Sixth Law of Kempo

Law of No Block

Kempo emphasizes economy of movement and economy of time. Kempo's no block principle teaches to avoid being struck by a punch or kick, you should move your body out of harm's way. As one of my old Saber coaches use to tell me, "It's all about controlling timing and distance."

In other words, a block is a wasted move because it does not stop your opponent from attacking again with their free limbs. It is much better to move out of the way and simultaneously counterattack.

This is a fairly complex concept to implement correctly. So I teach beginners to block.:-) Once they have a better understanding of the art, I introduce this concept.

Kempo has multiple systems of just blocks, but note that the more advanced onces involve traps, redirects and body movement (Next time you watch a Master do one of the blocking systems, pay attention to the movement of their spine.)