A block is a technique used against an attacking weapon, such as an arm, leg, stick, etc, to stop or deflect the attack.Taekwondo is a defensive martial art, so blocks are of primary concern. The main purpose of Taekwondo is to prevent an attacker from harming you or another person. If effective blocks serve this purpose, then counterattacks or attacks by you may not be necessary.
There are a great variety of Taekwondo blocks that permit adequate blocking even if the blocker is weak, has an inadequate range of motion, or has an injury. This also allows blockers to deal with a variety of attacks, including those from armed and unarmed attackers.
Blocks are classified as either hard or soft. Hard blocks are used by "hard" martial art styles, such as Taekwondo and most styles of karate. Soft blocks are used by the "soft" martial art styles, such as kung-fu and some karate styles. Regardless of their primary classification as a "hard" of "soft" style," most styles (including Taekwondo) use a combination of hard and soft blocks.
Move!!
A sitting target is easy to hit; a moving target is difficult to hit. For an opponent to strike you with damaging force, the opponent must be set. Movement must stop for at least a moment so force may be generated from the floor, through the legs, and out an arm or leg to the target. If the opponent sees an opening and sets for the attack, if you are constantly moving, the opening will have closed or moved before the attack is fired. The attacker may try to "lead" the target and fire to where he or she thinks the target will be when the attack reaches it, but if you move erratically, there is no way for the opponent to predict where the target will be. This is why boxers move continually and why most of the attacking punches miss their target. To make up for this, boxers throw and array of punches in all directions, hoping one will make contact.
So the primary way to avoid an attack is to move; then blocking is unneeded or needed minimally. Stay on balls of feet and keep the feet moving (dancing). Erratically, but purposely, weave the body from the ankles to the neck. Erratically, but purposely, bob and weave the head using the neck and upper body. Erratically, but purposely, move the entire body in circles around the opponent. When all this is done, the opponent cannot set, so, even if attacks strike a target, they will be weak.
Last Resort
Blocks are used as a last resort when all else has failed, such as avoidance (side stepping or ducking) or leaving. Even then, the block may fail. When a block fails, you get hit. Even if a block works, your blocking arm or leg may be injured. Blocks are violent—force is meeting force. Blocks require a lot of energy, they stiffen the body, and they cause mental as well as physical stress.
Interception
Interception is the preferred method of defense. Interceptions occur on intention (before the attack), on initiation (as the attack starts), or during execution (as attack is in progress), whereas blocks are used as the attack is about to make contact. Interception on intention is the best option but it requires a skilled fighter who may anticipate attacks by "reading" an opponent's non-verbal clues.
Ways to intercept an attack:
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Using upper body. Most common interception tool is the jab. It draws opponent's attention away from the intended attack, causes the opponent have to think about defense, and it may make contact, which further makes the opponent reconsider an attack.
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Using lower body. Most common interception tools are the leading/trailing side kick, leading/trailing front kick, leading/trailing twist kick, or any kick used to stop the forward motion of an attacker.
Evasion
At some point between initiation of an attack and your having to block it, evasion comes into play. Evasion is simply avoiding an attack. Evasion is highly efficient since no contact occurs with the opponent. Evasive movements may involve footwork (such as sidesteps or stepping backward) or just body movement (such as the duck, slip, or bob and weave).
To evade you must be able to change the direction of any part of your body with the smallest impetus and with no conscious thought or physical restriction. This requires you to be relaxed, reactive, rooted, and yielding. Humans think! When being attacked, this split second of thought, and possible indecision, causes a split second of body tension and non movement. Animals do not need make a moral or strategic choices when challenged; they simply either fight or run.
Relaxation
Body tension lengthens reaction time and reduces speed and power, so the body should be kept relaxed. Physical tension also encourages mental tension, which further slows reaction time. When you are relaxed, the muscles move smoothly in unison to reduce drag and generate more power.
All muscular movement is controlled by the mind. A relaxed mind creates a loose, relaxed body. To relax your mind, it must remain placid while still being focused and aware. To do this, you need to relieve your brain of the job of thinking while fighting, which means your must train until your actions become instinctive.
