Blocking kicks with your arms

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 4:10 am

You gotta love the Uechi kumites when they tell you to block a leg with a single arm.

HAH! I often use two hands, and I often step off-line and still use two hands to block the leg. As Peggy Hess said "yeah, I'd probably prefer to just block the leg with one arm, but if I don't get that leg blocked that I won't have to worry about the punch."

Does anyone else have much success with the down block on the leg idea? I'd love to hear how you've made it work.

candan · Post by **candan** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 5:16 am

The leg is more powerful than the arm and shin wins on a properly thrown front kick.
( slight angle not straight in) I had a 280 lb teen (almost solid) as a learning experience, forget bringing his kick to a stop by meeting it with arm(s). "Bounce" off the leg for a counter works quite well. Letting him /her complete the kick and control it then is good. Beating him/her off the mark even better (why be one frame behind?)

turbotort2000 · Post by **turbotort2000** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 8:45 am

I don't know much about your systems blocking but what I can relate if that you are having trouble with your blocks and it is not the arm/hand postion than go back and re-evualte your positioning. If the kick is generating too much power for you you may be too far away. Try to crowed the kick when you block or if you are too far out move further to try to bait the other person to "chase" you with the kick. On crowding the kick block closer to the knee. I know you are taught to plant your feet on impact but if you bend those rules and move in the direction of the kick after impact you can "ride" the kick and that will dissapate the impact.

Blocking kicks with two arms is a really bad habitual practice because anyone outside your school is going to have a great opportunity to punch your unprotected face--especially if you are having trouble with dealing with the impact from the kick.

Whatever blocks and kicks you are talking about go back and practice 1/2 power blocking it with different distances and different angles and see if you get better results. Spend more time, if you need to, training on cues that people use to throw kicks.

Tony-San · Post by **Tony-San** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 12:22 pm

I don't think hard blocks work well on kicks anyway. I think you have to move and block softly simentaneously to manage all that energy. it's amazing how much you can dampen a good kick just by touching it, probably cuts it's power down by 50%, maybe more if you got a good groove with it. so even if it does hit you, your conditioning will take care of the rest (hopefully).

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 1:53 pm

Just for the record - I spent a lot of time using two arms to block kicks up until shodan because I was trying to do the kumites like everybody else -- by "staying on the line". So I put on my devil cap for the first post. <img src = "http://www.cyberkwoon.com/html/modules/ ... /devil.gif">
I'm the soft block queen these days. In my head it's more about "passing" the leg than blocking the leg.

I have no interest in trying to use force to stop the motion of a big guy's leg. Stay on the centerline - pass the leg and kick/jam his supporting leg while attacking with two hands for the upper gates.

There is a big difference between "staying on the centerline" using linear blocks and "staying on the centerline" using circular or passing blocks. This is where I think Master Uechi Kanei's (tournament sparring) influence is most evident.

Sparring with only the fists doesn't allow for folding and trapping and vital point striking. So you end up with linear blocks that just let you get your punch off so you can score a point.

Using the circular/passing blocks on the inside means you've gotten close enough to use an elbow or grab something or throw somebody. The only things left to hit at that distance are things that will be damaged. Good things for self-defense - bad for the tournament ring.

[This message has been edited by Dana Sheets (edited March 31, 2002).]

Allen M. · Post by **Allen M.** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 2:27 pm

Blocks against kicks.....

Downblock against a hard front kick with one hand?

a) Either drive the knuckles of the blocking arm directly into the side of the shin of the approaching leg, or

c) As you slide back cup and trap the ankle or achille's tendon, pull up and either toward you or push forward and flip it back, depending upon where you are and how you are moving when you catch the kick.

Circular kick blocks are often done with both the passive arm and the active arm coordinating together as in the Uechi cross block.

Often, distance, timing, and coordination determines a one- or two-hander.

If you are fast enough, either jam the kick or get out of the way. Both can often be done without blocking at all.

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Allen Moulton from Uechi-ryu Etcetera

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 2:39 pm

Hey Allen,

Earnie Sumpter has a nice move where you twist your hips around once you have that ankle. Your lead leg is freed up for a stop kick but you shouldn't need it - unless your kicker is willing to break their own knee to hit you. Otherwise the twist on the knee makes them fall.

candan · Post by **candan** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 3:23 pm

Downward "block" (actually forearm strike) to the lower side of the calf muscles when redirecting the kick to the outside is quite painfull and if followed through with a forward step & turn will enable a vicious take down {Seisan Bunkai}

Post by **gmattson** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 3:25 pm

Try to stop thinking that a block has to look a certain way, because that's the way you learned it as a white belt. If you find yourself out of position, and a prime candidate for a front kick to the belly, try altering the direction of that low block. . Front to rear, as in the Seisan arm movement following the first "crane" strike/block. Most people only see this move as a finger strike to a person's groin, who is standing behind you. Try it as a middle to low block, using the front-moving arm, with slight modifications, as a counter-attack.

