Parry vs. Block — What's the Difference?
By Urooj Arif & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 20, 2024
Parry involves deflecting an opponent's attack to the side, using precision and timing; Block is a defensive move that stops an attack directly, relying more on strength and positioning.
Difference Between Parry and Block
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A parry is a defensive technique used in various forms of combat and martial arts, emphasizing skill, timing, and the use of an opponent's force against them. Block, however, is a broader term that describes any defensive action taken to stop or absorb an attack.
Parrying is often associated with fencing, boxing, and martial arts, where agility and quick reflexes are crucial. It requires a keen understanding of an opponent's intentions and precise movements to effectively neutralize an attack without necessarily stopping it outright. Blocking is more common in contact sports and martial arts that allow for a wider range of defensive moves, including the use of limbs or equipment to protect against strikes. It is generally considered a safer, more straightforward defensive tactic, suitable for absorbing blows from a variety of angles.
The effectiveness of a parry lies in its ability to turn an opponent's momentum and force against them, often leading to advantageous positioning or the opportunity for a swift counterattack. This contrasts with blocking, where the primary goal is to halt the momentum of an attack, sometimes at the cost of taking partial damage or losing the chance to immediately retaliate.
Training for parrying typically involves developing finesse, coordination, and anticipatory skills, allowing a defender to act quickly and with minimal force. Training for blocking focuses on strengthening the body parts used for defense, enhancing durability, and improving the ability to withstand forceful impacts without yielding.
Choosing whether to parry or block depends on the situation, the combatants' skills, and the nature of the attack. A well-timed parry can be more effective against a single, precise strike, while a block might be preferred against a powerful, direct assault or when facing multiple simultaneous attacks.
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Comparison Chart
Focus
Deflecting or redirecting an attack
Stopping or absorbing an attack
Relies On
Timing, precision, and opponent's force
Strength, positioning, and durability
Associated With
Fencing, boxing, martial arts
Contact sports, martial arts with broader defensive moves
Goal
Minimize damage, potentially counterattack
Halt momentum of attack, protect against damage
Training
Develops finesse, coordination, anticipatory skills
Strengthens defense, improves durability
Situation Use
Effective against single, precise strikes
Preferred against powerful assaults, multiple attacks
Compare with Definitions
Parry
Relying on agility to neutralize threats.
With a swift parry, the boxer deflected the incoming punch.
Block
Protects by absorbing impact.
He used his arm to block the incoming strike, preventing injury.
Parry
A defensive maneuver to deflect an attack.
The fencer's quick parry turned aside the thrusting blade.
Block
Focuses on immediate protection.
She quickly blocked the thrown object with her backpack.
Parry
Minimizes damage by avoidance.
The martial artist's parry avoided the blow with minimal effort.
Block
A defensive action to stop an attack.
The goalie blocked the shot, keeping the score tied.
Parry
Uses opponent's momentum against them.
Her parry redirected his force, leaving him off-balance.
Block
Involves physical strength or objects.
The warrior raised his shield to block the arrows.
Parry
Leads to advantageous positioning.
A successful parry gave her the upper hand in the duel.
Block
Can be used against a variety of attacks.
The football player blocked the tackle, maintaining his run.
Parry
To deflect or ward off (a fencing thrust, for example).
Block
A solid piece of a hard substance, such as wood, having one or more flat sides.
Parry
To deflect, evade, or avoid
He skillfully parried the question with a clever reply.
Block
Such a piece used as a construction member or as a support.
Parry
To deflect or ward off a thrust or blow.
Block
Such a piece upon which chopping or cutting is done
A butcher's block.
Parry
The deflecting or warding off of a thrust or blow, as in fencing.
Block
Such a piece upon which persons are beheaded.
Parry
An evasive answer or action.
Block
One of a set of small wooden or plastic pieces, such as a cube, bar, or cylinder, used as a building toy.
Parry
To avoid, deflect, or ward off (an attack, a blow, an argument, etc.).
Block
(Printing) A large amount of text.
Parry
A defensive or deflective action; an act of parrying.
Block
(Sports) A starting block.
Parry
(fencing) A simple defensive action designed to deflect an attack, performed with the forte of the blade.
Block
A stand from which articles are displayed and sold at an auction
Many priceless antiques went on the block.
Parry
(combat sports and martial arts) A defensive move intended to change the direction of an incoming strike to make it miss its intended target, rather than block and absorb it; and typically performed with an open hand in a downward or sideways slapping motion.
Block
A mold or form on which an item is shaped or displayed
A hat block.
Parry
To ward off; to stop, or to turn aside; as, to parry a thrust, a blow, or anything that means or threatens harm.
Vice parries wideThe undreaded volley with a sword of straw.
Block
A substance, such as wood or stone, that has been prepared for engraving.
Parry
To avoid; to shift or put off; to evade.
