Blocking does NOT work … as well as most martial artists think it does!

In this video I cover why blocking and countering is largely ineffective in a self-defence context, and the core reasons why most martial artists mistakenly think it does work. It’s a ubiquitous problem that sees most martial artist claiming to teach self-defence doing so in a “when he does that, you do this” format. The truth of the matter is that criminal violence is so close, fast and unrelenting that expecting a reaction to be faster than an action is almost certain to fail. Essentially, this confusion arises from martial artists failing to understand the very different dynamics between consensual violence (when two martial artists chose to fight each other) and non-consensual violence (a criminal seeking to cause harm). This problem is deepened by sometimes justifiable and understandable training protocols which are then mistaken for an accurate simulation of how criminal violence unfolds. Namely: 1) Slow attacks being mistaken for real world speed 2) Working from known or predictable attacks 3) Too few attacks being made in training 4) Too large a distance in training I address the above points and explain why they seem to lead many martial artists astray. I also briefly discuss the various kinds of combative initiative (sen), the misunderstandings around karate ni sente nashi (there is no first attack in karate), what the past masters had to say about karate ni sente nashi and pre-emption, and what is more likely to work. To be clear, long-term martial artists should still practise blocking so they can stop an attack should they see it coming (as well as of its use in consensual violence) BUT it should never be seen as the primary method to deal with criminal violence. This is one of those issues where people have strong opinions. However, the reality of the issue is indisputable. I hope to illuminate the understandable, but incorrect, reasons behind why many martial artists wrongly think blocking and then countering is effective, and in most cases even present is as the default option for self-protection. All the best, Iain My App: https://iainabernethy.co.uk/iain-abernethys-applied-karate-kata-bunkai-app Shop: https://iainabernethy.co.uk/shop/ My Newsletter: https://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/join-newsletter-and-get-two-free-e-books “When faced with someone who disrupts the peace or who will do one harm … it only stands to reason that one should seize the initiative and pre-empt the enemy’s use of violence.” – Kenwa Mabuni “When one does fight, taking control of the enemy is vital, and one must take that control with the very first move. Therefore, in a fight one must attack first. It is very important to remember this.” – Choki Motobu "[In self-defence situations] do not show any intention of attacking, but first let the attacker become careless. At that time attack him concentrating one's whole strength in one blow to a vital point and in the moment of surprise, escape and seek shelter and help." – Gichin Funakoshi