Create a solid base, but stay light on your feet so that you can move at a moment’s notice.
Clenching your fist creates unnecessary tension in the arms and shoulders, which can exhaust you and reduce your reactive speed.
Age uke will stop high punches to the head, as well as downward smashing strikes with the fist or a bludgeoning weapon. Whenever possible, meet your opponent’s striking arm with both large bones of the forearm rather than the edge. This is known as a “double bone block,” and is much more effective at shutting down attacks as well as preventing injury. [3] X Research source
Power in the counter punch should come from quick, twisting motion of the hips and shoulders, shooting the arm straight out like a piston. Make contact with the largest knuckles of the pointer and middle fingers to keep from hurting your hand. Your best target for counter attacking is based on your positioning in relation to your attacker. The head and body both make good targets when left exposed. You can also trap the attacker’s punching arm to apply a grappling technique. This will allow you to subdue them without having to hit them in return. [5] X Research source
It is critical to take a wider stance when defending body attacks to prevent being forced off balance by a strike to the center of your mass. The lower you sink into your defensive stance, the harder you will be to move. You’ll also have a clearer shot at your opponent’s lower extremities such as the ribcage, solar plexus and groin.
By turning your upper body slightly, you “close off” your body, keeping your torso more guarded, and present your shoulder to your attacker rather than your chin. From this position, punches delivered with the rear chambered hand will have the most power.
Soto uke is defined as an “outward” block because the blocking arm begins its from outside the body’s center line and moves inward. Use soto uke to defend against jabs and straight punches. Outward blocks divert the attacker’s arm to the inside of your guard. [8] X Expert Source Asher SmileySelf Defense Trainer Expert Interview. 30 July 2019. This leaves you in a position to use a counter punch, knee strike, arm lock or throw. Outward blocks are quite similar to a boxer’s parry.
Inward blocks open up the center of your attacker’s body, allowing you to follow up with an unobstructed strike.
Decide whether to strike to the ribs, midsection or face depending on the position of your opponent’s punching arm and the placement of your own body.
Gedan barai can be employed from many different defensive stances, but stances with the legs staggered are the most natural as they put the body in a less clumsy position to protect the hips, groin and legs. In nekoashi-dachi (cat stance), the weight is poised mostly over the back foot, with the heel of the front foot raised to enable a quick transitional movement or kick. This positioning closely resembles a boxer’s fighting stance.
In a downward block, the blocking arm should pass from the opposite shoulder down to the lead hip. Keep the fist close to the body and use the leverage of the hips and shoulders to stabilize the blocking arm.
The purpose of the downward block is not so much to stop an attack outright, but to minimize its impact and do damage to the opponent’s attacking limb. Gedan barai is useful for breaking a grab and defending against uppercuts and hooks to the body.
Though they are somewhat less stable than deeper defensive postures, cat stance and walking stance arguably offer a greater variety of offensive options.
