Karate Essence ‘Reality Check’: Uke Does Not Mean Block
- TD McKinnon
- May 1
- 12 min read
Updated: May 1
Karate Essence
‘Reality Check’
Uke/Blocking
The Japanese call this month’s ‘Reality Check’ techniques ‘Uke’. For simplicities sake we, of the so called western world, call them Blocks.
The direct translation of Uke is not ‘to Block’; but quite literally ‘to receive’. Uke is traditionally used to defend against attack and to avoid being hit.
Table of Contents
Fighting or Self-Defence
Wing Chun, Kwa/Blocking
Shaolin, Sha/Blocking
Shotokan, Uke/Blocking
Goju Ryu, Uke/Blockin
Shorin Ryu, Uke/Blocking
Tae Kwon Do, Makki/Block
Boxing Blocks
Muay Thai Blocking
Torakan Eye View
Conclusion
Fighting or Self-Defence
The ‘Uke’ or ‘Block’ is most commonly performed with the arms or hands, and can be used to precede a decisive counter-attack. However, when the practitioner is more advanced, the Uke (the receiving technique) can also be the counter strike. An advanced karateka can use the same Uke (which has just deflected or parried an attack) to deliver an effective strike. With enough practice, your Mushin will instinctively produce this two-pronged technique in an adverse self-defence situation.
In Karate, for self-defence, as it was originally meant; the skilful use of Uke is more important than a simple attack skill. Karate is a defensive martial art; that is why Kata (the major conveyer of the passing along of the martial art) always begins with Uke.
So, we know that Uke/Blocking is practiced in Kata. We know also that Uke is practiced in any martial combat, sport or otherwise; so, it is a fighting technique too. Self-defence is also an area where Uke plays a major role.
Briefly, Uke is a major part of any martial art; we could even take it a step further by saying that Uke plays a major role in every part of every martial art. I will stick to calling it Uke for the most part so that we don’t get bogged down by the tendency of some people to think of ‘Blocking’ in a set way.
Wing Chun Kung Fu
Kwa/Blocking
Wing Chun Kung Fu is a highly effective close-quarters combat art, and its strength lies in its core ideas that offence and defence are one and the same. Every movement a practitioner makes is to protect themselves by striking their opponent. Part of that philosophy is to minimise wasted movements by, whenever possible, interrupting the attacker’s assault and striking with the same movement; thereby conserving energy and maintaining a constant flow of action. The most effective way to neutralise an opponent’s attack is to make a counterattack at the same time.
Wing Chun also incorporates the classic Chinese concepts of Yin and Yang; the balance between two opposite forces, in this case, offence and defence. Hard techniques often involve direct, forceful strikes, while soft techniques involve deflection and redirection. No matter the opponent’s size and strength, the Wing Chun practitioner aims to adapt to the force being applied and respond with the appropriate hard or soft reaction. Sometimes that response will contain both hard and soft in the same technique.
Shaolin Kung Fu
Sha/ Blocking
The Shaolin Kung Fu term for a ‘Block’ or Blocking is ‘Sha’ (遮). This term refers to a defensive action, to deflect or stop an opponent's attack. The concept of ‘blocking’ can also encompass techniques like parrying, redirecting, and even using the ‘Block’ itself as a counter-attack.
The Shaolin approach to Sha is quite complex, and they obviously regarded Sha/Blocking as an important part of their martial art. So, it seems that throughout the numerous Kung Fu systems, with their many and diverse differences in execution, they share the core philosophy that offence and defence are one and the same.
2. Kung Fu Sha
3. Kung Fu Sha
Shotokan Karate
Uke/Blocking
Depending very much on, not only the Shotokan association but also the Dojo and the instructor; the execution of a specific Uke may vary considerably.
Some make it, what they term, a hard Block; and which basically means an attack by the defender aimed, using mostly their forearm, to strike ‘at’ the attacking limb. That is fine for a big strong male defender in his prime years. Remembering, like most original Karate styles, that Shotokan began as a ‘self-defence’ martial art, rather than a battlefield fighting art. What then happens when the defender is a slight framed or elderly person being attacked by a larger assailant? If we are talking about a self-defence situation that would make sense; and the hard Blocking principle loses its advocacy. Also, Uke being the Japanese word for ‘to receive’, it makes more sense to me that an Uke would be more of a deflection, redirection or parry rather than a hard, bone on bone, ‘Block!’
1. Shotokan Uke
2. Shotokan Uke
3. Shotokan Uke
4. Shotokan Uke
Goju Ryu Uke/Block
Goju is a style that has both hard Blocking/Uke and soft Blocking, as in fact do most styles, but Goju seems to have a more diverse application of Uke. Also, their technical repetitious practice, of the soft blocking in particular, is extensive.
