Warning:The following people were harmed in the making of this video due to the fact they were either Loudmouths who didnt know who they were dealing with,Over-assuming in there fighting skill level,Idiots who had no idea or awareness of the threat and people who had to much alcohol and/or trust in what a friend could and could not do.It is advisable that people keep there mental and physical guard up at all times due to hostile nature of foe,unpredictability of so called 'friends' and/or ability to guage skill level of an opponent.
Sharif H
Posts : 430 Join date : 2009-06-11 Location : London
Warning:The following people were harmed in the making of this video due to the fact they were either Loudmouths who didnt know who they were dealing with,Over-assuming in there fighting skill level,Idiots who had no idea or awareness of the threat and people who had to much alcohol and/or trust in what a friend could and could not do.It is advisable that people keep there mental and physical guard up at all times due to hostile nature of foe,unpredictability of so called 'friends' and/or ability to guage skill level of an opponent.
You forgot.... "Don't try this at home"
darktim99
Posts : 133 Join date : 2009-05-14 Location : st helens
LOL mint clips! i like to either odopt a loose boxers guard or a "tri-angle" type bloke. but alternate it. bit similar to what shrif did on his promo vid when went trough blokcking the punches and then getting to clinch range.
I haven't had the chance to 'attempt' a block in a violent situation since i started training... about 18 months in now I think. I think I can partially attribute that to having a good fence and a generally having a healthier mindset about dealing with people at their worst. A couple of instances come to mind where before things may have gone off, but I was able to diffuse instead.
Years back before any training blocking a punch was pretty much out of the question... once in motion it seemed way to fast to intercept or do anything about. That all changes with a good fence...your hands are already half way up! Wish I'd known this....especially in high school... It may have saved a few bruised and a chipped tooth
One thing that worked well once, that wasn't a block but did the same thing, was a straight face palm. I was thinking like how a running back in football often will do that rushing down the field, and that was my idea, just to keep the other guy away at a distance and get outta there. The palm to the face ended up stopping his punch in mid swing, which I wasn't even thinking about blocking. That fits right into Richie's "attack the attacker" thinking. Good times.
darktim99
Posts : 133 Join date : 2009-05-14 Location : st helens
Blocks work well with range and awareness. Such as in a duel. That is where they can be seen at their peak of effectiveness. Against a surprise attack? Low odds, maybe even none if the surpriser is surprisingly good at surprising you. If you anticipate the attack and maintain range and awareness however, they can work. Then again, if we anticipate the attack and have the opportunity to control range, we seek to pre-empt, and dueling only happens by a fuckup in the original gameplan. Even though I suppose you could anticipate and even draw the attack to block and then move on the guy, as a CYA legal and PR consideration, (even though that would increase your physical risk!). Blocking as such becomes pushed back to something not very relevant for our purposes in the larger picture. Because of the few places where it is workable.
Interesting all in all. I hadn't really given much thought to the role of blocking like this. Offense just kind of swallowed up it's territory, with only some "oh shit" covers being left behind.
thugsage Admin
Posts : 1748 Join date : 2008-04-17 Age : 58 Location : Washington DC
Has anyone used blocks in the street to any great effect?
yes, but not a dojo strong sort of block...a slap/tap sort--from outside to inside, from inside to outside where one's body moves a bit to accomodate. sort of boxer movement. one time--silly to think about, i moved a bit quasi bruce-lee with the hands [still slap/tap though, keeping a distance, etc...the body compensating with it's own movement]. i have to say that my game plan has changed dramatically. now i assume the best block is a punch that gets in faster, followed by another punch, etc...even when i'm horsing around with people, i see loads of chances to get in not because the other person is slower but rather because they're stuck in some rhythem of sorts and i'm thinking half-beats or off beats. interesting to see after years of sports silliness.
i will say that good blocking takes courage as it is something not overdone. if you are out of the line of fire, problem solved. the more fear one has, in my limited experiences, the more one puts too much into the block and loses time in effectively following up time wise. it might not mean an opening, but it might mean a long a silly exchange where one's own safety goes down the toilet the longer things take.
a guy said this to me once and i knew it was true but it took me ages to actually swallow it and not puke--metaphorically speaking.
"YOU HAVE TO BRING BUTT, TO KICK BUTT"
as dreadful as it is for the timid, staying in the periphery to remain safe, is backpedaling and ultimately lends to the other's confidence build up. forward drive is the best thing that ever happened to me. what the fook was i doing all those years???
Then again getting into a duel , is it still self defence? That might be the chance to run?
I hardly ever train for 'match fighting'. In terms of SP - there are very few circumstances in which it would happen. Simply because it requires the agreement of both parties. Dukes up, round one, ding-ding. As you said, that's not self defence.
It's why I do very little regular 'sparring'. And also why I'm a bit rubbish at fighting in a kickboxing/boxing context. When I was doing MMA, I could tell that some of the guys were thinking "how can he be an SP instructor if he gets beaten so much here?". It was pointless trying to explain the difference to them...
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