Mahki: The Block

Karate will not be Karate until the block is more than a block; the punch is more than a punch; and the step is more than the step- without this, "karate" is only advanced boxing, with basic footwork.

Today I would like to write on what the block is. And what it is not. A block is the interception, attacking, bearing, and redirecting of another's attack on oneself. It is not a single movement of the body. As I type these words I hear the objections flooding my mind's ear: "But, Christopher, no one is saying that. There are any types of blocks, and each block can do everyone of those things!"

My inside-outside mahki is a movement of the body. But it's blocking power. This is more complicated. Have I brought my arm from below to upright? From a punch to vertical position? Did I start it at the hip or the solar plexus? Does it travel horizontally, or in a corkscrew? Am I pushing against the grain with it, or only side-breaking the attack?

If the above questions aren't making any sense for you, this post is for you.

When I am blocking, I am not simply engaging in an efficient motion or raw statistical data of what is effective or able to weather the best. When I am blocking I am living natural principles, learned studies of physics, even. A strait punch from a sunfist is push toward my chest. Do I intercept? Yes. But how? Do I receive, work against, or simply re-orient?

My example: The middle/inside-outside block twists the fore arm.

Now, as you execute your own, with your body, think about the translation of your WHOLE body. Am I receiving the blow, am I pushing against it, am I simply rolling it to the side?

 Try this experiment. snap the block as shown in this video, but step your whole, balanced body backwards. Then step your whole, and balanced body forward. Now execute it standing still (try "Sanchin Dachi" - "Hourglass Stance.") and feel your body leaning and its weight/power shifting through that blocking arm.

The first is one that drives the block inward, to where you want. The second pushes back. But, you must overcome their power. The last redirects the opponent's energy, but without your control once the arm is directed away from you. What is your intention? Which of the three blocks are you executing with your "inside-outside block?"


Train hard.