Very natural movements, very effective and combines block with counter-attack.

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GEM

Allen M. · Post by **Allen M.** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 4:55 pm

I have done it so much, George, I don't think about it. It just happens and it just works.

The catch and the smashing with the knuckles into the side of the shin are straight out of Seichin.

I developed the knuckle smash as a defense at a Tang Soo Do dojang in Seattle against a strong kicker who used to nail me in the gut all the time until he started wearing the knuckles.

Definitely NOT white belt techniques and you've got to be good and accurate at the right instant because missing the defenseopens up the possibility of getting nailed or jamming the fingers.

Candan. A standard downward block sometimes doesn't work well against a strong kicker, especially if you try to sweep it to the outside rather than across your body. Some people are strong enough to just go through any kinds of sweeping down-blocks, so the call is situational.

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Allen Moulton from Uechi-ryu Etcetera

Allen M. · Post by **Allen M.** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 8:34 pm

Sorry sbout the misunderstanding, George. I should not have "kicked-in," but I was on a roll.

It sometimes still frustrates the living daylights out of me because I love sparring so very much and now can only talk and write about what I know well and feel I was once very good at it. It's all still fresh in my mind like it was yesterday, George, and sometimes I just get started and keep going.

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Allen Moulton from Uechi-ryu Etcetera

Dana Sheets · Post by **Dana Sheets** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 8:45 pm

My teacher said he once saw Mr. Nakamatsu throw successfully throw a backfist into a round-house kick. Not for the white belt or the poorly conditioned.

Again I run up against the difference between diving in for the kill on the street and the somewhat more civilized act of sparring in class and then the rather strict kumites. I hate teaching white belt women kyu kumite or yakosuko kumite because they have these silly down blocks in them.
Obviously higher ranking women will have better timing and be able to slip the kicks better. I guess I'm stuck wondering about the whole "trasmit the original" thing.
And...on the very rare occaison that I've been able to spar a woman who weighed less than I the power downblock proved very effective...sigh...conundrum.

Raffi Derderian · Post by **Raffi Derderian** » Sun Mar 31, 2002 9:14 pm

Dana,
Good topic. I agree with the fact if you block a strong kick with a single arm you will likely have your arm broken. In Kali, JKD and even in Thai Boxing and Silat the footwork is more effective to avoid being kicked. It isn't hard to do once you get the hang of it. I think you are smart to be passing kicks instead of eating them. It is the best defense whether you are a man or woman.
If you take my class at summercamp we can do some Filipino footwork and I think you'll love it.
Raf

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www.derderian-academy.com

Post by **gmattson** » Mon Apr 01, 2002 12:33 am

Tough being a good teacher! Trying to teach what was taught to you will probably turn off a lot of talented people who would really like to learn. I tell my students who are embarking on a teaching career to teach the traditional movements softly and unfocused, then gradually pick up the speed and power. Now here is where you keep or lose your students:

Those students who don't have the strength or mass to keep up with this gradual power build-up should be allowed to continue doing the techniques softly and without focus. At around the brown belt level the teacher must modify the techniques to accomodate the individual's needs. Forget the "One size fits all" mentality.

Ask the "old timers" how many student they kept with the attitude that every student had to look like Art Rabesa and have his power. Eventually, all five of your students will meet that critera.

Instead of simply mimicking an old study plan, touted to have been designed a hundred years ago, treat your students as individuals and be creative and patient enough to build individual programs designed to meet the needs of your students. If you really want to learn how this works, go visit some of the younger, highly motivated teachers out there and watch how they teach. Above all, don't be closed minded about how they are "not traditional".

At the end of five years, count the number of fine martial artist turned out as the measure of the program, not outdated beliefs in training methods. As a matter of fact, this IS the way Kanbun taught! And that is why all of his original students all remember the style being so different.

Good topic Dana. . . Keep up the good work.

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GEM

[This message has been edited by gmattson (edited March 31, 2002).]

Allen M. · Post by **Allen M.** » Mon Apr 01, 2002 5:11 am

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote

Try it as a middle to low block, using the front-moving arm, with slight modifications, as a counter-attack.

That movement is especially bad to do when you detect a front kick coming and your hands are up defending your face like they are supposed to be. The timing is all off and ine can jamb fingers and put undue stresses on elbows. I recommend against blocking a low incoming kick that way.

Like our Uechi patch can be translated "High-Low-Everything" I prefer to block high with high and low with low. In other words use the legs to block low to middle incomings and the arms to block from there up.

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Allen Moulton from Uechi-ryu Etcetera