UKE WAZA: "The Blocks"

I'm not sure I actually have to say that "uke waza" are NOT blocks.....but I will anyways just to remind everyone what the terms actually entails.  It's important because the proper interpretation sits at the bottom of all karate strategy and explains many of the kata movements (because kata actually does represent our strategy).

"Uke" basically means "to receive".  We do not "block" an attack; we intercept that attack as part of an overall strategy. The "block" is not a defense....it's part of an offense strategy.

Truthfully, if somebody does not want to be hit, their best strategy is to not be anywhere near the path of an incoming attack. Create distance, run away, diffuse the attack by space.  Clearly the "blocks" are not just to avoid an attack; they are to intercept, deflect and unbalance an incoming attack.

Interceptions ("blocks"...and that's the last time I will call them that) should be used to deceive the opponent (nagashi uke or amashiwaza: let the attack flow by or absorb the attack, over-extending the opponent), unbalance the opponent (true uke waza timing) by firmly deflecting the incoming attack or actually attacking the opponent with either the reception or a strike.  Rather than thinking "block and counter", karateka should be thinking "first attack (uke)", "second attack" (tsuki) as just a flowing continuous combination attack.

The underlying strategy of Shotokan karate is "early interception timing": we anticipate or sense the incoming assault and we cut it short as early as possible. The best example of this idea would be "sen sen no sen" where we actually feel that moment when our opponent commits to an attack and we hit them first. If we extend that idea, then every receiving technique would be just alternative form of attack: you are choosing to intercept and deflect the incoming attack, hoping to break the balance of the opponent before you completely destroy them.

This strategy is implied in most of our kata: notice that we rarely step back to receive an attack; we almost always step in. We step in from the very first kata (Heian Shodan or Taikyoku Shodan) and we almost never step back.

Nishiyama Sensei used to do a very simple drill to demonstrate this principle. Two opponents would face off, just standing in a relaxed shizentai stance.  The aggressor has but one job: reach out and lightly "tag" the receiver with either hand anywhere on the upper body. The receiver merely has to "block" these tags.  The first round of the bout, uke merely concentrates on "blocking" the attacks, batting them away as the attacker snaps them out.  The attacker usually can freely strike the receiver without much thought or effort.  The second round of the bout, the receiver now thinks of reaching out and intercepting the attacks as early as possible. The difference in movement is subtle, but the mind set is dramatically different. The results are also dramatically different.  The receiver becomes nearly invincible in defense.

The most important thing I learned in my year of studying Shorin-ryu Okinawan Karate: the majority of their blocks have a subtle hooking action to them where the receiver slightly extends the uke waza out and snaps it back to center on completion: the feeling becomes "intercept, catch, and redirect" with varying degrees of firmness depending on the desired response.  I actually did alter my uke waza to reflect this strategy.

 So the next sequence is NOT a block, but a standard stepping in punch (Oy tsuki).  Use this sequence as a template for all the stepping in blocks: the motion is standard. We pull to center concentrating on the lead or pivot leg rather than pushing off the travelling leg. Pull to center, drive from center....but one flowing motion, breathing out the entire way. The breathing is driven by abdominal contraction, connecting the torso and coordinating the movement. Breath out fast, move fast.

 Age- uke or Rising interception.

That covers the basic standard reception techniques.  Of course there are other types of receptions and those will appear in the future.  These receptions represent the foundation. Remember that the key is to intercept the incoming attack as early as possible, cutting the inertia and stopping the opponent short, unbalancing or breaking his center. The basis for nearly all Shotokan strategy is "early reception timing": that means strike first....after the opponent has declared their intentions.  The idea of allowing the opponent initiation is that you are taking advantage of their focus on an attack to break the entire strategy of the opponent. Receptions are not defenses: they are part of an offensive attack.