FMA for a new guy

I agree, but I would not count on being able to forcefully stop a full power strike with gravity on it's side. I would go for evasion and deflection. But that's me, and your mileage may vary.

 

Oh I understand counter offensive I use that too.

 

The fact that you brought up a Pekiti video to get your point across about blocking speaks against that idea, but sure if you say so.

 

You really can't see the blocking techniques in that video? Wow. Well the more obvious ones are in the long stick / staff section.

And when I was doing PTK back in the late 80's and early 90's they had one particular drill literally called 4 wall blocking. And if you look at the early PTK sparring matches that predate Dog Brothers ( which originally had a strong PTK base via Eric Knaus ) there is a heavy emphasis of the good old Roof Block as a crash entry. And in more recent footage it still appears.

And look at the knife and empty hand section there is a whole heap of blocking going on.

Renaming it does not change what it is.

A block is a simple process that is used to great advantage in FMA regardless of system

To Block: put an obstacle in the way of. To stop. To impede. To prevent.

A correct block in FMA is not static it is used not only to prevent an opponents intended attack it is also used to create an opening on an attacker forcing them on the defensive. It can and often is an aggressive tactic.

 

Simply put. If your bloc is in effective two things are happening.

1. Your applying it wrong
And
2. Your doing it in the wrong place.

 

I see parries and counterstrikes. Not blocks.

I bet they had you doing 64 attacks as well.

In Pekiti it's called a payong. And it's not a block.

No, there is parrying and deflecting going on.

And since you don't even practice PTK any longer, saying that I'm the one doing the renaming is pretty effing presumptuous, if not arrogant, on your part.

Which is the opposite of a parry.

 

Either one has a blocking mentality, or not. Counter-attacking according to PTK is not a simultaneous attack and defense, it is a pure counterattack without even thinking of blocking.

An example would be the well-known icepick grip jab to the eyes; let's say that we have two right-handed people jabbing at the same time, or for that matter, one jabbing and the other hacking (which is the exact same movement only done without the knife). Assuming that the angles are correct, jabbing simultaneously will cause the attacks to deflect one another. From an outside perspective, this may very well be considered a block. But the thing is, it's not primarily intended to defend, to stop an attack, or to react to the other person's movement. The intent behind it is to shove the knife right through the other guy's eye, and there just happens to be something there which impedes the attack. This also means that if the other guy does nothing, or for that matter feints out of reach, your attack is still going to hit home.
What it boils down to is that rather than reacting to what he's doing - and by extension, allowing him to dictate the flow of events - you do something which forces him to deal with your attack. Thus, his primary concern will be to avoid getting hit, rather than continuing his own attacks.

 

Just because I don't train with PTK anymore does not mean I forgot it and yes I know it's a Payong but I was using plain English for those who don't understand terminologies and no matter how you dress it up a Payong is a block. It stops, impedes, prevents and incoming blow and allows the user to employ an attack which is exactly what I have been saying is the difference between blocking correctly and blocking incorrectly.

 

And the Payong no matter how you try to put it is a reaction to an incoming blow so yes the Payong is both a block and a reaction to the opponents actions

 

Not necessarily. Sorry for repeating myself.

 

No. It. Does. Not.

 

I will agree with you on that because its self can also be used as solely an attacking blow but then again so can any block if you do them correctly and you understand the principle of blocking from the 3 prime positions / postures.

 

Not necessarily.

You're not talking about PTK in that regard, are you?

 

So it lets the on conning attack come through to its intended target then?

 

No I'm talking about FMA as a whole.

PTK is just one perspective

 

It deflects. It does not *STOP*.

 

I thought as much. "3 prime positions" doesn't say anything to me.

 

Which stops / impedes / prevents the intended blow from landing all of which are how you define 'to block'

 

Fine but that's all a matter of perspective and terminology.

 

The only thing it does is impede. Preventing it from landing can also be done by displacing yourself, and stopping a full power attack - especially one coming in from above, with gravity on it's side, also possibly done by someone charging you - is not realistic nor advisable.