Reinventing the wheel: back to the rising block
I find it quite ironic that people are slowly returning to the rising block after decades of disparagement.
I can't remember where, but I recall reading that the Russian military forces have reverted to the traditional rising block which was discovered to be one of the most effective ways to fight against hacking attacks by the Mujahideen armed with long bladed knives.
Others have rediscovered age uke but talk in terms of "punching" - consider the video below:

A video showing street fighting defences (click on the picture to access the video). Note the use of the rising block.
Perhaps this is because the block is being used as it was intended: for civilian defence against ungloved opponents (not for sport). Most importantly, the gentleman in the video uses the block as an intercepting technique - meaning that it goes out to meet your opponent, not one that stays close to your head.


A video showing the correct form of the age uke or rising block
The only real difference between the basic age uke or rising block and how it is applied in combat is your simultaneous use of body evasion. Just as the video at the outset demonstrates the defender leaning to avoid the attack, a karateka should use taisabaki/tenshin (body movement or evasion) together with every deflection. The fact that deflections/blocks are practised standing still is neither here nor there; this is an isolation exercise for basic practise. Once the movement is correct it should be applied contextually.

I have, and will continue to, use the rising block in sparring. If you haven't or cannot I would hazard a guess that you either haven't practised the rising block correctly or you are fighting at an extended range, not the "melee range" of which I often speak.
It seems to me somewhat surprising that people coming back to the age uke / rising block are doing so with the impression that they've found something new ("it's a kind of punch" etc.). I see it as reinventing the wheel. I suppose it doesn't matter if they are reinventing it - the important thing is that they recognise its value.
As I have detailed in my article ""Why blocks DO work", many people in the martial arts today seem to think blocks are functionless. Others say that blocks are not actually "blocks" but are strikes, grappling techniques etc. It is as if the former ride on sleds, remarking on how effective the sled is in snow and ignoring the superiority of wheels on other terrain. The latter (revisionists) think the wheel makes a good frisbee or necklace...
[See also "Is mawashi uke goju's rising block?" and "Two for the price of one: more about karate blocks".]
Copyright © 2009 Dejan Djurdjevic
Comments
Good point, nonetheless.
Figure out the principles, the solutions, and the problems, and one will never need a technique memorized. Because putting 1 hour into learning principles will equal a million hours put into memorizing techniques.
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