Being relaxed while fighting means you are never static. As long as you are either receiving energy (yielding) or transmitting energy (striking), you are in a continuous state of movement and flow. This flow is interrupted when you:
Relaxation helps increase your speed and power, but extreme relaxation, such as used in tai-chi or yoga, does not protect against hard impacts. Such extreme relaxation may:
To allow relaxation to generate speed and power, you must keep it rooted to the ground so you may transfer energy through a punch or kick from a balanced connection to the ground. If you are unbalanced, you have no root. If you are stiff, you have no root. If you carry your body weight too high, you have no root.
Physics of Blocks
As you reduce the distance between yourself and your opponent, the impact you feel when blocking an attack is reduced. This may be explained by a formula for linear velocity as it relates to angular velocity.
Angular velocity is simply the speed that a rigid object takes on as it rotates about a fixed point. For example, in a Taekwondo round kick, assume that the leg (rigid object) rotates from the hip (the fixed point). The formula for angular velocity is defined as follows:
a = 0 / t
where "0" represents the angle of rotation and t represents the time taken to rotate through that angle. The units for angular velocity could be in degrees per minute or rotations per minute or, more appropriately for the kicker, in degrees per second. Angular velocity has a direct relationship with the angle of rotation; if the kick is allowed to accelerate through a greater rotation, it will damage the target more when it makes contact with it. If the blocker anticipates and side steps into the kick's path, the angular speed of the leg is reduced and thus the impact of the leg is reduced.
Linear velocity, as it relates to its angular velocity counterpart, is the speed of any point on the rotating body and is proportional to the radial distance from the center to that point. Think about cracking a whip. The speed at of the handle is relatively slow while the tip moves so fast it snaps. The formula for linear velocity is defined as follows:
v = a x r
where "a" is the angular velocity as before. If you decrease the distance r between the rotating leg that is attacking, the speed at which it hits you is reduced. Thus, reducing the distance between you and your opponent will reduce the kick's impact.
Single versus Double Bone Blocks
Traditionally, Taekwondo, as do most hard Karate styles, uses single bone forearm blocks where the edges of the forearm make contact, such the inner forearm block and the outer forearm block. Blocks are viewed as also being strikes that may do damage as well as block. If you block correctly, the pain may cause the attacker to reconsider any more attacks. Some Karate styles, such as Isshin-Ryu, block using double bone blocks where the top or bottom bones and muscles of the forearm make contact. These stylists train using arm conditioning exercises until their muscles seem as hard as bones.
With the inner forearm block, the inner forearm (and palm) face upward and, if the block moves outward, the striking surface is the radius bone that extends down the thumb side of the forearm. If the block move inward, the striking surface is the ulna bone that extends down the little finger side of the forearm. With the outer forearm block, the outer forearm (and knuckles) face upward. If the block moves outward, the striking surface is the ulna, if moving inward the striking surface is the radius.
At and near the wrist, these bones have little muscle or fat padding them. But as you move upward along the top or bottom of the forearm, the muscles (including the extendor digitorum communis and the extendor carpa ulnaris) and fat layers thicken and serve to protect the underlying bones. However, the sides of the forearm have very little muscle or fat padding covering the bones, with the ulna having the least.
When traditional forearms blocks are used, only one of the forearm bones makes contact with the attacking weapon, and the bone will have little padding. The reasoning is that the bone acts as a edge that will cut into the attacking limb, causing pain and/or injury. However, sometimes the pain and injury happens to the blocking arm.
On both sides of the forearm, next to the two forearm bones, are nerves: the lateral and medial antibrachial cutaneous. If struck during a block, these nerves may cause extreme pain. Through Taekwondo training, the forearms are gradually toughened so the pain of impact is lessened.
On either side of the forearm are two major arteries (radial and ulner) and branches of another (brachial). The largest artery is the ulnar, itself having four branches in the forearm. The arteries are relatively close to the surface of the arm near the wrist, and they lay next to the bones. Likewise, major veins run through the forearm and wrist. If either of the two bones in the forearm is broken, a sharp or jagged edge of broken bone may easily tear, penetrate, or sever a nearby artery, vein, or nerve.
A double bone block is when the forearm is turned 90 degrees so that the striking surface is either the inner (bottom) or outer (top) forearm. With this type of block, both forearm bones make contact with the attacking object. A double bone block is much stronger, since any impact is spread across two bones. With two bones blocking, structural strength is essentially doubled. Impact is further dissipated by the extra muscle and fat padding.
Anatomically, the double bone block provides more strength and leverage to the block. To demonstrate this on yourself, hold your forearm in a middle inner forearm block (palm upward) and have a friend try to pull or push your arm horizontally. Then try the same thing with the palm facing inward. Which is stronger?
