yomitche
07-26-2008, 05:35 PM
Hey all. I watched this video linked in the General Topics area, posted by member Brock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXeuYgYrLNs
I noticed that GM Max Pallen successfully blocked several of his opponent's strikes with what appeared similar to candlestick blocks. Unlike many other stick fighting videos available (either online or through commercial productions), in which very few or no blocks are attempted, it was enlightening to see the effectiveness of these techniques in an "aggressive" confrontation.
It is not uncommon to see examples of "entering blocks" (to refer to the term the Dog Brothers use for entering into closer ranges with either Roof or Wing blocks; I am linking the term with the Dog Brothers in part because this is a Dog Brothers event) and attempts to Follow-the-force (rather than outright blocking), but there rarely seem to be many video instances of actual blocks against attacks. Of course I am only analyzing a limited aspect of the video's content. Nonetheless, it seems that many sparring matches turn into complete swing fests, with no concept of blocking, relying more on body mechanics and positioning to avoid strikes. This video provided a sample of blocks that were effective against an aggresive opponent.
I thought it was cool to see an example of not only a succesful blocking style but one that is arguably similar, in this video at least, to a candlestick block. The similarity between some of the the blocks in this video and Balintawak's candlestick blocks may be easy to gloss over but I think is relevant in our practice and shows how techniques from various styles react with each other.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXeuYgYrLNs
I noticed that GM Max Pallen successfully blocked several of his opponent's strikes with what appeared similar to candlestick blocks. Unlike many other stick fighting videos available (either online or through commercial productions), in which very few or no blocks are attempted, it was enlightening to see the effectiveness of these techniques in an "aggressive" confrontation.
It is not uncommon to see examples of "entering blocks" (to refer to the term the Dog Brothers use for entering into closer ranges with either Roof or Wing blocks; I am linking the term with the Dog Brothers in part because this is a Dog Brothers event) and attempts to Follow-the-force (rather than outright blocking), but there rarely seem to be many video instances of actual blocks against attacks. Of course I am only analyzing a limited aspect of the video's content. Nonetheless, it seems that many sparring matches turn into complete swing fests, with no concept of blocking, relying more on body mechanics and positioning to avoid strikes. This video provided a sample of blocks that were effective against an aggresive opponent.
I thought it was cool to see an example of not only a succesful blocking style but one that is arguably similar, in this video at least, to a candlestick block. The similarity between some of the the blocks in this video and Balintawak's candlestick blocks may be easy to gloss over but I think is relevant in our practice and shows how techniques from various styles react with each other.