Kung fu - obsession with blocking

One of the defining characteristic of Chinese martial arts is an accent on blocking in training. No matter whether the style has just a few or great number of forms the majority of techniques from which the forms are composed are blocking techniques. Same thing we can find in other Asian martial arts that are under influence or have their roots in Chinese Kung Fu. Besides forms there are a number of drills, sensitivity exercises and training tools to help developing blocking abilities.

On the other hand, from experience (for martial arts practitioners) or by simple observation it is easy to notice that blocking isn’t the best solution for first fighting. A number of arts like western boxing, different kind of kick boxing and several styles from Thailand and Burma have completely different approach in training. First they do not put much accent on forms, if any, and they notoriously do not use or practice blocking . Instead of blocking they are using covering, footwork, body conditioning to withstand the punch. These styles today rule the full contact competitions on all levels and successful competitors with Kung Fu background are rare.

So, where such a difference is coming from? To understand this problem we have to understand the history and development of martial arts. The most important thing we have to have in mind that technical content of the style is direct consequence of the purpose and the selected distance.

Boxing, Kick Boxing and Thai boxing are arts purely made for bare hands fighting. Training system was developed in that particular direction. The goal of training in these particular arts is to prepare the practitioner for empty hand fighting.  Body is conditioned to withstand the force of punches and kicks. Hand techniques are rather simple and direct. There are a bit more varieties in kicking techniques but not much. Footwork is adjusted to hand to hand fighting and there is almost no blocking. Punches and kicks are stopped by legs and especially arms which cover the space between fighters and taking all the energy of the blows. It is not uncommon for a fighter to “open” a body part like stomach or chest to lure the opponent and get hit on purpose so he can lend knocking down punch on opponent’s head. While fighters put great effort to protect the head, they do not bother much to protect the body and they take a lot of hits. Blocking in hand to hand fighting is definitely not the best solution because distance between fighters is short and while one punch is blocked the next is already on the way. Blocking more than few punches in succession is almost impossible, every block leaves the fighter “open” and eventually the fighter who attacks will find a way to land punches. Direct counterattacks, footwork, guarding position give much better results in defense.   

On the other hand Chinese martial arts seems to completely disregard the fact that blocking is not the best solution for hand to hand combat and put seemingly too much emphasis on blocking. While Chinese Kung Fu styles have extremely developed and in theory extremely efficient and effective fighting tactics and principles in reality that is not the case. Also, Chinese Kung Fu has a variety of very unusual hand techniques which are neither blocks or punches or they are both or something in between. There are many blocks that take a long time to come to blocking position and variety of punches under such an angle that breaks basic principles of punching efficiency and these punches are not very powerful. So why these things, obviously non-efficient and often without logical, clear or any explanation are still practiced? Why is Kung Fu based  in these kind of movements?

For its several thousand years history Kung Fu in China was used and developed as a Military art. As well as today, in ancient times military training was concentrated on weapons training and trope deployment and maneuvering on the battlefield. Hand to Hand combat was non existent or in rare cases only used as an entry level for real combat training. Over the centuries as technology advanced , weapons became stronger and military tactics changed but basic infantry training stayed pretty much the same. Although weapons and armor changed depending of the given situation and tactics of the enemy at particular time. Every new weapon brought a new ways of using it and of course a new way of defense against it.  On the battlefield of the past regardless of the time the most important skill was not attacking but avoiding injury at all cost. Being struck with a spear, arrow, sword or any other weapon meant almost certain death. Even minor injuries led to infections more than often and infections in those times were lethal. Even superficial injuries that could be treated today successfully in old times usually would left an injured soldier with permanent disability. These reasons led to development of so many elaborate defensive systems which put accent on blocking.

Blocking is the best way to stop the incoming weapon, the safest way. Having a long weapon gives enough distance and distance gives time to a practitioner to prepare the best possible defense. There is no other way to stop weapon , fighter can dodge it a few times but even that is questionable. A train fighter with a spear or a sword will simply cut down anyone with short weapon or no weapon in a second. That is why so much emphasis is put in Kung Fu training.

Although Chinese army used fire arms since 11 century A.D. when Manchus conquered China army technological development was pretty much non existent. Modern weapons started to arrive in China after Taiping revolution and majority of tropes were still armed with cold weapons, old fashioned body armor and small number of tropes had matchlock rifles several hundred years old. Ancient way of training was preserved in China till the last decades of 19^th century.

Two things happen in last decades of 19^th century, military finally started to modernize and there was no more need for weapons obsolete in a modern warfare and Kung Fu became popular among upper social class and put accent on empty hand fighting. Professional Kung Fu fighters were no longer needed as military instructors or mercenaries, new technologies dictated new way of warfare and new set of skills were required. These people, now in need of new source of income started to teach what they knew, Kung Fu. Since they had a lot of experience and spent most of their lives doing their arts they simply translated weapon fighting techniques to empty hand fighting. Of course, in their minds blocking was very important because one struck of the blade usually means death and definitely means the end of the fight, so they taught it that way. At the beginning of the 20^th century China became a republic and kung fu became one of the significant marks of national identity. Government supported kung fu teachers who tried to keep “tradition” and did little to adjust the styles for empty hand fighting, and that is a process still active today, for most of the practitioners tradition and heritage is more important than actual use in fight.