How to Do a High Block in Taekwondo Martial Arts

Video Transcript

"Hello! My name is Sid Nelson, master instructor in Martial Arts. I'm representing expertvillage.com. Let me introduce you to blocks in the martial arts class. Blocks are primarily used to defend yourself. Secondly, they can be used like a strike. If an opponent is strike hitting at you and they get hit by one of your blocks, you can intimidate them and break their confidence level down and try and attempt in doing it again. Thirdly, it puts your opponent off balance in case you want to quickly accouter attack your opponent. The first block we'll be showing you is a high block. It covers the upper sector of the body, say from the chest up. In doing that, we'll use a front stance. Keep in mind, blocks can be used in different stances. I could also use a horse stance when I block or front stance or back stance. They're interchangeable no matter which way you look at it. Let's look at a front stance with a high block. The hand will come up in front of your face. You want to keep your block at an angle, and then at the last moment twist the wrist at the moment of impact. We want to be above the eyes on a slight angle to help deflect any techniques coming down on top of us. We want to squeeze and yell at the end of our blocks so that our body tightens up. This is the high block in a front stance. Again, you want to be able to see underneath the block. Always focus your eyes on the block so you'll see what you're blocking at. Keep good stances for balance to support any techniques."