OK - most women are a little or a lot shorter than most men. And we lack upper body strength.
So - either what do you, or what do you tell your female students to do about kicks to their heads?
Kicks to your head
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Kicks to your head
Duck! Flinch your head back and out of the way! Get out of the way! Most women’s forearms are petite and fragile, and can snap like a twig if they truly blocked an honest-to-goodness, fast, powerful kick while on-route to deliver. TKD women do get their forearms banged up pretty badly sometimes in serious sparring.
However, in most everyday friendly sparring, people don't try to take each other's heads off with a component of the foot, and usually pull the kick before it reaches it's intended target, so it’s safe to experiment. Most people don't have the strength to deliver a good high kick either, therefore it can be usually safe to block. A "safe" block would be the infamous Uechi cross-block, only rather than trying to arrest the leg, as soon as the kick is caught, go with the flow and guide the kick out of the way. If someone has the intent, then lift up high as you move forward, into your opponent as you catch the leg.
One block I particularly love is the double shoken block found in Konchin and Sanseiryu. I found this one to be particularly effective against headshots, and is so easy to do, requiring momentum but not strength. I’ve used it frequently in TKD sparring, and it just works. Refrain from full extension of your arm else the ones on the other end of the feet you lift have a tendency to flip upside down, depending upon their stretch ability. You can feel it in your stomach and arm when they are going to go, and [either] dissipate your power [or not] at that time.
Well, those blocks are two, sweet, colorful flowers from the well-seeded Uechi garden.
[BTW, Dana, good thing you asked me to reserve a Uechi-ryu 2000 book for you.]
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Allen Moulton from Uechi-ryu Etcetera
However, in most everyday friendly sparring, people don't try to take each other's heads off with a component of the foot, and usually pull the kick before it reaches it's intended target, so it’s safe to experiment. Most people don't have the strength to deliver a good high kick either, therefore it can be usually safe to block. A "safe" block would be the infamous Uechi cross-block, only rather than trying to arrest the leg, as soon as the kick is caught, go with the flow and guide the kick out of the way. If someone has the intent, then lift up high as you move forward, into your opponent as you catch the leg.
One block I particularly love is the double shoken block found in Konchin and Sanseiryu. I found this one to be particularly effective against headshots, and is so easy to do, requiring momentum but not strength. I’ve used it frequently in TKD sparring, and it just works. Refrain from full extension of your arm else the ones on the other end of the feet you lift have a tendency to flip upside down, depending upon their stretch ability. You can feel it in your stomach and arm when they are going to go, and [either] dissipate your power [or not] at that time.
Well, those blocks are two, sweet, colorful flowers from the well-seeded Uechi garden.
[BTW, Dana, good thing you asked me to reserve a Uechi-ryu 2000 book for you.]
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Allen Moulton from Uechi-ryu Etcetera
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Dana Sheets
- Posts: 2715
- Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2002 6:01 am
Kicks to your head
Allen,
Those are some good comments and observations. I do best when I move in close and fast when they kick high - me putting my hand in their face makes them forget about the kick and get worried about what I'm about to do.
OF course if I'm late then I'm trying to back up or off the line as fast as I can and hope I'm not too late.
BTW - pls check your email. I need your current PO box verified.
thanks,
Dana
Those are some good comments and observations. I do best when I move in close and fast when they kick high - me putting my hand in their face makes them forget about the kick and get worried about what I'm about to do.
OF course if I'm late then I'm trying to back up or off the line as fast as I can and hope I'm not too late.
BTW - pls check your email. I need your current PO box verified.
thanks,
Dana
