Covering in

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

is the act of protecting against an opponent's

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...

s by using the

arm In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between ...

s and shoulders to

block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

and absorb the impact of strikes on the head and torso and prevent injury. Covering is the last line of defense to avoid an incoming strike and consists of putting arms and forearms up and in front of the area on the body that is being blocked. The technique of covering is widely used among martial arts and has a multitude of variations.

Usage

Covering is used as a

defensive Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

technique and can function on three levels of execution. The first level is for ''Physical Defense'' and is used to absorb an opponent's attacks, without the use of counter-attacks or evasive maneuvers. This done by putting hands in front of ones face to cover and serve as a shield. The second level of usage is ''Counter Defense'', which is a variation of covering that calls for the person covering to respond to the opponents' strikes with a strike while still maintaining cover on themselves. The third level of countering is ''Awareness Defense'' which is a covering usage that utilizes predicted movement to defend against an opponent using evasive body positioning and counter-attacks while maintaining a covered position. In each level of defense, covering oneself is used throughout, coupled with other evasive and countering techniques at times.

Types of Covering

Boxing Cover

Covering in

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

starts in a boxing stance and, upon engaging the incoming

, the arms and fists raise together with palms facing inwards and

boxing gloves Boxing gloves are cushioned gloves that fighters wear on their hands during boxing matches and practices. Unlike "fist-load weapons" (such as the ancient cestus) which were designed as a lethal weapon, modern boxing gloves are non-lethal, desig ...

pressed firmly against the face to cover up the

face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

and

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

. To protect the

torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical terminology, anatomical term for the central part, or the core (anatomy), core, of the body (biology), body of many animals (including human beings), from which the head, neck, limb (anatomy), limbs, tail an ...

, the boxer keeps his or her arms tucked against the body and rotates the hips to protect the midsection and allow punches to slide off the body. Both professional and amateur boxers use this technique of covering.

Krav Maga Cover

The type of covering utilized in the Israeli

hand-to-hand combat Hand-to-hand combat is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of ranged weapons.Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills in ...

system of

Krav Maga Krav Maga ( ; , ; ) is an Israeli Hand-to-hand combat, self-defence system. Developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it uses techniques derived from aikido, boxing, judo, karate and wrestling. It is known for its focus on real-world situat ...

is based on the ''Counter Defense'' level of covering usage. This form of covering, called 'bursting' in Krav Maga, absorbs/ blocks/ deflects/ and counter-attacks simultaneously. Krav Maga covering starts in an athletic fighting stance with both arms raised, fists balled, and palms facing the body. If the opponent is delivering a straight punch, the hand that mirrors the attackers punching hand redirects and blocks the strike, while the opposing cover hand sends an identical straight punch toward the attackers head.

Keysi Fighting Method Cover

Covering in the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

influenced Keysi Fighting Method or KFM, utilizes the defensive covering technique in an offensive manner. KFM utilizes a double arm covering stance called ''The Pensador'' which uses the arms that are defending to strike while still maintaining the covering position in front of the face. The strikes used while in ''The Pensador'' position range from elbow strikes to punches to head-butts, with each strike executed while maintaining the covering position of the arms in front of the head.

Bajiquan Cover

Covering in Bajiquan can be seen in 'Liang Yi Zhuang', meaning piercing heart elbow as one of its iconic movements and many of the movements seen in the taolu, Xiaojia and Danda, although this can vary from branches as how they interpret different movements.

References

{{Reflist Martial arts techniques