In martial arts, blocking is the act of stopping or deflecting an opponent's attack for the purpose of preventing injurious contact with the body.

Some martial arts, such as Capoeira, reject blocking techniques completely as they consider them too inefficient.

For example, against a straight punch to the face, an inside forearm block would aim to meet the inside of the forearm of the attacker, pushing the punch outward, leaving the opponents facing each other which also helps in counterattack.

A high block deflects a downward strike such as a hammer fist, a stick or a face punch from a taller opponent.

Parries are executed against the attacker by quickly pushing their arm or leg away to the right or left side( as it is considered as a block) and counterattacking when the procedure is done.