Blocks are Strikes and Strikes are Blocks
Published:
By Sensei Spencer
There is a saying in the AOKK, “If I touch you, I hurt you.” I’m not sure where this statement started, but it holds true to the Okinawan Isshin-ryu principles. When we talk about blocking an attack it sounds as it we’re stopping an assault. In truth we’re merely redirecting the energy away from its intended target. We are not stopping anything. The AOKK concept, and I believe Shimabuku sensei’s concept, is that when in a life preservation situation, one must inflict pain whenever and wherever possible to mitigate the conflagration. Blocking without inflicting pain is a wasted motion. I have also discussed this topic, in some detail, in the article Make It Hurt. This article focuses on the blocking portion of our art.
I read a story about a student’s encounter with Shimabuku sensei during one of his visits to the United States. The student, when first seeing Shimabuku sensei, noted his rather small stature. Tatsuo must have noticed this karateka’s interest, so he engaged the young man. His instruction to the student was simple. Master Shimabuku simply said, “Punch,” while pointing at the student’s arm. The young karateka glanced nervously at his instructor who gave him the nod to do what he was asked. The student fearing, he would hurt the sensei, if he punched too powerfully, threw out a half-powered strike. This halfhearted effort did not make Shimabuku sensei happy, so he simply slapped the blow away. He once again, in an indignant tone, said “Punch.” Still not wanting to hurt the sensei with the student’s second punch he threw it just a little harder and faster. Again, the student’s effort was simply slapped away. Once again Shimabuku sensei indignantly said, “Punch,” so the karateka thought okay its your funeral and let his best punch fly. Master Shimabuku middle blocked striking the student’s blow, with the now traditional Isshin-ryu middle block, utilizing the middle knuckle of the fist on the blocking arm. The student’s arm was paralyzed with pain. Shimabuku sensei once again said, “Punch.” The student looked at his arm and shook his head indicating he could not. Master Shimabuku pointed at the student’s other arm and said, “Punch.” Fortunately, the karateka was not forced to repeat the learning process. This is an example of, “I touch you, I hurt you.”
Make your blocks inflict as much damage as your offensive strikes. In a real conflict shutting down one of your opponent’s weapons gives you the advantage. Do this with a block and the psychological impact, to a trained opponent, can be incalculable. In kata we see many middle blocks, but do we really see the technique. Placing one hand on the obi (belt) coupled with a middle block can represent a trapped arm and a hyperextension of a joint. We do not place our hand on the obi, during kata, because it balances us. It has purpose. Now this simple middle block went from a defensive technique to an offensive one. Even when the block is actually used as a redirection of power, it can still be inflicting pain. Strike the Radial, Median, or Ulnar nerve, with a middle block, and you can create a short circuit. The high block has a range of uses. A high block can also be a strike under the opponent’s chin. Low blocks can clear any strike being delivered to the trunk of the body, and by driving your knuckles into the target you can inflict pain. Even if you miss, with the knuckle, the back of the forearm will deflect the trajectory of the strike. This is one of the reasons that Isshin-ryu blocks are made with the musculature of the forearm and not the bone. By turning the forearm vertical and not horizontal and utilizing the musculature of the forearm as padding, the knuckles of the fist can then be used as a weapon. Also, if the forearm is impacted by the aggressor’s strike, while making the block, the trauma is spread across a larger area or both bones or the forearm instead of one side only. Utilizing the traditional block with the side of the arm, after forearm conditioning, can turn the forearm into a weapon. Block with the side of the arm with such force as to bruise the opponent and cause muscle trauma. Hammer their attacks, with your blocks, until they become tentative about striking you. If you touch them… hurt them.