The French government has parried the payment of our claims.
Block
A pulley or a system of pulleys set in a casing.
Parry
To ward off, evade, or turn aside something, as a blow, argument, etc.
Block
An engine block.
Parry
A warding off of a thrust or blow, as in sword and bayonet exercises or in boxing; hence, figuratively, a defensive movement in debate or other intellectual encounter.
Block
A bloc.
Parry
A return punch (especially by a boxer)
Block
A set of like items, such as shares of stock, sold or handled as a unit.
Parry
Impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball);
Block an attack
Block
A group of four or more unseparated postage stamps forming a rectangle.
Parry
Avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues);
He dodged the issue
She skirted the problem
They tend to evade their responsibilities
He evaded the questions skillfully
Block
(Canadian) A group of townships in an unsurveyed area.
Block
A usually rectangular section of a city or town bounded on each side by consecutive streets.
Block
A segment of a street bounded by consecutive cross streets and including its buildings and inhabitants.
Block
A large building divided into separate units, such as apartments.
Block
A length of railroad track controlled by signals.
Block
Something that obstructs; an obstacle
The disabled car formed a block in traffic.
Block
(Sports) An act of bodily obstruction, as of a player or the ball.
Block
(Football) An act of legally using one's body to obstruct or move a defensive player so that a player in possession of the ball may advance downfield, pass, or otherwise execute an offensive play.
Block
(Medicine) Interruption or obstruction of a physiological function
Nerve block.
Block
(Psychology) A sudden cessation of speech or a thought process without an immediate observable cause, sometimes considered a consequence of repression. Also called mental block.
Block
(Slang) The human head
Threatened to knock my block off.
Block
To stop or impede the passage of or movement through; obstruct
Block traffic.
Mud that blocked the pipe.
Block
To prevent from happening, succeeding, or progressing
Blocked every attempt to reform the rules.
Block
To shut out from view
A curtain blocking the stage.
Block
To stop the passage of (a motion or bill) in a legislative assembly.
Block
(Sports) To prevent or slow the movement of (an opponent) by using one's body, as by making a block in football.
Block
(Sports) To stop or deflect (a ball or puck) by using one's body.
Block
(Medicine) To interrupt or obstruct the functioning of (a physiological process), especially by the use of drugs.
Block
(Psychology) To fail to remember.
Block
To support, strengthen, or retain in place by means of a block.
Block
To shape, mold, or form with or on a block
Block a hat.
Block
To indicate broadly without great detail; sketch. Often used with out
Block out a plan of action.
Block out stage movements.
Block
To run (trains) on a block system.
Block
To obstruct the movement of an opponent by using one's body.
Block
To stop or deflect a ball or puck by using one's body.
Block
To suffer a mental block. Often used with on
I blocked on his name.
Block
A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
A block of ice, a block of stone
Block
A chopping block: a cuboid base for cutting or beheading.
Anne Boleyn placed her head on the block and awaited her execution.
Block
A wig block: a simplified head model upon which wigs are worn.
Block
A mould on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped.
Block
A piece of hard wood on which a stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted.
Block
A case or frame housing one or more sheaves (pulleys), used with ropes to increase or redirect force, for example as part of lifting gear or a sailing ship's rigging. See also block and tackle.
Block
A section of split logs used as fuel.
Block
A set of sheets (of paper) joined together at one end, forming a cuboid shape.
A block of 100 tickets
Block
(falconry) The perch on which a bird of prey is kept.
Block
A physical area or extent of something, often rectangular or approximately rectangular.
A block of text, a block of colour, a block of land
Block
(philately) A joined group of four (or in some cases nine) postage stamps, forming a roughly square shape.
Block
(viticulture) A discrete group of vines in a vineyard, often distinguished from others by variety, clone, canopy training method, irrigation infrastructure, or some combination thereof.
Block
A logical extent or region; a grouping or apportionment of like things treated together as a unit.
A block of data, a block of seven days, a block reservation
Block
(computing) A logical data storage unit containing one or more physical sectors (see cluster).
Block
(programming) A region of code in a program that acts as a single unit, such as a function or loop.
Block
(cryptography) A fixed-length group of bits making up part of a message.
Block
(chemistry) A portion of a macromolecule, comprising many units, that has at least one feature not present in adjacent portions.
Block
(rail) A section of a railroad where the block system is used.
Block
(computing) A contiguous range of Unicode code points used to encode characters of a specific type; can be of any size evenly divisible by 16, up to 65,536 (a full plane).
The "Specials" block comprises the sixteen codepoints from U+FFF0 through U+FFFF.
Block
A contiguous group of urban lots of property, typically several acres in extent, not crossed by public streets.
I'm going for a walk around the block.
Block
The distance from one street to another in a city or suburb that is built (approximately) to a grid pattern.
The place you are looking for is two long blocks east and one short block north.
