Block or blocking is considered to be a defensive aspect in any martial art, many martial artist considers blocking to be more difficult than striking.
Contrary to general perception, United Arnis considers blocking as an offensive move against an opponent, hence the term “Offensive Block”.
To develop Offensive blocks, consider the following:
Evasion is your primary block
Not all strike needs to be blocked, simple evasion through body movement could do the trick. Evasion means staying out of the range or direction of the strike. Combining evasion with blocks ensures safety against a strike.
Block is a strike
For better delivery of blocks, do it as strike. This way you are engaging the opponent’s strike, this gives power to your block.
Like a strike, a block should have an initial stance, block direction, final stance and block delivery
Checks are preparation for counter
Use checks or parry to control and jam the attacking hands of the opponent. Checking also helps to delay the opponents block to your counter.
Block and check simultaneously
Initially, practice block and check as two steps, blocking first then checking the opponent’s hand. Continue this process until blocking and checking becomes simultaneous.
Footwork determines distance
Practice blocking together with your footwork by moving forward or backward. By moving forward you go into close range with the opponent while moving backward creates a distance between you and the opponent
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