Overview
By now you might have noticed that we have lots of blocks that cover the same or overlapping areas of the body. The reason is that certain blocks work well in one situation, but not in another, depending on the position of your arms when you need to use the block, and the direction, if any, that your body is moving at the time. Gedan Uke is a great case in point. If your hands are high when you get kicked, Gedan Barai is a better choice, but if your blocking arm is at waist level or lower when you get kicked, then Gedan Uke works best. Having said that, if you bend your elbow at a near right-angle, dangling your forearm below it, this block works well against punches too.
Used in these katas
Bassai Dai
Technique
Start with your left arm extended in front of you at about 45 degrees, with the back of your fist facing forwards. Do not bend the elbow. Pull back your right fist to your right side. Sharply drop your right arm so that is in the same position on the right-hand side (almost as if you were punching the air in front of your right thigh). Pull your left arm back sharply to its retracted position just above your bottom rib, at the same time turning your hips. Use the motion of your left arm to assist the hip turn. The hip movement, in turn helps to pull your right arm across your body. As you pull your left arm back, rotate your right forearm so that the back of your wrist is facing to the left, at the same time swing your right arm across your body whilst keeping its distance in front of you. The idea is to intercept a strike and deflect it to the left using your lower forearm. When your forearm is just past your body, stop rotating your hips and moving your right arm.
Common mistakes to avoid
A common mistake with this technique, is to over-rotate your body, thus presenting your exposed right side to your attacker.
Another common mistake is to wrap your blocking arm around your opposite side (in this case the left side), where it not only serves no purpose, but also takes longer to recover from.
