What the hell is blocking?

Blocking like Setting is a work to express multiple things that happen for a single skill.  In this case Blocking is a combination or Joint Stacking, Leaning, and Loading the Legs in preparation to make your skill travel higher as you go into your set.  So Blocking happens before the Set.

Blocking is a skill you use when you are using speed or a run up to prior to executing your badassery.
Blocking is the most common phase of a skill that practitioners lack hindering their ability to get major height, unless they are just a really good jumper.  But people like me who are not amazing jumpers heavily rely on blocking to make up the difference.  And if you are an amazing jumper and you figure out how to Block, you will increase your ability to get height even more.


lets get some visual examples of blocking.  Pay attention to the red line.

In order of appearance Ross Taylor going for a round off double back on concrete!, Alex D doing a nice cork, JNT showing is a punch front, Jujimufu doing a nice Pop 360, KJER showing us a split step side flip.

Blocking is essentially the position of your hips in relation to where your feet are.  Now if you were to be completely straight bodied upon blocking you would see this correlation even more, but since we jump off the concrete and other hard surfaces we need to jump more or make a punch/jump hybrid or gather step.  All of these involve blocking.

Me doing some blocking fronts and sides on spring floor

Take a look at these dudes... they do not know how to block...among other things.  They might figure it out since they have no fear of flipping and these are older vids, but we will see.

The red line is where they need to be if they had everything else near pristine conditions and the yellow line is what they actually are doing.  No granted neither of these young lads is jumping at all, and I have see some bad blocking but good jumping in which case you could still get over if you have some powerful legs, but it makes it way more difficult...especially on flat.  No if we were jumping off something or across something that is a little different.  But that's another article.

Blocking works best when doing tumbling because of the symmetrical takeoffs and rigid positions.  If you have a good round off, or back hand spring you can use blocking to its full potential.  But most of the skills in PK/FR and Tricking are not of this nature.  Blocking is still used plenty in all the other tricks, but just keep in mind the concept and that certain ways can take advantage of it more.

There are a few things that make blocking work better.

1. Rigidity of Shape (Upright)

2. Extension (Upon Impact)

3.Power (Strength+Speed)

1. Keeping a sturdy, slightly leaned away from the direction you are traveling, upright torso will help you pop straight up granted you follow through with a good set. What is Setting?  I'll talk about that soon enough.

2. Extending through the take off will allow you to use all that Blocking energy and give you lift, otherwise you go straight down such as the individuals above.  

3. Being Powerful.  Successful blocking is a direct consequence of good technique used at high speed.  The faster you run prior to a blocking set up the more your strength will be amplified into a powerful jump.  If you do not have the technique down to do a skill at high speed then it will work against you.

Some easy tips for good blocking

Stay uncomfortably upright, it will feel odd

Push through your whole body

Watch still frames of your attempts to see if your getting the angle right.

Short talk on blocking

Now the next time a GYMNASTICS RAT says "YOU NEED TO BLOCK MORE" You will tip your hat and say "why thank you good sir."

BLOCK MORE!!!I SHALL INDEED!!

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Francesco Caban

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