TaeKwonDo or Karate Low Block

I had a dream. One that re-occurred a couple of times in different situations, but the outcome was the same. I was in a sword fight, a real sword fight. If you have ever studied lucid dreaming, it will benefit you to know I was in and out of sleep that night. For those who have never read into the subject, the more complete REM cycles that you interrupt the more lucid the next dream will be. They become more realistic and more manipulated by your consciousness. Any ways they were vivid to say the least. In all three dreams I was attacked unexpectedly by an assailant with a sword and I also had a sword handy, and would fight someone to the death. 

In these dreams I learned some things; one, sword fights are extremely scary and your adrenalin goes through the roof. Two that sword fights are not very long, someone dies pretty quick, unlike in the movies. And three, I never want to be in a real, fight to the death sword fight, because I did not know how to sword fight. These dreams lead me to join fencing and now I am much more prepared. On a quick tangent, before I turn back to my topic I will say this; if you, or you know someone that is good with a sword, they might actually not know the first thing about sword fighting. I was really good at “sword play” but learned quickly in fencing that I was nothing but novice. 

Anyways, so I guess all the “sword play” I did during that time made my subconscious question my ability in a real sword fight and those thoughts manifested themselves in my dream. Last night I had a similar dream.  This time it was about the low block. I guess the teachings I see don’t convince me. I question what I have been taught on its application. I feel as though it’s an extremely effective move.

This was how I was taught it: Below is a video of me using it in a tournament. It was used to block the round house kick, or diagonal kick, but that was merely a TKD sport application. (I edited this quickly, don’t be too critical) This was only used in taekwondo sparring. 

Outside of the sport it never was, expanded on other than blocking something coming at your mid-section or your groin. 

My problem with this is that I have found many uses for it, and in my dream last night; I was fighting an Asian guy in a basement of a parking garage. We were by the elevator and the stairs, which I was coming around, there he was. Dimly lit by the endless rows of florescent lights that hanged, suspended from the ceiling, his face shined a strange familiarity. He was casually walking from around a car, as though he just parked. The stairwell was adjacent to the elevator and was kept in a glass enclosure with an electronic sliding door. From 40 yards I could see him approaching, but I was not threatened at this point. He then brushed passed me, moving quickly, and quite closely might I add, never minding the open space that surrounded us. 

When people pass me like this red flags go off in my mind, “why” I asked myself, why did he pass so close when it was not necessary?  I turned to look back, expecting him to be at the stairwell by now, but instead he was right there, 3-4 feet from me and ready to attack. He only threw punches, and many kinds, and I only threw low blocks and outer forearm blocks. I have no idea why I thought this was the best form of defense but everything he threw I blocked. Punches to the mid-section I blocked with low mid-section outer forearm blocks and punches to the face and chest I blocked using the exact motion but at a different level. The first block was the most vivid in the dream because I barley blocked the stomach punch. It was fast and caught me off guard.

Then as I realized how easy his punches were to block I started blocking as though I was punching. The impact of my outer forearm slamming against his inner arms was taking their toll on him. Finally we battled back to the stair well where he delivered his last blow…ever. It was a wide right, hook punch, the kind you throw as a knockout punch. The hay-maker was intercepted by a vicious left rising block, chopping into his bicep then using the leverage I had I slammed him into the wall of the stairwell. I used my right outer forearm as a block, blocking his rebounding motion, to catch his neck and slam him against the concrete wall. It was a crushing blow that left him for dead, and also one I hope I never have to throw in real life. 

I killed him with a block? Yeah I guess I did. Although I don’t like having violent dreams, as they are a sign of outward environmental struggles mixed with subconscious internal, pulling thoughts, it sure was helpful in me understanding the low block. 

I have also questioned the sport teachings based on the fact that TKD was assembled during foreign occupations, to some degree, and surrounded by war. If they were at war, then first I would look to what era it was. The 50’s, so yes they had guns. On the battle field they more than likely applied some of these techniques to rifle use.

Again, I dwell on ground fighting and have noticed the outer forearm block is really handy there too. So I would not listen to just one instruction on this move, I would not instruct someone to limit the low block to simply the hand full of scenarios that exist in the forms. Instead you should take the technique from the form, extract it from the application, and apply it to as much as you can. You will find that if you practice the forms as such they become much more reviling as a teaching and training tool.

Peace.