So, should we change our Taekwondo single bone blocks to double bone blocks? The answer is no. Since both the single and double bone block have their own purpose, advantages, and disadvantages, each has its place in Taekwondo. For example, with single bone blocks, if the hand strikes the attacking object, the contact area will be the padded ends of the fist, so the chance of injury will be slight. With a double bone block, the contact area will be either the fragile back of the hand or all the fingers on the front of the hand, which are more susceptible to injury. Also, you would not want to use a double bone inside block against a thrusting knife attack since this would expose the arteries, nerves, and ligaments of the inside of the wrist and lower arm to injury. On the other hand, double bone blocks offer extra structural strength and padding when blocking powerful kicks or hard surface weapons. The single edge of a forearm is useful in striking soft nerve areas or pressure points.
Do you have the time or desire to harden your muscles to the degree necessary to use double bone blocks effectively and consistently? I think not. I use my arms for delicate work, not to mention typing information into TKDTutor.com all day. Also, why punish yourself so you can defend yourself against a specific self-defense situation that for most people will never occur in their lifetimes. It is much wiser to uset he single bone to block and use the time saved to work on perfecting other techniques and getting on with the rest of your life.
So single bone blocks will continue to be the primary Taekwondo blocks. However, when blocking powerful kicks or hard surface objects, remember the advantages of a double bone block.
Covering
Another type of blocking is covering. Covering is hiding the head and body directly behind the hands and vertical forearms. When covering, do not look down or away. Keep looking at the opponent so you will be able to react as needed. Do not cover for more than a second or two. Covering is only to avoid immediate blows; it is not a long term solution. Quickly takedown, tie up, or counterpunch if you have to cover.
Immovable Elbow
Lead elbow should be about a fist’s distance in front of the lead side ribs at all times. Never allow it to rest against the body or move out to the side of the body. When elbow is against the body, it makes it easier for your opponent to trap your lead arm. If the elbow is out to the side, the lead side ribs are exposed and it is difficult to protect the centerline. If the elbow is leading the body, it is easier to deliver a non-telegraphic strike with the lead hand. When elbow is kept in close, it only requires slight movements of the elbow or slight twists of the body to deflect or block attacks.
Ways Blocks are Used
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Block with enough power that attack is convinced not attack again
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Block gently, so that the attack is just parried or deflected
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Block and then counterattack, or block and attack simultaneously
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Block to unbalance the attacker
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Block the attack as it is about to begin forward movement
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Block attack at end of its movement
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Block and retreat to a safe position until an opportunity to attack presents itself
Factors that Affect the Effectiveness of Blocks
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Direction of Power. To stop an attack, hard, attack blocks should make contact perpendicular to the surface of the attacking limb and at a 90 degree angle to the path of the attack. A deflecting soft block should make contact at a sharper angle so the attack is redirected but not stopped. You should meet strength with weakness (deflect) and meet weakness with strength (attack).
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Forearm Rotation. Blocks gain in power if you twist the forearm into block as it contacts the attacking limb. Just as the snap used in punching, snapping the forearm into the block, transfers your force to the attacking limb. When this occurs, your arm causes injury without being injured.
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Hip Rotation. As in all Taekwondo techniques, snapping the hip into a block transfers your body mass into the technique for additional power. There are two ways to pair a technique with hip rotation: with the rotation (inner forearm block) or against it (outer forearm block). When the technique is going against the direction of hip rotation, it is generally weaker.
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Position of the Arm. If the blocking arm ends in a position that is too far from the body, greater range is achieved but with a loss in power. If the arm ends too close to the body, the attack may not be stopped in time but the block has more power. In the ideal position, effective range and power are achieved. For example, with an inner forearm block, if the block ends with the forearm vertical, the block has move coverage and may hit with more power, but it may not stop a punch before it strikes its target. If the block ends with the forearm too extended, it has a longer reach but its coverage is smaller and it has less power. The ideal forearm ending position is extended at a 45 degree angle for good coverage, good range, and good power.
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End of the Block. Blocks should terminate when the attack is stopped or deflected enough to prevent impact. Do not over block by moving the arm past its most effective point, it opens you up for another attack and closes you up for making a counter attack. For example, with an inner forearms block, if the block moves too far across in front of your body, it exposes you to an attack behind the block and it prevents you using the trailing arm or a counterattack.
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