Tonight at muay thai the instructor introduced us (or me, everyone else was familiar with it) to a new block.  The block is a defense against a hook punch, and involves wrapping the hand on the side being hit back and over so the elbow is out and the hand is resting on the back of the neck–if that makes any sense.  It’s roughly the same motion you’d make if you reached over your shoulder (on the same side as your hand) and scratched the back of your neck.

Anyway, this felt kind of exposed and vulnerable to me, as it is a new move.  But I used it, albeit clumsily, during the practice.  Then we started a little light sparring at half speed.  I was feeling warmed up now and doing pretty good, but I noticed my partner wasnit hitting to the head and making me use this new block.

After a bit my partner compliments me that he hasn’t hit me yet. 

So I anwered that he hadn’t used a hook yet, to make me use this new block.

He says, “What do you mean? I’ve thrown some hooks.  You’re blocking with something else.”

And that’s when I realized I’d been blocking with an ‘in-to-out forearm block’, from my old style, and never even knew I was doing it.  Of course I felt like a bit of an idiot, and hoped the instructor hadn’t noticed me ignoring the training he was giving me.  But on the other hand, it was good to know l’d block with something when a fist came at my head.