There is one misconception that permeates the martial arts, and that is the purpose of a high block. Many instructors teach that it is to stop an overhead weapons attack via a blunt instrument. Stopping a blunt force weapon utilizing this block, against the weapon, can be disastrous without years of arm pounding or forearm conditioning. It is more likely the average practitioner will receive a fractured limb, and then they’ll be at the mercy of their attacker. Utilizing this block, in that scenario, fails in every way the test of touch them hurt them. I do understand where this idea originated. There is a grain of truth to using this block in that situation, but their understanding is limited. This block can be used against an overhead attack, with a weapon, if the target, of the block, is not the weapon. You should not meet the weapon with the force of your forearm, but strike, with the forearm, under the attacker’s biceps or armpit of the limb that is wielding the weapon. Hit them with the intent of breaking their arm or dislocating their shoulder. This can be daunting if the attacker is striking with a Bo (Okinawan staff), but it is effective against a bottle or even a baseball bat because the attacker’s arms must be raised above their head. Remember the target is not the weapon, but the attacker’s biceps or armpit. Timing is everything. Too late and you’ll get hit with the weapon. Too soon and you’ll not get under the weapon. Driving your forearm under the attacker’s armpit will break their balance. Remember to make it hurt. Once the attacker’s balance is broken, take that opportunity to throw the attacker backwards to the ground and disarm them or make your escape while they try to recover. While it is nice to know that the high block can be used to defend against an overhead strike, the real purpose of the high block is to use it when facing a much taller opponent. When the Okinawans began training the American servicemen, this block had to become a staple of their defense. A taller attacker can rain down blows on a shorter adversary, but the smaller Okinawans used this to their advantage. Pushing the blow overhead it allowed them to get inside the taller opponent’s reach and unleash their devastating counterattacks to unprotected centerline, side, and back targets. As mentioned earlier, a well-orchestrated high block, to the armpit or chin will cause the larger opponent’s balance to be temporarily compromised. Once the balance is broke, a well-placed toe-kick, at that point, should end the fight. This technique should be practiced by children and women because their attackers will more often be larger. It is important to know the effectiveness of the high block, so that it may be utilized properly.
Strikes can be blocks. Punching to an adversary’s biceps muscle may seem impractical, but if it is done to preempt the attacker’s punch, it in essence becomes a block. Striking the opponent’s biceps or thigh over and over can begin to limit the fighter’s effective weapons. If the muscle is damaged, the weapon slows down. In Isshin-ryu we have a kick that we call a crossover heel kick. This kick can be used to stop a back leg front kick by striking the kicking leg or hip crease. It is taught, in many schools, that it is only a strike to the attacker’s knee joint, but if that is its only use your limiting its effectiveness. Look at all your strikes and think about how they can also be used as blocks. A sidekick to an attacker’s leg as their hips begin to move is also a block. Don’t limit your arsenal.
In the AOKK we do have techniques that are actually used to redirect an opponent’s blow. We call these Parry Blocks. Some schools call them Palm Heel Blocks. The sole purpose of these blocks is to redirect the momentum of a strike past its desired target. In the Isshin-ryu Chart-one or Upper-body Exercise Fourteen this technique is demonstrated and coupled with a counterattack. In past articles I have mentioned that the last five series of techniques of Chart-one or the Upper-body Exercises hold special techniques that set Isshin-ryu apart from other systems. The first ten series can be found in an examination of the form Ten-No-Kata. These first ten series were taught to the pioneers of Okinawa karate. Funakoshi sensei simply catenated these exercise to form the Ten-No-Kata of Shotokan. Ten-No-Kata today is found in many systems. In Chart-one fourteen we are taught to step on a forty-five-degree angle while parrying away the blow. Body movement is one of the most effective means of blocking. Simply put “Don’t be there.” Still, this strike with the palm does not have to be soft. A strike using the palm can cause bruising. Striking the back of a joint, with the open palm, can cause hyperextension. Again, even when using traditionally believed soft blocks make it hurt.
Another place where some karate instructors fail, is in the enforcement of power when practicing blocking techniques. Many students don’t understand that the block must contain the same amount of force that is found in their punches. Changing the mindset of the student from stopping a blow with a block to attacking a blow with a block may not be easy if they’ve never trained in this manner. Power and speed come from repetition but striking hard and fast should begin from the first time they step on the dojo floor until they retire and step off for the last time. A student must make every block hard and strong during each iteration because the way you train is the way you’ll respond in crisis, and remember I touch you… I hurt you.