I’ve read what the late Gen.Choi said in his encyclopedia, which gives me a sort of enlightenment in this wonderful art.
He said that although the hand is used to punch and strike, it’s main role is to block incoming attack. Although the feet can be used to block, it’s main use is for striking(kicking). That’s is what taekwon-do is all about.
In the blocking domain, I believe that a lot of us around the world does not have the adequate focus on the blocking department.
I mean that the hand is is not seasoned enough to block and in the sparring, we rarely see students use blocking techniques during sparring.
Of course, if the instructor believe that the student hand is not ready to block, he should make the wise judgement of not forcing the student to block.
I recommend that blocking in sparring is emphasized more but the students must control his kicking power properly to avoid potential hand injury during training.
Safety first.
Sabum Arif Syafiq (6th Dan)
Technical and Coaching.
Disclaimer :
What I write is based on my humble understanding, and should there be any mistakes, it is my own mistake.