Age Uke
上げ受け
Literally: rising block
Also known as: Jodan age uke, 上段揚げ受け, Jodan uke
A rising forearm block that deflects a face attack upward; one of karate's first blocks, and sai or tonfa block in a similar way.
Quick Facts
Katas containing this technique
About
Age uke (上げ受け), literally 'rising block,' deflects an attack to the face. The arm rises from low to high in front of the body, and the forearm turns to face away from the forehead. The Japan Karatedo Federation calls it jodan age uke: the attack is deflected upward with the forearm's inner side, and in the final position, where the block covers the whole face, the fist sits higher than the elbow. The name age uke is often confused with jodan uke; age names the upward direction, jodan only the target level. It is a basic block: the KUGB tests it at 9. kyu from zenkutsu dachi forward and back, and in Heian Shodan three age uke blocks follow each other while stepping forward. In kata it is usually done with a closed fist, though open-hand variants exist. In kobudo, sai or tonfa block in a similar way, the weapon pressed along the forearm to reinforce the block. The bo staff can block the same way.