Blocking kicks...

[Satanachia]

What does your style say you should do if someone tries to kick you?

Now obviously most people who aren't trained are not going to make you worry about a roundhouse to the head. But the reason i ask is what if your up against someone who can kick?
We've pretty much been taught that the only real "block" to use against a kick is with the shin, and otherwise you should try to evade, zone out, or intercept the kick. And quite frankly, even in my short time in martial arts, i can see why.

Our style isn't exactly known for its kicks as such, but i suppose they're pretty much like muay thai kicks, in that they follow through with alot of power and generally aren't "snappy" if you know what i mean. I've got no idea just how powerful some of those snappy kicks are, but i do know how powerful ours are when they land, and quite frankly, blocking them with the arms would be suicide. They'd just pass right on through and break the bone. Which is pretty much why we don't block kicks with our arms. Apparently, there's been afew people who tried to block with arms/hands etc, and they've ended up with broken bones in the case of trying to block with the arms, or if they get hit on the hand, it basically wrenches the wrist or fingers out of their joints.

So i guess my questions are:

1. Do you train to "block" kicks, or evade, intercept, and if so, how?
2. Have you successfully used it against kicks and if so, what kind of kicks, and what level of practioner was it against, and what was the result?

As i've said, i've only got our own kicks to go against, but the good guys leave some marks on you when your holding a kickshield, so i personally wouldn't even dream of trying to outright meet force with force.

[Mr Nunchaku]

The round kick in my opinion is a very hard kick to block (take it from me in TKD). The low round kick, the mid round kick, and the high are all hard to block. You have basically said the most important things, block with shin or evade and so forth.

There are other kicks that can be blocked with the arms depending. The side kick for instance. Let's think physics. The round kick comes around and your arm block would meet it going in the opposite direction, therefore you could break or injure your arm. However, the side kick comes straight out at you. You can deflect a side kick by hitting the leg on the side. It doesn't take as much force as you might think. Some very good side kicks have been thrown at me and I just have to keep the mentality of sending it in a different direction with a parry with my arm.

[EARTH DRAGON]

The trick is not to block , but redirect! if you try to block anything it most likely will not work. This is the problem with so many arts. force on force hardley works, if it does work and you stop force with force usually it hurts a little hindering your next move. tell someone to throw a kick and try to block it with your shin, arm , head whatever. It hurts and still the kick has some effect right?
now as some one kicks follow the motion and move with the kick redirect, understand?
In tai chi when some one kicks you simply slide under the kick, while it moves along its path of motion and lift up or away. This causes them to lose thier balance and fall. You can stop a 1000 pounds with 4 ounces when you do it correctly. If you block trying to use force you are only at the basic level of understanding martial arts. Motion is hard to stop......... but easy to deflect!

[Johnny Hot Shot]

Redirecting is good. Jamming the kick is also good. Thia=s is acomplished by stopping (jamming) the kick before it reaches full power. Crowding your opponent also makes kicking difficult. Attacking the piviot leg is also an ecellent way to agressively defend aganst a kicker.

[PaleDragon]

can you block kicks with elbows consitently?

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i'm with johnny.

you can block a kick with your hands if you jam it before it reaches full power. you want to get as close to the fold of the leg as possible and no further away than above the knee.

taking out their supporting leg is also very effective even if you end up taking the kick. rather have broken ribs than a broken knee/ankle.

[Kristoffer]

If u have ever watched a muay thai fight, then u will see wath works and doesnt. It is better to train to put up your arms blocking with underarms, coz in a real fight (in ring or whatever) u wont have the time to slip under and push.. besides, if u are up against someone good, this trick is actually pretty hard to do.

[shaolinboxer]

The trick with elbow blocks is that you risk damagint the highly sensitive nerve that runs up the back of your arm. A good bone shot there can disable your arm entirely.