Block
A roughly cuboid building.
A block of flats, a tower block, an office block, a toilet block, a shower block
Block
A cellblock.
Block
Something that prevents something from passing.
There's a block in the pipe that means the water can't get through.
Block
Interference or obstruction of cognitive processes.
A mental block
Writer's block
Block
(sports) An action to interfere with the movement of an opposing player or of the object of play (ball, puck).
Block
A temporary or permanent ban that prevents access to an online account or service, or connection to or from a designated telephone number, IP address, or similar.
The Wiktionary page-blanking vandal was hit with an indefinite block.
I've put a block on calls from that number.
Block
(slang) The human head.
I'll knock your block off!
Block
(UK) Solitary confinement.
Block
(obsolete) A blockhead; a stupid fellow; a dolt.
Block
(transitive) To fill or obstruct (something) so that it is not possible to pass.
The pipe was blocked by leaves.
You're blocking the road – I can't get through!
Block
(transitive) To prevent (something or someone) from passing.
A broken-down car is blocking the traffic.
Block
(transitive) To prevent (something from happening or someone from doing something).
His plan to take over the business was blocked by the boss.
Block
To impede (an opponent or opponent's play).
He blocked the basketball player's shot.
The offensive linemen tried to block the blitz.
Block
To specify the positions and movements of the actors for (a section of a play or film).
It was very difficult to block this scene convincingly.
Block
To hit with a block.
Block
To play a block shot.
Block
(transitive) To bar (someone undesirable) from connecting via telephone, instant messaging, etc., or from accessing an online account or service, or similar.
I tried to send you a message, but you've blocked me!
The user who started the edit war was blocked for a day to cool off.
Block
(transitive) To bar (a message or communication), or bar connection with (an online account or service, a designated telephone number, IP address, etc.).
They've blocked all calls to international numbers.
Most Internet services have been blocked.
Block
To wait for some condition to become true.
When the condition expression is false, the thread blocks on the condition variable.
Block
(transitive) To stretch or mould (a knitted item, a hat, etc.) into the desired shape.
I blocked the mittens by wetting them and pinning them to a shaped piece of cardboard.
Block
(transitive) To shape or sketch out roughly.
When drawing a scene, first block the main features, and then fill in the detail.
Block
To knock (a person's hat) down over their eyes.
Block
A piece of wood more or less bulky; a solid mass of wood, stone, etc., usually with one or more plane, or approximately plane, faces; as, a block on which a butcher chops his meat; a block by which to mount a horse; children's playing blocks, etc.
Now all our neighbors' chimneys smoke,And Christmas blocks are burning.
All her labor was but as a blockLeft in the quarry.
Block
The solid piece of wood on which condemned persons lay their necks when they are beheaded.
Noble heads which have been brought to the block.
Block
The wooden mold on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped.
He wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the next block.
Block
A large or long building divided into separate houses or shops, or a number of houses or shops built in contact with each other so as to form one building; a row of houses or shops.
Block
A square, or portion of a city inclosed by streets, whether occupied by buildings or not.
The new city was laid out in rectangular blocks, each block containing thirty building lots. Such an average block, comprising 282 houses and covering nine acres of ground, exists in Oxford Street.
Block
A grooved pulley or sheave incased in a frame or shell which is provided with a hook, eye, or strap, by which it may be attached to an object. It is used to change the direction of motion, as in raising a heavy object that can not be conveniently reached, and also, when two or more such sheaves are compounded, to change the rate of motion, or to exert increased force; - used especially in the rigging of ships, and in tackles.
Block
The perch on which a bird of prey is kept.
Block
Any obstruction, or cause of obstruction; a stop; a hindrance; an obstacle; - also called blockage; as, a block in the way; a block in an artery; a block in a nerve; a block in a biochemical pathway.
Block
A piece of box or other wood for engravers' work.
Block
A piece of hard wood (as mahogany or cherry) on which a stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted to make it type high.
Block
A blockhead; a stupid fellow; a dolt.
What a block art thou !
Block
A section of a railroad where the block system is used. See Block system, below.
Block
In Australia, one of the large lots into which public land, when opened to settlers, is divided by the government surveyors.
Block
The position of a player or bat when guarding the wicket.
Block
A number of individual items sold as a unit; as, a block of airline ticketes; a block of hotel rooms; a block of stock.
Block
The length of one side of a city block{5}, traversed along any side; as, to walk three blocks ahead and turn left at the corner.
Block
A halt in a mental process, especially one due to stress, memory lapse, confusion, etc.; as, a writer's block; to have a block in remembering a name.
Block
A quantity of binary-encoded information transferred, or stored, as a unit to, from, or on a data storage device; as, to divide a disk into 512-byte blocks.
Block
A number of locations in a random-access memory allocated to storage of specific data; as, to allocate a block of 1024 bytes for the stack.
