The biggest problem for blocks I see in their performance is making the block too close to the body.

The influences from Tai Chi and Bagua should tell us to expand our arms in fighting postures, and in simple terms, you need to have ‘space in your armpits’ when performing, though some blocks, by their nature, will already have this (e.g. Rising  block)

Another problem is the lack of a forward component in some blocks (rising, half-rising) when meeting a strike. Although deflection is emphasised, there are some situations when you will have to meet a strike almost head-on. If you are not moving into it with good body structure and alignment, that strike will come straight through your block. You cannot rely on just putting your arm out in a ‘block shape’. Kata A (1) shows you this when moving up the centre the first time.

The low block is not to be used against front kicks because of size and power differences between limbs, and therefore, it should not be described as a block against a front kick whilst in a static stance.

It can be used if you are already moving out of the way, so it becomes a ‘push away’.

Similarly, X-blocks should never be used against kicks because of the size and power differences of the limbs – possibly causing wrist injuries. If used against overhead strikes, they should immediately be taken to the side with a grab, as in Kata E (5), and the arms should not be left up there.

X-blocks should not really be in a Karate syllabus, mainly because of their mechanical weakness and tying up both arms making a counter-attack slow; they are not in the Romsey syllabus.

As mentioned in a previous post, deflection is emphasised in Kyushindo Karate. The syllabus has various circular blocking techniques to achieve this, making it quite different from mainstream Karate. What isn’t realised is that all our blocks have a circular component. It’s just that the circle isn’t only the arc being traced through the air but also a circular rotation within your arms (as you twist it).

Purposely adding to this natural rotation allows energy to be dissipated over the arm rather than being concentrated at the point of impact for a block.

An ultimate aim in Tai Chi is to be able to deflect strikes in this way without the opponent realising that they have been touched; therefore, they are slow to react through proprioception.