Page 22 - Beyond Basics_Neat

BEYOND BASICS

more open to other styles and concepts. Change was coming to
the martial arts! In the 80’s the concept of “A block is not a block”
along with “Pressure Points” once again changed the landscape of
the martial arts. Folks began to seek out the “why” behind their
techniques. To go beyond what was handed down by their teacher.

The first stage of a block is to
“build a wall”

Self-exploration and seeking the “way” are great ways for folks to
improve their art, but too many went off “half-cocked”. Seeking
the “secret advanced” stuff before truly understanding their basics.

The concept of “a block is not a block” is similar with Bruce Lee’s
“a punch is just a punch”. Before you can realize the truth behind
both statements you must start with the basics of a punch and that
sometimes a block is just a block!

Blocks are meant to stop an attack from hitting its target. The first
stage of a block is to “build a wall” for the strike to hit. If you didn’t
notice, these hurt! Stage Two the block meets the strike where the
impact is controlled and lessened. Stage Three the block becomes
an offensive technique and strikes the attack. The commonality of
all three block stages is that they work to prevent a strike from
hitting its target.
As with the punch, having strong and solid blocks is also desirable.
The more muscles engaged will create that effect. This is a bit
easier with blocks than punches or kicks as the arm is already bent.

If you’ve done any weight training, specifically biceps curls then
you’ll have a leg up on this concept. When doing a biceps curl
there’s a “dead” spot during the lift where the weight gets “stuck”
and it takes greater effort to complete the lift. This “dead” spot

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