Block
To obstruct so as to prevent passage or progress; to prevent passage from, through, or into, by obstructing the way; - used both of persons and things; - often followed by up; as, to block up a road or harbor; to block an entrance.
With moles . . . would block the port.
A city . . . besieged and blocked about.
Block
To secure or support by means of blocks; to secure, as two boards at their angles of intersection, by pieces of wood glued to each.
Block
To shape on, or stamp with, a block; as, to block a hat.
Block
To cause (any activity) to halt by creating an obstruction; as, to block a nerve impulse; to block a biochemical reaction with a drug.
Block
A solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides);
The pyramids were built with large stone blocks
Block
A rectangular area in a city surrounded by streets and usually containing several buildings;
He lives in the next block
Block
A three-dimensional shape with six square or rectangular sides
Block
A number or quantity of related things dealt with as a unit;
He reserved a large block of seats
He held a large block of the company's stock
Block
Housing in a large building that is divided into separate units;
There is a block of classrooms in the west wing
Block
(computer science) a sector or group of sectors that function as the smallest data unit permitted;
Since blocks are often defined as a single sector, the terms `block' and `sector' are sometimes used interchangeably
Block
An inability to remember or think of something you normally can do; often caused by emotional tension;
I knew his name perfectly well but I had a temporary block
Block
A simple machine consisting of a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run to change the direction or point of application of a force applied to the rope
Block
A metal casting containing the cylinders and cooling ducts of an engine;
The engine had to be replaced because the block was cracked
Block
An obstruction in a pipe or tube;
We had to call a plumber to clear out the blockage in the drainpipe
Block
A platform from which an auctioneer sells;
They put their paintings on the block
Block
(American football) the act of obstructing someone's path with your body;
He threw a rolling block into the line backer
Block
Render unsuitable for passage;
Block the way
Barricade the streets
Stop the busy road
Block
Hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of;
His brother blocked him at every turn
Block
Stop from happening or developing;
Block his election
Halt the process
Block
Interfere with or prevent the reception of signals;
Jam the Voice of America
Block the signals emitted by this station
Block
Run on a block system;
Block trains
Block
Interrupt the normal function of by means of anesthesia;
Block a nerve
Block a muscle
Block
Shut out from view or get in the way so as to hide from sight;
The thick curtain blocked the action on the stage
The trees obstruct my view of the mountains
Block
Stamp or emboss a title or design on a book with a block;
Block the book cover
Block
Obstruct;
My nose is all stuffed
Her arteries are blocked
Block
Block passage through;
Obstruct the path
Block
Support, secure, or raise with a block;
Block a plate for printing
Block the wheels of a car
Block
Impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball);
Block an attack
Block
Be unable to remember;
I'm drawing a blank
You are blocking the name of your first wife!
Block
Shape by using a block;
Block a hat
Block a garment
Block
Shape into a block or blocks;
Block the graphs so one can see the results clearly
Block
Prohibit the conversion or use of (assets);
Blocked funds
Freeze the assets of this hostile government
Common Curiosities
Can blocking be effective in all types of combat?
Blocking can be broadly effective in various combat situations, especially when the defender is able to withstand the force of the attack and maintain their position.
How do you train to improve your parrying skills?
Improving parrying skills involves practicing timing, precision, and reading an opponent's movements to anticipate and neutralize attacks effectively.
What is the key difference between a parry and a block?
The key difference lies in the approach: a parry deflects an attack to minimize damage and potentially exploit an opponent's momentum, whereas a block stops an attack directly, focusing on protection.
Are there situations where a parry is not advisable?
A parry might not be advisable against attacks that are too powerful or too fast to deflect effectively, or when the defender is unsure of their ability to accurately anticipate the attack.
Is it better to parry or block in a fight?
Whether it's better to parry or block depends on the specific circumstances of the fight, including the nature of the incoming attack, the defender's skill level, and their physical condition.
Can a block lead to a counterattack?
While a block primarily aims at protection, it can also create opportunities for a counterattack, especially if the defender is able to quickly recover or exploit a gap in the attacker's defense.
What physical attributes are important for effective blocking?
Effective blocking requires physical strength, resilience, and the ability to maintain a stable position under the force of an attack.
How does one choose between parrying and blocking in martial arts?
The choice between parrying and blocking in martial arts often comes down to the practitioner's strategy, the style of martial arts being practiced, and the specific situation or type of attack being faced.
Is parrying riskier than blocking?
Parrying can be seen as riskier than blocking because it requires precise timing and execution; a mistimed parry can lead to a failed defense, whereas a block is more forgiving in terms of absorbing an attack.
Do weapons change the approach between parrying and blocking?
Yes, the use of weapons can change the approach; for example, in fencing, parrying is a common technique due to the precision and agility of the sport, while in armed combat, blocking with a shield or weapon may be more prevalent.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
