Ridgehand block
Haitō uke, the ridgehand block is the defensive applications of the ridgehand strike. The ridgehand block superficially resembles the famous "karate chop," but it uses the other side of the hand.
To perform a ridgehand block, pull your elbow in, towards your center, to send your hand outward. Essentially, it is a cross-body block, which impacts with haitō instead of the meaty part of the forearm. Unlike a cross-body block, the blocking hand is at head or shoulder level, with its elbow a fist-width away from your chest, like a palm-up variant of an outside shutō block.
After performing a ridgehand block, you can easily seize your opponent's wrist by turning your hand over into a grasping block, or by hooking the opponent’s hand with a thumbknuckle block.
When performed correctly, ridgehand blocks cut through the air with a gratifying “woosh” noise, as though you were swinging a large stick.
