agressive. It is initiated by moving partially out of the way of an incoming attack (or closer to it). It then stops the incoming attack(s) and ideally injures the opponent in the process. Think of it as a spiked shield or porcupine. It follows the format of move, block, injure, and push.
For Example lets look at a classic stomach punch:
Move: Your block process starts with the feet. You want to move if possible. It's all about timing. If you move slightly out of the way you rob energy from their punch because the target (your stomach) has moved further than they intended their punch to travel. You could also move into the punch preventing it from building energy in the first place by shortening the distance between yourself and the opponent. This is not easy to force yourself to do. Psychologically we usually try to get away from harm.
Block: Then you want to use your arm in a battering motion to strike their attack.
Injure: You want to connect with the bones (and nerves) along their arm in a fast, hard hitting, and pressing motion attempting to injure their arm. This is called attacking the atack.
Push: You want to maintain pressure or increase it so as to move the attacking limb out of the way.
This is where body conditioning comes into play. Ideally you want to harden the bones and deaden the nerves of your forearm to make your blocks into active defense weapons. I'll discuss body conditioning in a later article.
What is a block? We can loosely define blocking (in martial arts) as placing something (an arm, leg, broom handle, shield, etc.) between yourself and the incoming attack. It is a simplistic definition because there are many things involved in a good block.
Safety caveat: Do not try without proper instruction. Serious injury or death can occur!
As my old Aikido instrustor would state, "When a train is coming you want to get off the tracks." I would often jokingly retort, "What if you cannot get off the tracks?"
Ideally you want to get out of the way of an incomming attack. Sometimes that's not an option. You need to be able to block incoming attacks if you cannot completely get out of the way.
First let's discuss a bad block. Poor blocking results in a failed attempt to stop the attack. If the opponent's punch or kick still hits their intended target your block failed. Blocking the incoming attack will often result in minor soft and hard tissue injuries on the arm you are blocking with. This is normal. However, if you injure yourself in the process (like spraining your wrist or finger), the block failed.
A good block is not passive. It is active and agressive. It is initiated by moving partially out of the way of an incoming attack (or closer to it). It then stops the incoming attack(s) and ideally injures the opponent in the process. Think of it as a spiked shield or porcupine. It follows the format of move, block, injure, and push.
For Example lets look at a classic stomach punch:
Move: Your block process starts with the feet. You want to move if possible. It's all about timing. If you move slightly out of the way you rob energy from their punch because the target (your stomach) has moved further than they intended their punch to travel. You could also move into the punch preventing it from building energy in the first place by shortening the distance between yourself and the opponent. This is not easy to force yourself to do. Psychologically we usually try to get away from harm.
Block: Then you want to use your arm in a battering motion to strike their attack.
Injure: You want to connect with the bones (and nerves) along their arm in a fast, hard hitting, and pressing motion attempting to injure their arm. This is called attacking the atack.
Push: You want to maintain pressure or increase it so as to move the attacking limb out of the way.
This is where body conditioning comes into play. Ideally you want to harden the bones and deaden the nerves of your forearm to make your blocks into active defense weapons. I'll discuss body conditioning in a later article.