To block or not to block - that is the question. Some say that blocking methods are a total waste of time while others will view them as vital. This often debated subject is all about two schools of thought within the world of martial arts.
Practising the various fighting techniques within the martial arts the new student will soon come to realise that the various methods of attack and defence have, each in their own special way, both good and bad sides to them. To be more specific, on this often raised subject in the martial arts, it all comes down to - do you block or not to block? Or in other words, do you just attack with punches? There are two schools of thought within the martial arts regarding if blocking techniques are a waste of time or not. I say they are vital but only under some situations. I also say it is better to be trained in blocking methods than not at all. There are those who believe that to attack first and to attack hard and fast with the aim of getting in the first deciding strikes will in the end make them the victor of the fight. Others on the other hand prefer the intercept method of fighting which means to wait for their opponent to attack and then after stopping the initial blow with at least one blocking method, then counter strike with a wide range of striking methods of their own. Both methods of fighting are of course effective but each also has their own bad points. In the case of attacking first the problem is that it is very difficult to defend against counter strikes at the same time. Or to put it another way, you could easily end up throwing your punch and yourself into a lot of counter-strikes before even your own punch has even reached the target. The second problem, in what you could call an attack mode, is that you need to over extend yourself to reach your opponent in the attempt. No going back if you do that and not much chance of defending yourself if you fail. Not always of course but it does happen. Many schools of martial arts will teach the attack first method if the club that you attend is involved in the competition side of the combat arts in the main and regard the martial art that they teach as a sport rather than an unarmed combat style or system. Kickboxing is a contact sport as a perfect example. In competition events there is no need to think about blocking methods, just a simple case of scoring the winning point, or knockout, as is the case in boxing of course, however in the street taking the initiative and striking the first blow could be seen as starting a fight that could have been avoided by talking things through, maybe, and of course it could also put you in the position of being the assailant in the eyes of the law. Somewhat opposite to the attack first school of thought is the ‘intercept method of fighting’ that is based upon responding to an attack rather than attempting to get the first punch in. This form of fighting is in most cases looked upon as using self-defence methods. Schools that teach the more practical aspects of self-defence will teach not to attack first or to use any fighting methods unless absolutely necessary. Using this form of self protection it forces, to a degree, your opponent to overreach himself in order to get into striking range. That totally of course depends on having the space to move out of striking range and not having your back against the wall so to speak. However, allowing for the space to move and if done correctly, then this can make it more possible to block, or avoid, your opponents attack more easily and in turn it leaves them somewhat more vulnerable to counter strikes if they are more focused on attacking and not worried about defending themselves. It is worth noting at this point that at basic level ‘one step’ practice, (preset single punch attack and defence training), is based upon the intercept method, to a degree, when you see students stepping back before blocking and counter striking. I tend to call it the A,B,C method. Avoid, Block, Counter-strike. And of course in the eyes of the law you would also be looked upon as only defending yourself having not initially started the fight. The greatest problem however in using this method of fighting is that you would have to develop good defensive blocking methods, good hand and eye coordination and reflexes that are far harder to master than throwing a punch or a kick. It is worth remembering at this point that no matter how good someone can kick or punch, if they cannot stop a strike or a kick then they will soon be hit and hurt which in turn will prevent them from continuing to fight, or far worse. Unlike learning the basics within a Dojo or Kwoon not all situations will start at a practical distance to defend against so the more classical blocking methods like the upward head block, using the forearm, or maybe a palm hand block may not work, however if the distance factor is suitable then using such standard blocking methods is not only practical but also vital when it comes to some forms of common attack. Some situations, and this is more often the case than many realise, is when someone throws a punch in a crowded room, such as a pub for example, and it takes you by surprise. No one, not even a so-called martial art master, can be ready or aware of a surprise or unprovoked attack all the time, take note, so that being the case you may not have the time to just hit back or even block the punch in the normal way. However, all is not lost. Many people tend to forget that a block does not have to be those classical blocking methods that many people see in the training room. Simply lifting your arm in front of your chest or face, as a perfect example, as a covering action is also a form of block. This form of protection takes no effort to learn and not only is it something of an instinctive action it is also often very practical. When asked the question what would you do if faced with a totally no warning surprise punch attack many tend to reply by saying they would hit first. That can be a logical step to take if you thought that your assailant was showing all the signs of attacking you but that cannot be done if it is a total surprise. Sadly not everyone is going to be kindhearted and punch you in the face. Often they will hit you to the side of the head, or the back of the head, when you are not looking. In that unfortunate situation all you can do is try to recover as fast as you can and start punching. However if you see the punch coming at you then there are a couple of things that you can do. It is often the case that if someone sees a punch coming at them they tend to throw a punch back, almost instinctively. It may work, but it also means that they are not protecting themselves from being hit. So if possible in that type of situation it is always more practical and wise to cover yourself from real damaging harm before striking back. A case of rolling with the punch, absorbing the punch and protecting the head, in the main, with your arms. Even boxers in the boxing ring will do that when trapped in a corner when you think about it. When you take all of these things into account I believe it would be far better to use blocking methods rather than not at all. Related articles: >Intercept - The art of A. B. C.< >The Self Defence Aspect< Comments are closed.
|