Chūdan uke

Chūdan uke (literally: “mid-level block”) is the basic defensive maneuver in most karate styles and karate-derived martial arts. Chūdan uke defends against attacks directed between your shoulders and your solar plexus. Other karate styles rely on rising block variants (jōdan uke; “high-level blocks”) for defend their heads.

Goshin-Jutsu typically uses its cross-body block in lieu of chūdan uke. However, chūdan uke automatically sets up a front-foot punch or other atemi.

Chūdan uke is setup like a cross-body block, so cross your forearms horizontally in front of your chest, at breast level. The blocking arm should be on the bottom, with the top arm pushing down on it, and the bottom arm pushing up on the top arm. This way, the technique will spring into position, rather than being set in place.

To actually throw the technique, pull the top hand to the same-side hip, to set up a counterattack. As mentioned earlier, the bottom hand springs out, snapping into position. For additional speed, do not swing the fist out; pull the elbow in to snap the technique. When all is finished, the upper arm should be pointed at a ~45° angle towards the floor. The forearm and the upper arm make a 90° angle, with the forearm pointing at a ~45° angle towards the ceiling, with the hand clenched in a fist. The video below will demonstrate the correct form:

[video of chudan uke, fast and slow, from the front and side.]

Chūdan uke contacts with the end of your radius bone, just below the thumb-side of the wrist, where there are no arteries, veins, or tendons. Connect your block on this bony side of the opponent’s wrist will optimize your block's leverage. While bone-one-bone collisions can be painful to both parties, this only problematic if you forget that karate blocks are meant to be parries.

[Photo of chudan uke blocking point]

---