Hello All
It's a fairly well accepted premise in traditional martial arts that a block is not just a block, but a strike in its own right and on occasion a linking move to further techniques. I also accept before anyone points this out to me that in virtualy every post i stress the sin of being in a position that you have to receive the first punch / strike etc rather than deliver it.HOWEVER, should the situation occur on the street when through some misfortune or other we do have to deal with one or two shots prior to firing back,what's our defence? Covering up doesn't appeal and frankly just blocking doesn't either. Personaly i have become a reasonable accomplished elbow blocker and naturaly connect elbow to muscle or bone during quick reaction blocks as a result of muscle memory.Anyone else have a view on this oft disregarded element of training ? Comments etc?
Regds

I think elbow "blocks" (we call 'em destructions) are taught far too infrequently. Lots of school out there teach traditional "blocks" as blocks (rising block, side block, etc etc etc) - - these blocks will do nothing but either make the other guy mad or hurt you (or both). . .they certainly don't stop the other guy from hitting you again.

My school believes in defanging on the first beat, meaning we take their weapon (be it an actual weapon or their fist/foot, whatever they give us) from them immediately.

i agree, we tend to use the elbows as blocks for limb destruction quite often. eg to block a right hook you could strike his arm with your elbow, aimed at specific targets, but also bring your right hand up for extra cover incase you miss and the elbow block wasnt on target. With the help of his own momentum it becomes very effective and the attacker wont feel like throwing another punch. And thats before you actually counter with another move of your own.

How many ways can you block!

Slapping hands, chicken head strkies, forearm bones attacking points, checking and trapping to open up anatomically vulnerable points, shin blocks inside of kicking range, descending onto bone, or using a "stepping out" movement to open the attacker's leg against for a counterattacking mawashi geri to the inside thigh, another one for thigh kicks is to almost block with the shin of the back leg, but swing it up under the attacking leg attacking joints, muscle and nerves, this can be appklied to any low kick. Every block should hurt, regardless whether it is anactual defense or offense (likeusing the motion of geden berai to attack the points on the inside thigh, crease of groin or lung poins on the floating ribs) and hurt enough to stop, discourage or set the opponent up for decisive retaliation.

The article on heian nidan discusses a formidable counterattack to a punch.

As for upper blocks, you can parry away the punch, then repeat the movement to attack below the jawline, wrap the arm around the head and finish with a "hanging" choke.

Now knees, what an opportunity to make minced meat out of your opponent's thigh! Jam a few elbows onto the quad muscles and they will think twice!

Moving laterally a little, the tibia muscle, (I don't know the real name) or muscle covering the tibia should be attacked when jamming an opponent's kick with your own kick. When this muscle is damaged, it is difficult to lift up your foot.

Outside of the dojo, think about how much damage to an arm a properly executed press blocks (you know, the set of three from kata Empi or Wanshu) can create to an arm!

Mr Vigerous doesn't like copping kicks or puches - neither do I. The common push block used in point sparring where the arms are locked together at the elbow, and pushes to the outside of the body to deflect against punches, should not be despised, and never forget the opportunity to turn this into a leglock on the achilles tendon, forcing your opponent to the floor. The motion is seen in Pinan Sandan and the lower/block vertical punch seen in the fourth/fifth moves executed in Tomari no Bassai.

As for lower block, it has so many applications. With the "guarding" hand, strike with an ippon ken just below the opponent's navel (can't remember the Japanese name, but it is your centre of balance apparently), and elbow with the other hand then either strike with a uraken to the side of the neck, at the carotid and grab the leg, or strike to one of the ling points below the chest and yank on the groin organs - this is similar to the throw in the end of Pinan Godan or before the set of knifehand blocks in Bassai Sho.

Even a simple punch can be recievedm grabbed and used as a lever to pull the body into the open blindside of another fighter and apply a straight punch into heart one, ala end of Jion or the set of double handed punches towars the end of Bassai Sho.

You amy ask why I am so for destroying limbs, immobilising and using older style techniques - being slow makes you vicous and forces you to be cunning!