Is it bad idea to break away from a stance to dodge a blow?

Question

Or would you just be leaving yourself open to a follow up attack. Should you just block it?

Answer 1

Absolutly not... be careful on trying to stay in one stance.... also be careful of large movement blocks which take your hands from your face and your elbow away from your ribs, unless you have an immediate counter.... If you are studying a more "traditional" or "formal" style ... the stances and blocks (where your off hand come to your belt) are more to learn balance and perfect technique, but the fixated movements and stance aren't practicle in a full contact or "real life" situation... I love my traditonal background, and it is very effective (many years of training) but if you are new to it keep a it you will be amazed at the results you get a few years from now.... But it would be a very good idea to find a local boxing gym that will let you out on head gear and hit and get hit in wha seems to be a chaotic style of fighting... because fighting is chaotic..... Personally I believe a structured curriculum for a martial artist is important... it is important to work on a few techniques for a few months before making things more complicated... you get a really good base this way... but after a few years some Muay Thai would serve you greatly.. you will "close the gap" so speak and take what you have learned and actually apply it in a full contact forum. I better stop before I write a book... But proper stance and technique are very imortant, but when the fist and feet are actually hitting your face... dodgeing, deflection, blocking, trapping, and absorbing are all effective ways to stay on your feet.. sorry but don't look a you opponents eyes look at his chest and you will find you read his limbs out of you periphial vision... I hit people easily by looking low and hitting high or vice versa.. then i get them so confused that i look at ther chin hit hit them square in the chin because it turn into a mind game and they block the body

Answer 2

If you can block it without hurting yourself, block it with an immediate counter attack. Otherwise, you can still dodge a blow while staying in the stance; provided you are in a proper fighting stance. Never take your eyes off the eyes of the opponent, they can read you like a book if you do and know where your counter attack will be. If you dodge the blow, stay in your stance but just move to the side or back then quickly step back to the original spot for your counter strike.

Answer 3

Is it bad idea to break away from a stance to dodge a blow?
In a real fight? Hell no! What makes you think it's a bad idea? I remember my Aikido sensei continously drumming it into our heads to always dodge first before applying techniques, if a guy stabs at you with a knife, you move out of the way before you parry or block, that way, if your parry or block is unsuccessful at least you're out of harms way, which is better than if you don't dodge and then fail to parry or block his attack and end up with a hole in your gut. Never choose techniques or stances over your life. Putting more value in a good stance or technique instead of common sense and simply just evading an attack is a recipe for disaster. After all, in martial arts, survival is the ultimate goal, not looking good while dying.

Answer 4

lol....your question is backward in my opinion :) It should be, when should I stay in place and block a "blow" rather than evading it through movement.

Many untrained or inexperienced people believe that the blocking and deflection techniques in martial art disicplines are designed to stop the attacking blow in its tracks - they really are not. That would involve taking a significant amount of energy on the blocking implement and that's not a very long term solution to a committed attack.

Blocks are designed to deflect, reduce the contact energy, and perhaps induce some pain in the attacker to weaken their striking implement. You WANT to move out of the line fo any blow when at all possible. The only time you don't do this, is when you just cannot do it i.e. you are blocked by a wall or something.

That said, your training should teach you how to move effectively and in a solid and balanced way, ready to evade or counter-attack when the opportunity presents itself. Do don't think about being stuck in one stance, think about the approrpiate technique to move away from the blow and utilize it along with a deflective blocking technique to increse your safety as you move.

Hope that helps a little :)

Ken C
9th Dan HapMoosaKi-Do
8th Dan TaeKwon-Do
7th Dan YongChul-Do

Answer 5

I only look at martial arts in the aspect of real fighting, not kata or tag so my view may not be what your looking for. Stances are useless because you put yourself in a fixed position. In doing this you become stationary and inmoble, a very bad thing. always leave yourself open for movement. Stances ground you, which can be good, but in the same way they make you stationary, which is not just bad but very bad. In the streets all those cool looking karate moves tend to be near useless. They are not designed for real combat, think about it before you get into a really deep and rooted stance and think your going to chamber and then throw out a punch. If your so set in doing things in some "proper" way expect to get clobbered in the street. You question moving from a punch when it comes at you, you got issues.

Answer 6

you shouldnt have to "break" youre stance for any reason other than to perform a roll or breakfall or to run away. im not being cynical, either. youre stance should be not a static pose obligating you to one spot, but rather a highly mobile body position. any blocks, parries, or counters are always made more effective with the use of some sort of movement, be it backwards, sideways, diagonal, or circular. obviously some stances are more conducive to movement than others, but these are the stances to focus on and use. footwork is crucial, and one should never be still in a fight, sparring, real or whatever. if your art teaches you to be still when blocking or striking(many do, im not knocking styles, just bad habits), i would supplement with footwork from other styles. look into any boxing/ kickboxing for good footwork info. good luck,i hope this helps

Answer 7

??? If you are sparring, you are constantly changing stances.
From shukodachi to zenkutsudachi to han zenkutsudachi, etc., you should always be on the move. Within a particular move, you may be in a particular stance, but don't be static, keep moving and changing stances.
Of course block it, but you may have to change stances to deliver an appropriate block. Practice changing stances so it comes easily. Stay up, stay mobile.

Answer 8

when you block, just change stances. why not have both a good stance and block?

Answer 9

well i am no martial artist, but a lot would depend on your style of fighting. there are a lot of styles that focus more on maneuverability rather than standing your ground. it just depends on your style or your abilities.

Answer 10

Depends, I read that if you can't take a punch, the right one will kill you.