Generally if i need to block a kick I do one of three things...1) abosorb it into my outer forearms and slide away from it, tucking back my center of gravity 2) twist it away, so that as it contacts my guard it rolls off 3) if I see it coming, move in and attack the person's balance by hooking the leg near the knee

[Water Dragon]

Jam the hit joint, right where the thigh bone connects into the hip. It steals all the power from the kick. Sevenstar and I were throwing full power Thai kicks at each other with this and they felt like nothing. Before that, I took a kick from him just under half power and about puked.

[Crimson Phoenix]

WD, that's what we do in savate as well: kick the kick (on the knee if you see it coming, on the hip if you're a little bit late)...however this has a great disadvantage: you cannot use this technique if you do not clearly feel the kick leaving or better anticipate it. This technique cannot be used for reaction (unless you got killer nerve schemes and lighting fast limbs!!!), as if you happen to be forced to react, chances are the kick will be too close already and you'll have to reflex parry it the way you can on the spot...
Aside from that, it's both very effective (requires not much energy to neutralize even a very fierce kick) and very frustrating for the opponent if you can do it consistently, to the point that he might even think twice before kicking...and you know what happens to you when you think twice in combat

[MightyB]

A lot of it has to do with footwork when you block a kick. I've never seen anybody just stand still when they block a kick with their forearm, well, because that's just stupid. Usually, you move out of the point of maximum impact. For example, on a round kick to the midsection, you move up and in kind've blending with the direction of the kick before you block it. On a side kick, you take a slight shuffle step back before you block it. Most of it has to do with redirection, movement, timing, and distance control more than just blocking.

[Crimson Phoenix]

Good comment, in savate we also often enter close range to the opposite side of the kick, or just switch guard if the front side is targeted, to steal away the target.
The only exception could be when dealing with a push front kick: you root yourself to redirect the kick to the side with the forearms (and then catch the guy with a fist combo if he got carried away by his momentum, or sweep his leg that he conveniently stomped on just next to you!!)

[Water Dragon]

We were just rushing the kick once it initiated, blending with the curve of the kick

[MightyB]

I've just started looking at Savate, and I'm shocked that it hasn't caught on more. That's some good stuff, very practical and competetive.

I like the strategies that you listed CD.

[Jaguar Wong]

I do like Muay Thai's "wall of defense" (both forearms, and one shin) to block incoming attacks, but they're conditioned to be able to use that. I use a similar method, but the first step is always step out of the "apex" of the kick. I know a lot of roundhouse kicks follow through, but no matter what you think, they don't have "full power" all the way through the arc. When I block with the raised leg, though, it's more of a cushioning. I tuck my elbow in tight to my ribs, and use my forearm/hand to cover my head and I absorb the kick as best I can with the outside of the shin and thigh (not the bone, cause I'm not conditioned to do so).

That's if the kick comes in too fast for anything else. But for me, that's what I usually end up doing all the time, because I'm slow. The biggest problem with that is the inability to effectively counter strike. The opponent was expecting his kick to hit something, and it did. But even though it didn't do as much damage, he's still ready to follow up, so it's difficult to counter.

I like the hip jam that has been mentioned a few times. But I use it a lot more than people think it can be used. I plant a side kick, or a front thrust kick right to the hip as soon as the opponent attempts to bridge the gap. It works well against punches and kicks. I don't know what the other guy is going for, but as soon as his hip sinks for a solid striking base, I blast it. I've stopped lunging jabs, roundhouse kicks, side kicks, cross punches, front kicks, and even spinning back kicks (my kick lands right under the "cheek" when they turn their back ). The only problem is that it can't effectively stop punches inside punching range, only when the opponent is attempting to bridge into punching range. But, at least their kicks aren't as dangerous (except maybe cross kicks).

I also clinch a lot to stop a kicker. It doesn't do much good against a bigger guy, though, because I just get shaken right off, and tagged with an "exit hook" Also, the jam doesn't work as well against a good takedown/shot. It can work against the sloppy ones, but I don't trust it enough.