How to Do Advanced Blocks | Karate Lessons

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Okay. I'm going to talk about advanced blocks and advance blocks can sometimes be a matter of perspective. Sometimes, we take a simple block and we
look at it from another perspective. It becomes an advanced technique.

Now we're going to look at blocks that occur in some of the kata, some of
the forms. And they're a bit more intricate. But we have to look at them
for what they might be and that's not just necessarily, for example, if
Alex comes with this punch, there's a double block where both arms are
involved in blocking a single limb. We have to change our perspective
and use the other hand in exactly the same way but applying it as an
aggressive, using an aggressive movement here. Covering with a high hand and if you notice, from here, what I don't want to do is start the technique with my arms and then I've got to move my arm backwards and then forwards. So to do contrary directions with the same limb is really difficult. All we have to do is, is have this arm softer, so as he comes, we can float it back and snap it forward. So the arm is not bringing itself back. The arm floats back and blocks forward.

Another variation on the same theme. From here, Alex is going to kick with a front kick now. This block is done quite frequently in more advance kata. However, if we approach it in that way, we're very limited, and of course, we're using both arms for one leg, when we could be using one arm for a hit. A low hit, while the other one parries. We have to be very aggressive and this is done aggressively in the advanced forms. And that suggests to me we're not aggressively blocking. We are attacking and as we attack, we're
blocking and intercepting. So that's another variation on what's called
juji-go which is cross arm block. I'm using it as a block and a
strike.

If we move our body well, we free up the limbs and then we can apply them spontaneously according to the circumstances. So for example, if Alex comes to approach with this hand, I can parry up and strike the elbow. If he comes with the other hand at the same target, I can parry up and strike the neck. So you allow for those variations when you're not making fixed positions. But you're moving from the center and letting the center come in here, to strike one side or the center recognizes it can strike the other side. And this is the intelligence of
moving from the center. It has the ability to reflexively move without
thinking.

And that's what makes a basic block into an advanced block.