Blocking and Countering kicks Dutch Style

[Cincinnatus]

I've been watching a lot of Thai vs. Westerner kickboxing matches and I'm noticing that often times the Western fighter has a lot of success in blocking kicks with their arm while using their other arm to sweep the kick immediately after contact is made. I was never really taught this defensive technique (just blocking w/ your shin or catching the kick) and I'm wondering if anyone here can give me some tips on how to perform this. It seems highly effective if you can take the kick to your arm!

Here are some examples of what i'm talking about:

2:54 Petrosyan consistently countering Khem's kicks my blocking w/ his arm, sweeping, then attacking.

1:15 onward. Souwer has some pretty good success against Yodsanklai of all people using this block/counter move.

 

[unearth187]

It seems highly effective if you can take the kick to your arm!

You don't take the kick on your arm, you catch it in the cup of your hand. Thats kickboxing fundamental, kicks to arm = possible broken arm. They aren't blocking with one arm and then using the other arm to sweep thats not the way it works, what you're seeing is a double block. For example petrosyan blocks right kick at 2:54, petrosyans left arm covers his face and acts as a last defense if the kick slips through (bringing shoulder up + elbows in a lil bit as cover too), with his right hand he catches the kick in the cup of his hand using it almost as a spring to absorb some of the force by going with it rather than slapping at it. The catch itself is a pretty advanced move IMO, although seems to be quite effective.

 

[Cincinnatus]

Thanks. Yeah, it goes so fast it was hard for me to see that the goal was to just kind of sweep the kick rather than absorb then sweep. I really couldn't find any tutorial videos illustrating this technique. IMHO it looks like a much more effective technique against a good roundhouse kicker than trying to catch and absorb the kick by stepping to the side and hugging the kick against your ribs. Traditional muay thai seems to advocate either checking the kick, evading by leaning the body back, or catching. That sweeping counter is reserved for front kicks at my gym.

 

[Clint07]

Unearth summed it up pretty well.

I have always been told that if you are blocking a kick to your left side, that arm should not move and your other arm should come around to block as well. As soon as the shin touches that arm you snap your hand around it and sweep it across your body (while pulling your torso back a pinch to let it though)

My coach also likes to follow it with a kick to the back of the leg since your opponent lands with their back somewhat turned or if they spin more fire a front leg head kick since they are turning towards it.

 

[PrettySweet]

might the scoring criteria under different rule sets affect whether a competitor wants to block with a leg or block with the arm+hand and then do the hand sweep thing?

 

[koreankid6413]

It's a good technique and I myself use it when I can. Usually people will use both arms to block but like unearth said, that block is used as a last defense and your going to try and use your opposite arm to "catch" the kick and swing it through. Try it out in light sparring and then see if you can work it in with your normal sparring.