Makgi, the Taekwondo Blocking Technique

Nicholas “Nick” Liou is a certified public accountant and marketing manager from Southern California who has led several complex corporate transactions. Apart from being a business graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, Nicholas Liou won a silver medal in the Taekwondo Collegiate Nationals tournament in 2011.

Taekwondo is one of Korea’s most rigorous and scientific traditional martial arts, teaching more than just physical combat techniques. The makgi, or blocking, techniques in Taekwondo are used to defend against an opponent’s attack. In the event of a face-to-face battle, mastering the methods of blocking (makgi) the opponent’s attacks is critical. If the other party continues to attack, just defending oneself from strikes may not result in a successful outcome.

That is why the majority of makgi Taekwondo techniques are meant to hurt the opponent while protecting oneself by using the hand or wrist, which, if the participant is properly trained, may inflict blows on the opponent’s vital points, rendering the latter’s arms and legs immobile.

One has to train in makgi techniques rigorously if they are to function equally well as offensive techniques. In this case, one might demonstrate generosity by defeating an opponent using just defensive techniques alone, rather than overpowering them with offensive attacks. For this reason, Taekwondo training begins with makgi techniques and only later progresses to offensive methods.