What are the five basic karate blocks?
Age-uke (rising block), soto-uke (outside block), uchi-uke (inside block), gedan-barai (downward sweep) and shuto-uke (knife-hand block). These are the fundamental blocks learned from white belt up.
What is the difference between uchi-uke and soto-uke?
In JKA Shotokan, uchi-uke travels from inside outward (thumb-side of the forearm); soto-uke travels from outside inward (little-finger side). Same target height, opposite motion.
Are karate blocks really just blocks?
No — bunkai reads many blocks as strikes, joint locks, or ways to grab and control an attacking limb. The block is often only the most obvious of several applications.