blocking doesnt work!

Today in class (MT) my instructor said blocking doesn't work. He said our never be able to hit someone's hand out of the air if they're really coming at you hard, and you will just end up opening yourself up. He says it is better to simply put up your hands and absorb.
thoughts/opinions?

 

You move your body out of the way as well.

Cheers.

 

It does too

The 'blocking is *bad word removed*' campaign by Dave Turton is obviously spreading across the land. Supposedly, blocking is just waving your hand frantically at opponent once he's already moved into your own personal space.

Personally, I think this just has to do with the kickboxing people falling out with the karate people. Don't pay any attention.

 

I do kickboxing and muay thai and they do work, maybe he just can't use them properly

 

At 8th Dan in Jujitsu amongst many other dan grades in other styles and I think he does know his stuff - he is experienced, a top guy who I have meet and trained with so there is no doubt he is credible.

What he is saying it the blocks used by many styles are not any good and parries are better.

Thats all using more lighter palming and re-direction techniques instead of static powerful blocks, look at boxers they don't block much but parry and slip punches. In MMA all the blocking guys were mullered - its more the term block vs parry and the movement that accompanies each.

 

have to say when i block i don't try and move the attackers hand i just try to stop it from hitting something more painful than my arms plus i move out of the way just-in-case. maybe i'm doing it wrong? the only block i like is for a hook punch when you move in and hit the attackers bicep with your fore arm.. hurts alot if your the person doing the punch.

 

I can't think of any blocks that aren't really deflections or deflections with lateral body movement.

I presume that by block you mean punching a punch and stuff like that?

 

Yup, I'll join the 'move out of the way' school of thought, backed up with a deflection or at the very least cover up so your arm gets hit rather than your face (for example).

Moving out of the way doesn't necessarily mean move so that you don't get hit at all - it can just mean move so that by the time the strike gets to you it has lost it's full power (or , if you're quick off the mark, hasn't gained it's full power yet), and a block or deflection will do the rest if necessary.

I don't fancy the idea of using *any* part of my body to absorb the full impact of an attacking technique - which is what I assume Jokerlaughsatu was getting at. But I guess this doesn't answer the question of whether such a block would actually *work*. Wouldn't want to stand still long enough to find out!

 

Its pretty common sence - get some 7 stone Karate guy do a block on a 15 stone guy and its asking for trouble, let it slip by and then you have a chance as your not meeting the force full on.

 

well i'd rather take the force with my arm and not my head! got smacked on the nose last night in training (by mistake!) and that hurt enough and it wasn't full force, just to ad insult to ingry my sensi didn't see it but saw me falling to the ground and moaned at me for not breakfalling! i would have said something but i was trying not to cry in a room full of boys hehe,

 

Try using more Fu and Sui techniques, parry based rather than going for the Chi based strikes to the bicep. Still sorry I am not your instructor but this is more what I use and show to females rather than the more solid Chi and Ka moves.

 

Naah. In my experience blocking does work. heck i have to be used to blocking at home, anyway. My dad and sis keep throwing random punches at me.

 

I think I have a mental block

I've always considered block and parry as synonymous terms. Deflecting the attack if your timing is on, absorbing if it is off. What am I missing here?

 

hmm. When I was taught to block it involved more then just moving your arms. Force on force blocks might not be very effective (and hurt like heck). But if you block by moving your own body and defflecting their strike I dont see it being useless at all.

Sonshu: What you tryin to say about karate fool ? (just kidding)

 

i think some forms of blocking are terrible or at least unefficient. wing chun blocks use your body correctly with geometry and science, so the blow is absorbed, but then you quickly move to counter attack. you don't stand and wait for the blow, you kinda throw the block out and then counter attack. so it becomes very fast and efficient, sometimes you can just block certain punches with pak sao all day, but others you have to counter attack and move in.

i think some arts wern't designed to fight x vs x art, they were intended for karatee vs karatee or karatee vs some other samurai art. with wing chun, its more universal.

i think parrying is probably alot easier for most MA's to do then block, expecially if the blocks suck in their art. i think if your blocks suck, the original posters master is trying to say, you should parry and dodge rather then use a crappy form of a block. also, you could do like jkd and attack before the opponent attacks. bruce lee was a master at knowing their opponents next move and attacking before they got it off.

so, i think if your art's blocks dont seem to be working while sparring or against other arts, maybe you should practice parry/dodge, learn advance blocks, or learn a form with better blocking. one of my frineds in wing chun who is in karatee tournaments, now uses the basic wing chun blocks and hand posture instead of the karatee ones. for example, having your hands are your ribs isn't very fast for blocking (unlike the wing chun ready position).

these are my opinions

 

Im a little confused. I thought blocking was when you just absorb the blow with your forearms/hand or wahtever. And a parry was when you redirected the opponents attack by hitting their arms. But from reading this is seems I have the definitions backwards. Do I??

 

.
QUOTE}Again,it all depends on the practicioner,one block might not work for this guy, but it might work for someone else.a guy might like to do a certain block,as his favorite and perform it well,but doesent mean another guy has the same abilities,he might be better at another block,it all depends on the practicioner.

 

I wouldn't say that blocks DON'T work, but I WOULD say that a less committing defense (slips, parrying, etc.) will probably work better.

 

in my thinking a fight where say you never got hit would be the ideal fight if you're quick enough get out of the way...attack on their recovery or at the same moment they attack.....its an ideal used in JKD i believe....****could be wrong***** personally i like to redirect their mistakes to actually work against them......

 

Yes I believe it is better to avoid the hit all together see it coming relize what parts of your body are open to attack and close the gap