Is Santi Shi a good fighting stance?

[marvin8]

How does having one's hand away from one’s chin better defend “a high round house Kicker from knocking one out?”

If your hand is too close to your chin when it "blocks" the kick, you run the risk of knocking yourself out with your own fist. Partly because it's going to give a little no matter where you are blocking, but also because that collapsed arm offers less resistance and will give a lot more versus with the hand further out where you have more room and better structure.

Try it, put your fist an inch from your face and have your friend push on it, then try with the fist a foot away. It doesn't take much distance to make hitting your own face impossible.

Okay. I prefer to have both hands in front rather than at the chin for partly the same reason.

I was thinking the roundhouse kick might slip through the one foot space. But then, your only talking about a roundhouse kick. What if opponent feints a roundhouse kick, you keep your hand out a foot away from your chin, then the opponent throws a straight punch up the middle? So, the 9 and 3 guard might be good for defense against a roundhouse kick, but not other types of attacks.

[origami_itto]

How does having one's hand away from one’s chin better defend “a high round house Kicker from knocking one out?”

If your hand is too close to your chin when it "blocks" the kick, you run the risk of knocking yourself out with your own fist. Partly because it's going to give a little no matter where you are blocking, but also because that collapsed arm offers less resistance and will give a lot more versus with the hand further out where you have more room and better structure.

Try it, put your fist an inch from your face and have your friend push on it, then try with the fist a foot away. It doesn't take much distance to make hitting your own face impossible.

Okay. I prefer to have both hands in front rather than at the chin for partly the same reason.

I was thinking the roundhouse kick might slip through the one foot space. But then, your only talking about a roundhouse kick. What if opponent feints a roundhouse kick, you keep your hand out a foot away from your chin, then the opponent throws a straight punch up the middle? So, the 9 and 3 guard might be good for defense against a roundhouse kick, but not other types of attacks.

Well we all know when fighting that the best strategy is to hold a static guard and stand in one place.

[marvin8]

Well we all know when fighting that the best strategy is to hold a static guard and stand in one place.

There are layers of defense including distance, position the last being blocking/grabbing/scooping. Absorb, stick, adhere and follow.