Depending on which Goju association you belong to, and which Dojo you train in; and, much like the Shotokan systems, as well as which instructor or Sensei is teaching you, there is a fair bit of variety in the techniques themselves.
2. Goju Ryu Uke/Blocks this is an old video with no sound but you can see – at least with this particular Goju School – that hard Blocking seems to be the norm.
3. Advanced Goju Ryu Uke/Blocking, gives you an insight into the Goju method of technical repetitious training.
Shorin Ryu
Uke/Blocking
Shorin Ryu Blocking, although similar to Shotokan, differs in that – because it is primarily a self-defence martial art with virtually no sporting aspect – all of its Blocks happen closer to the body and have very little preamble. The Blocking technique begins closer to the actual Blocking action: the connection point.
Shorin Ryu is one of the oldest karate styles and is quite significant in Okinawan martial arts. The characters for Shorin Ryu (少林流) mean ‘scanty’ and ‘forest’. Pronounced Shōrin in Japanese; the characters, both in Chinese and Japanese, are also used for Shaolin.
The design philosophy of this Karate style is focused primarily on self-defense; and, like most Okinawan Karate, it is a style that is not concerned with sporting competition. The training is predominantly focused on defending yourself from an attack in a real, adverse situation; and its moves are intended to be strong enough to knock the antagonist down. In this style Uke seem to be mostly the hard style of Blocking.
2. Shorin Ryu
Tae Kwon Do
Makki/Blocks
Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art formed by the amalgamation of various Korean martial arts and a Japanese Karate style (Shotokan) around 1955. The main focus is their Kicking, and they are recognised by that kicking predominance. They do of course have designated Blocking techniques or Makki, which are part of their curriculum.
The main focus of this Korean art seems to be a kind of point sparring, similar to the Word Karate Federation (WKF); and, much like the WKF competitions, there is little evidence of Blocking or Makki. A kind of parrying seems enough to deflect the type of attacks the competitors are faced with; and in their sport, when defending against an attack, all one has to do is get a hand to the attacking limb to discount a potentially scoring point. Tae Kwon Do appears not to employ any of the aggressive striking Blocks or more complex soft or circular Blocks.
2. Tae Kwon Do, Makki/Blocking adaption applied to a free fighting situation and possibly self-defence.
Boxing Defence
If you have never had any western boxing experience, the chances are that you are not even aware that there are Blocks in boxing. They do look a little different to say Karate Blocks or parries but there is, without a doubt, definitely Blocks and parries in boxing.
As you will see from the following ‘Defensive Drills’ clip, that boxing has various parries and Blocks. However, from my personal experience in both boxing in a ring and street-fighting with those same skills, the blocks and parries work better with boxing gloves on. I’m not saying that they don’t work at all; of course they do to an extent. While in the ring, I avoided taking full force hits by moving away from the punch in such a way that, if they did connect, the impact force was decrease greatly; and while also covering the targeted area with a glove the opponent’s punch was virtually nullified. In boxing it’s called ‘rolling with the punches’.
I can tell you from personal experience that, without gloves, it doesn’t work quite as well. However, being well practised in ‘rolling with the punches’ certainly helps you to get your head out of the way of big hits, especially haymakers. Also, the hand speed and accuracy that you acquire from regular boxing training gives you all sorts of advantages, like being constantly aware of your opponent’s movements and intentions. This heightened situational awareness is critical in self-defence, helping you to anticipate and respond to threats more effectively.
Muay Thai Defence
Because of the nature of Muay Thai Boxing (Kicks, Knees, Elbows, grappling in the clinch and throw downs, as well as similar punching techniques to Boxing) there are far more Parry type Blocks, and Solid type Blocks, than in Western Boxing. Nevertheless, because of the gloves, some of the Blocking techniques change a little when utilising your Muay Thai skills for self-defence.
This is not an article on which is the best martial art to train in for street-fighting; however, because of the all-round long, middle, and very close range training that Muay Thai fighters constantly practise, their defence is very effective. So, although it is absolutely designed for fighting, Muay Thai is definitely up there for self-defence practicality; and a lot of their Blocks make aggressive strikes.
Torakan Eye View
Reaction times vary from person to person; however, rule of thumb, an action is quicker than a reaction. It is this reason, plus of course the way in which novice martial artists are taught to practise their Blocking systems, that so many none Karate people – so called experts – think that Blocking doesn’t work in a real situation. There are practical reasons, to do with imprinting muscle memory et cetera, why students are taught to practise in this way. However, when situational repetitious practise begins, it eventually becomes clear why the training began that way. In the repetitious situational training, you need to develop ways of trimming the fat, so to speak.
I cannot state too often that, ‘at Torakan’ it’s all about self-defence. Torakan is a ‘survival art rather than a fighting art. The end product has to be ‘practical’ in every sense of the word; and that means that it must work, in a reactional sense, in a ‘real, adverse self-defence’ situation. So, back to the reactional, repetitious training to ensure that it is firmly stamped in the vault of your Mushin.
