This may belong more in Self Defense than Combatives, but I’m putting it here because it relates more to fighting. 

Although we will always teach the shin block, I am thinking more of de-emphasizing it in favor of the “absorbing” defense.  It is simpler, more aggressive, and most attackers in a street fight will not through a very strong round kick anyway.

Your thoughts?

I really like this idea.  Going shin against shin in a street fight would rarely be a good idea, especially for us smaller people.  Once in a while, we do slow sparring without shin guards and going shin against shin generally hurts, even when going relatively slowly and doing the technique well.  I also notice that I have a very hard time NOT to do the shin block then, even if I decide I’d rather try to do the absorption technique.  That’s simply because the shin block is the one we train on the most and it becomes hard not to do it, because it’s so wired into my brain.

However, if I used this technique in a street fight, I might get seriously hurt, which would make it harder for me to continue the fight (or it might even make me collapse - I once got kicked so hard in the shin that I fell down to the ground as if felled by a liver kick.  This didn’t happen while making a defense, but still, if something similar happened in a street fight, it would be bad news).  So, to sum it up, we won’t have shin guards in the street, so it makes no sense to primarily practice a technique for which they would be necessary.

I also agree that the absorption technique is simpler and more aggressive.  In addition, it keeps your leg on the ground, keeping you stable and giving you a stronger base from which to continue the fight.

I definitely prefer the absorbing defense & this is also what comes most naturally to me under stress.

I agree that blocking with you shin isn’t the funnest thing to do.  In Muay Thai they condition their legs by kicking bananna trees.  since most of us don’t have Bananna trees training like that isn’t likely going to happen.  i guess any defense would be better then sitting there doing nothing however, what I like about absorbing is it puts you into a better positioin to counter.  it seems to stay to them mindset of advancing and attacking.

Personally I like the shin defense. The absorbing thigh defense hurts like hell even with a tombstone pad on the thigh with a strong kicker. The shin one reminds me more of 360’s where if you put your weight behind it and attack the attack it hurts you less than the attacker. But that is just my opinion!

Yeah, but doing 360 defense, you are not really going bone against bone as you would with the shin vs shin defense.  360 should mostly hurt the attacker.  I’ve done 360 defenses against much larger attackers, going full force, but it doesn’t usually hurt my arm.  If I were to go shin vs shin against a much larger attacker, without shin pads and going full force, I think I would be hurt pretty badly, even if I tried to dissipate the force of the kick by letting my leg cave in a little.

The absorbing defense also sucks against a bigger guy, but somehow I find it preferable.  If you flex your muscle and don’t bend your leg too much, the kick should slide off.  The only downside is that it might be easier for an attacker to sneak in a kick to the lower ribs or liver that might be easier defended by lifting your leg.

I like absorbing better myself.  absorbing allows for a simultaneous counter punch with the opposite hand.  if you shin block, you have to put that foot down before you strike.

A lot of times in MMA we would train to counter the kick with a right cross/straight right punch while the attacker is throwing the kick.  We would drill it over and over again, as soon as you see his body weight shift from his back leg to his front and that back leg start to get light it was time to attack.  Im not sure how many times you are gonna be squared off against an attacker on the street but it worked in the cage, for the most part.

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While I was in Portugal I trained with the IKMA school there and they almost exclusive taught the absorbing technique. Coming from training at a Krav Maga Worldwide school where we mostly used the shin, it took me some getting used to but I think it works better for all the reasons y’all have mentioned here. You have to train yourself to turn your leg toward the kick which after some practice and sparring really becomes second nature. I still use the shin but mostly for lower round kicks to the inside of the thigh or groin.