Full-contact arm blocking: realistic?

**I aint punchy!?** · Posted On: 12/29/2005 5:25am

I've recently been doing full-contact sparring with just boxing gloves, and am approaching it from the angle of a WC background.

Anyway, so far its become clear that arm-blocking (i.e. doing a tan sau, bong sau etc, that involves putting your arm on their arm in some way as they strike) seems like a good idea, but is hard to do in practice. Its easy if someone throws single strikes, but against combinations it is quite hard. Also, while you may block the punch it may leave you un-chambered to throw a punch yourself. I'm guessing this is why this isn't done by MMAers, kick-boxers, boxers etc

My opinion is at the moment that I have a lot to learn about transitioning WC into a boxing-style framework effectively.... its become obvious why most WCers simply chain-punch when they go full-contact.... but I don't want to do this as I think its lame.

I was wondering what people thought of arm-blocking in full-contact fighting (i.e. wearing boxing gloves). Has anyone else had experience in this?

**Cullion** · Posted On: 12/29/2005 5:59am

I did WC for a couple of years at a place that didn't spar much. When I moved to a place where San Shou sparring was done, I found all the chi sau training pretty much useless...

Because you don't get prolonged 'bridge vs. bridge' contact in the real world. People like boxers train to pull their hands back as fast as they can after each punch.
The Wing Chun 'blocks' are all just sticking points in the close-range trapping and counter-striking game of chi sao.

Forget about blocking, keep a guard up and keep moving.

**Southpaw** · Posted On: 12/29/2005 6:37am

WC hands have always been hard for me to pull off w/ boxing gloves on...too easy to get tangled up.

MMA gloves are much better for me.

Cullion is right though...you don't get prolonged bridge contact in the real world. But...that is why it is important to train so that ideally you don't need prolonged contact...just brief bridge contact to work off of. Brief bridge contact is very common in real fights.

**SuperGuido** · Posted On: 12/29/2005 9:18am

Arm to arm block (Punch, High Block, KIAI!) is REALLY difficult to accomplish with boxing gloves on. The gloves significantly slow down speed, and the size removes the ability to "sneak in" blocks that you otherwise could.

The easiest way, I've found, to "block" is to use a slapping down motion on the front of their glove as they punch. This usually only works for jabs and crosses, and curving punches would require too much awkward position to "slap away".

**Mr. Mantis** · Posted On: 12/29/2005 9:31am

Originally Posted by Cullion

People like boxers train to pull their hands back as fast as they can after each punch.

Lots of people do, it's good practice, for a number of reasons.

You don't do these blocks at the full extension of a punch, you block as the punch is coming in, difuse the power and get it out of the way.

**Cullion** · Posted On: 12/29/2005 9:38am

Originally Posted by Mr_Mantis

Lots of people do, it's good practice, for a number of reasons.

I'm aware of that, but a lot of WC people quite deliberately don't because they are trying to maintain bridge-to-bridge contact so they can use the skills they developed in Chi Sau.

**Mr. Mantis** · Posted On: 12/29/2005 9:44am

Yeah, and I don't know anything about WC ~ so their concept of blocking may be different than mine.

**Ming Loyalist** · Posted On: 12/29/2005 9:54am

my current theory on blocks is that they can be very useful in a "hands down" street fight, since quite often blocking the initial strike could save you from getting KO'd with the first sucker punch.

for instance i was hit by a car a few years back. the only thing that saved my life was a bong sau block, since i covered my head with my elbow BEFORE my head went through the bastard's windshield. i didn't have a lot of time to prepare, just a flash of movement from my peripheral vision and i reacted with bong sau. so it might work against a suckerpunch as well if you get my drift.

i find that when i'm sparring, and my hands are up, i don't block much, prefering to cover, and slip punches and/or counterpunch.

**Cullion** · Posted On: 12/29/2005 9:59am

I don't know much about the styles you've studied, but rather than knocking an incoming limb to the side, WC chi sau trains you to use the hand/arm positions like bong sau, tan sau and fook sau to stick to your opponents bridge(s) to manipulate and trap their arms whilst you advance and attack targets on the opponent's centreline.

Here are some pre-arranged chi sau drills. Chi Sau can also be done 'freestyle'.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...7622&q=chi+sau

**Cullion** · Posted On: 12/29/2005 10:03am

Originally Posted by Ming Loyalist

my current theory on blocks is that they can be very useful in a "hands down" street fight, since quite often blocking the initial strike could save you from getting KO'd with the first sucker punch.

for instance i was hit by a car a few years back. the only thing that saved my life was a bong sau block, since i covered my head with my elbow BEFORE my head went through the bastard's windshield. i didn't have a lot of time to prepare, just a flash of movement from my peripheral vision and i reacted with bong sau. so it might work against a suckerpunch as well if you get my drift.

i find that when i'm sparring, and my hands are up, i don't block much, prefering to cover, and slip punches and/or counterpunch.

Yes, I found Bong Sau fairly reflexive too for a while. I now think of Wing Chun as a kind of chinese RBSD self-defence with some very slim niche use in fighting when you are up close and right in the persons face, but they haven't got you in a wrestling clinch or danced away from you with boxing footwork yet.