How to block a Chop or a chopping strike in KARATE ?

Question

I learn karate from videos and books. And lately ive been practicing and Im becomming very good at blocking but I cant seem to block the sharp chopping motion blocks of karate. they are very painful even when blocking. How to attempt this ?

Answer 1

You want to block a block ? Weird.. but here you go....

Use an outer block  . Contact with the forearm not with the hand that is performing the knife hand block.

Answer 2

Keep your guard up at all times. Side-step to the opposite direction of where the chop is going. Chops aren't even used much in martial arts anyways. If you have to block, you can either stop the attack before it's halfway thrown, or you can keep a tight guard and let the attack come to you so you can parry it.

Answer 3

I really hate to tell you this but you are not learning karate. You are copying the moves, but you are no learning it. To do that you need at last two things.

1) A good instructor who can point out aallthe little mistakes that you make.

2) Other trained people to practice with who can resist your technique.

Yes hard blocking can be very painful, that is why in Okinawan karate there is a major emphasis on conditioning your blocking surfaces.

I realize that you will not listen to my advice to seek a good instructor, and are under the illusion that you are learning karate, however a video cannot correct little mistakes that make a huge difference. It also cannot prepare you for the harsh reality of real self defense, where your attacker doesn't care whether you get hurt or not.

Quite honestly do they train soldiers off of video? Police officers? Fireman? The fact is you are learning to imitate movements, but if all you use is video tape's, you will never learn it, and when you really need it, it wont work. That is my warning to you, make of it what you will.

Answer 4

Do an outward block..

If you don't know how it looks go to Google Images and type in Karate Outward Block. The last picture on Row 2 has the image.

Answer 5

I believe the proper term is knife hand strike, not chop. They're not hard to block. Just do the appropriate inside, outside, low, or high block.

Answer 6

move with the strike, rotate/twist your arm so that the muscle contacts with the strike not your bone.

If you can't master that, then body movement to evade the strike should be your defence.

PS, don't refer to it as a chop or you'll appear a bit of a chump!

Answer 7

Find a good school should be your number one priority.

More to your question, never meet force to force. Try to deflect rather than stop a blow. You should also consider interrupting the strike before the attacker can get up to full speed on the strike.  

Answer 8

Don't block it, redirect the force, connect forearms with your opponent and force it away instead of taking the blow on your arm.... Karate is quite common, I think it would do some good to go to a class.... if you can find one and time to go.

Answer 9

there are many ways of chopping, leaving many ways of defending,

if its coming from over head and downwards, you can do something like side step inwards to the person on an angle and deflect the chop with your forearm and punch them in the face with your other hand at the same time.

or if they chop more strait at you, try intercepting their chop with your own chop by attacking their center line

many things you can do, try learning from a real teacher though, and use the vids and books as a reference to what they tell you. other wise you are only creating bad habits for yourself that you will one day realize and then be force to either suck or break your bad habits. learn things correctly the first time i say.