These first three clips are of a circular, deflecting, two handed Mawashi Uke, preceding a takedown technique.
1. Mawashi Uke
2. Mawashi Uke
3. Mawashi Uke
The next three are variations on Soto Uke as an intercepting, Blocking strike, before following up with finishing techniques.
4. Soto Uke
5. Soto Uke
6. Soto Uke
The next two are variations on Age Uke as an intercepting Blocking strike; number ‘7’ is instantly recognisable from the Shotokan Kata, Bassai Dai.
7. Age Uke
8. Age Uke
These next two are variations on Uchi Uke as an intercepting, Blocking strike, before following up with finishing techniques.
9. Uchi Uke
10. Uchi Uke
This final example is a Gedan Barai, intercepting a Gedan Zuki, which follows through with a groin strike, before the Kakato Empi Uchi finish.
11. Gedan Barai Uke
Conclusion
So many different Blocking applications; and, unsurprisingly, every art or style has its own variations on the theme; and, as always, it comes down to choice. I first learned to use the cover, evade and parry of the Boxer to maximise my ability to avoid personal damage. Next I mastered the Shotokan Blocking systems to avoid, as best I could, being hit. Along the way, I picked up and assimilated the various Blocking and evasion skills of Kung Fu, Muay Thai and Jujutsu.
As always, in the conclusion, it comes down to choice. Mostly, those choices are made when we decide which arts to study and perfect. My advice, for what it’s worth, is to never stop studying, always look for better ways to use your hard earned knowledge for your own personal protection, and never close your mind to a practical asset just because it is not practised by your chosen art.
Thank You
A big thank you to our demonstrators from the Torakan Dojo; without whose assistance of course the ‘Reality Check’ Blog would be sadly lacking. Assisting me this month were Alan, Tyler, and Rahul; also, and I have been very remiss in the past not to mention Kelly, who is our technical wiz, in regard to the website et cetera, and without whose help we really would be struggling.
Thank You to the Readers
As always, thank you for following the Karate Essence 'Reality Check' Blog post.
Thank you also for continuing to support my latest book, ‘A Budōka Odyssey’. The reviews continue to be excellent!
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This book is easy to read in short or long sessions - such an inspirational life story of an amazing guy. Well worth the read.
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Reviewed in Australia on 28 May 2024
Written by a man who has lived the life of a modern warrior. His ability to recognise the lessons and gifts in any situation and the having the humility to seek out those who can help you better yourself are important traits we should all endeavour to achieve not just in our own martial arts’ odyssey but in life.
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A fascinating book, and not just for those interested in martial arts. Although if you are, this is one of those rare books that will help in not just the development of karate skills but in the facilitation of those psychological states (rarely discussed) of the true karateka.
From early childhood to the present day, Shihan McKinnon shares his adventures as, Truant, Soldier, Nightclub bouncer and Bodyguard as well as Business man but always as a fighter. And in this book he shares with us the ‘gifts’ and ‘Lessons’ that come from such a ‘life worth lived’.
A rare book, in that I found myself re-reading pages, chapters or passages over and over to further understand how such insights related to my own life. And this is the ‘gift’ of this book, I think that each person, whatever gender, age or interest will find something at some point within it, that is very personal and that will reverberate for them, long after reading.
Thank you Shihan
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I have to say that I found this book to be compulsive reading. For someone who was born and raised in the West of Scotland I was immediately drawn to T.D. McKinnon’s Scottish roots. He writes in such a concise and realistic manner. As someone with no knowledge of karate and martial arts, I have nevertheless found the main themes of the book easy to follow and this has made me review experiences drawn from my own life. The concept of ‘gifts and lessons’ applies to all life, not just karate. I would recommend this book to anyone, particularly those who are deeply involved in a sport of any kind, and who is striving to be the best person they can be. Read, learn and enjoy.
Thank you for this book, T.D. McKinnon.
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Minimal shopper
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‘A Fine Man Shares a Life of Budō’
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At over 500 pages there is a lot of content in this autobiographical journey. A quick overview is as follows:
Author Shihan TD McKinnon has had ALOT of fights in his life; starting under the age of 6! He tells the narrative of his life through all those fights and what he learned about himself and life along the way. I appreciate that he doesn’t make self-defense fighting seem glamorous and one sided. He talks about injuries, dangers, and making alternate choices to physical violence as a reality.
This book emphasizes lessons like ‘never quit’, ‘move on to the next venture’, ‘stay in the moment and learn what you can along the way’. I recommend it for young and old, karate people and non-karate folks. He carries the journey into today with a very relevant subject - training and aging. Take it on your next plane trip, or beach vacation. And if you’re a karate instructor, you can work it into your teaching. This book does not disappoint!
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