Blocking questions (constructive)

[krn3115]

hmmm i dont know how to to start out but ill just say it most of blocking i have seen anywhere isnt very good... i could punch right through it and most places dont have live sparring so even if there a black belt they cant even block a jab another thing is people dont train to be fast enough or they think u can just half ass it lol which doesnt work obviously for the people with experience lol i have personally taken a couple of different kung fus im not gonna mention any because i dont want to affend anyone. anyway im just wondering if you know some actual constructive blocking that will actually work and pleaes movie fans please stay out of this one

[Shaolinkfman]

Yea a lot of the "Mcdojo's" or fake schools teach you ways to block but never really do much about it. A good art to learn how to block strong force with force is thai boxing and there are some other arts out there that dont really "block" but move around and flow with the attacker, such as aikido.

[4141]

Blocking

I hear ya. I teach that in order to bring the block and it does not matter what block bring it as fast and as hard as a strike. In the insaninity of a fight getting fancy will only get you killed. try blocking out the area or space the strike is coming with full speed and you will get there.

[bodhisattva]

Thai boxing teaches "force with force"? Since when?

Thai boxing is mostly based on evasion - not being there when it arrives - just like western boxing.

Blocking is only a last minute, last resort. Never block with crazy force - that is completely unrealistic. In a fighting situation, that is going to get you killed if you are fighting someone who knows what they are doing. You won't do nearly enough damage to their arm, if it even works (usually doesn't), to make up for the fact that he is really going to kill you while you recover from this forceful, clumsy move.

The true idea is to not be there when the attack arrives. Slip, bob and weave, roll. These are the skills of the boxer and the thai boxer. Both of those delivery systems DO have blocking within them, but they are only last resorts.

Why? Because blocking ties up one of your hands. It is much quicker, easier, and more efficient to slip the punch while counter punching/shooting in/kicking..

[Shaolinkfman]

I don't know about you, but I learned some hard painful blocks that work that are definetly force v force. The gym has turned me into a human punching bag basically compared to other arts. I mean sure you are supposed to evade but realisticly you can't evade every hit. About the only art that doesn't have hard blocking are the internal martial arts like aikido, or pa kua. And those just destroy the attacker and are not meant for the ring.

[4141]

Blocking

I don`t teach or study thai boxing so that argument is for the other guys. But i do agree that not being there is the best way. That being said sometimes you just got to block. So if you do bring it fast and hard.

[bodhisattva]

Sorry, man. I just can't agree with the idea of blocking as a technique. I learned all the force on force stuff, too. I know where you are coming from. But I'm suggesting to you that there is a better way. There truly is. Blcoking/covering is only a last resort snap-reaction. It really doesn't need TAUGHT at all.

Boxing has no force-on-force type blocks. Wrestling has no force-on-force type blocks. BJJ has no force-on-force blocks. Judo has no force-on-force blocks. I don't think any NHB capable art has any force on force blocks, at all.

They do have COVERING - or inthe case of the wrestling arts mentioned, they have a constant readjustment to the attack - much like slipping/weaving in boxing. But that is very different from force-on-force. FOF blocks are the TaeKwonDo/Karate/FalseKungFu method of attempting to do as much damage with your block as you do with a punch.

This sounds great to the mind. Honestly, I understand. But it has nothing to do with defending yourself capably and efficiently. Reasoning is a great faculty so long as it is followed up by experiment. That experimentation must be vigorous, with different types of fighters.

You will find the blocks do not hold up. Honest. I have no reason to lie to you.

Don't take my word for it. Experiment on your own- outside of your current class with boxers and wrestlers.

[Cobra_nVidia]

Every system that is based on real fighting involves parrying as the primary means of blocking, not force-on-force blocks. Whether you're a western boxer or a quan fa boxer, there are parrys in your system.

One thing is to make the physics of the block easy to handle. Most guards are very close to the body. This is a result of the need to cover close punches. But in reality, close range is when you start grabbing your opponent, trying to unbalance them, etc.

Try holding your guard out farther. It's much more difficult to punch through this, because the parry doesn't "go out" to meet the strike, but re-directs it inward. The only effective block is one in which the attacker misses you, but gets to finish their punch. And if they come in close, it's wrestling time.

Bobbing and weaving are fine, but don't do it like a sport boxer, or else a wrestler will just take you down. Sorry.

[bodhisattva]

Bobbing and weaving are fine, but don't do it like a sport boxer, or else a wrestler will just take you down. Sorry.

Actually, I wrestled in high school. Bob-and-Weave exists in wrestling under a different name - it's called Changing Levels. It is one of the things a wrestler does to make it HARDER for someone to take him down. You change the level of your hips and it makes it harder for your opponent to time his shoot - your center of gravity is always adjusting on him.

[Cobra_nVidia]

Actually, I wrestled in high school. Bob-and-Weave exists in wrestling under a different name - it's called Changing Levels. It is one of the things a wrestler does to make it HARDER for someone to take him down. You change the level of your hips and it makes it harder for your opponent to time his shoot - your center of gravity is always adjusting on him.

Is it exactly the same thing?

[bodhisattva]

In my experience, yeah. Same-Same.

Loads of things learned by wrestlers are directly applicable to boxing. Loads of things learned by boxers are directly applicable to wrestling - even though they are admittedly different systems.

[Cobra_nVidia]

Not that different. Mostly striking was used at range, while grappling was used at close range. Of course, it's not that simple, but that's the general idea, I think.

Perhaps I should say that, in my experience, a box-and-weaving puncher tends to be surprised when you grab a hold of them.

[bbbb]

$0.02

Attack the strike...and the head!!

[Rank7]

Dont block.
block hit.

[sikal]

hmmm i dont know how to to start out but ill just say it most of blocking i have seen anywhere isnt very good... i could punch right through it and most places dont have live sparring so even if there a black belt they cant even block a jab another thing is people dont train to be fast enough or they think u can just half ass it lol which doesnt work obviously for the people with experience lol i have personally taken a couple of different kung fus im not gonna mention any because i dont want to affend anyone. anyway im just wondering if you know some actual constructive blocking that will actually work and pleaes movie fans please stay out of this one

Personally, I really dislike blocking. I prefer parries, deflections, absorptions, or evasions. However, sometimes a block is all I have for one reason or another.

In the system I teach - which, being a Filipino system, starts with stick work - we start with blocking. As we progress, we almost never use blocking. But we (meaning my instructor and peers in the system) start there for several reasons that make a lot of sense to me.

1) there are a lot of details in a block that must be correct for the block to work; other methods don't require so much in the way of precise body mechanics and minutiae to be effective; we find that it's easier for students to move from the blocking to the other methods than the other way around

2) if you don't have blocking down and ingrained in your body then it won't be there even when you need it

3) sometimes blocking is all you have so you'd better have it down just in case

4) most of the people who come to train with me have a prior background in a system that does use blocking - and in some cases, blocking is the only method they've ever seen for dealing with attacks - so starting with blocking can help ease them through the transition from their previous training to what I teach

However, if I have the opportunity, I won't be getting attacked in the first place Failing that, my preferred option would be anything but blocking. But if I'm forced to block, at least I know my blocking is solid and will work if I have to use it.

Mike