52 Blocks – The Real American Martial Art
When discussing the various martial arts and fighting styles from around the world, the little-known urban system of 52 Blocks, a variation of the broader Jailhouse Rock style, has to enter the conversation. Researchers Daniel Marks and Kammau Hunter have argued that Jailhouse Rock may, in fact, be America’s only “native martial art”. With an African influence and believed to have originated in the 17th and 18th centuries by slaves, 52 Blocks went on to evolve on the streets of Brooklyn and US prisons. The style focuses on closed-space techniques, similar to those self-defense situations found in settings such as prisons, restrooms, alleys, and hallways where movement would be limited.
As mentioned above, 52 Blocks, also called “52 Hand Blocks” and “The 52’s”, is part of a larger collection of fighting styles referred to as “JHR” or “Jailhouse Rock”. 52 Blocks and their variants are similar to the martial arts of capoeira and savate, both of which were fighting systems associated with urban criminal subcultures, which went through a gradual process of codification before becoming established as accessible mainstream martial arts. Other variations of the JHR collection are the Comstock, San Quentin-style, Mount Meg, and Stato, each named in reference to the prison in which it began. As it gained popularity and exposure in the early 1970s, Jail House Rock appears to have first appeared in the media in an article about prison martial arts called “KARATE IN PRISON: Threat or Means of Survival?” Spiritual?” in Black Belt Magazine, July 1974.
Despite popular belief, 52 Blocks is not a Western style of boxing, nor is it Wing Chun mixed with Western boxing. Considered a defensive style that creates openings for the offense through constant movement, the fighter blocks/catches punches with the forearms and elbows. Short power shots, fluid movement and counter attacks are all aspects of 52 that are emphasized, while using sharp and evasive footwork. Unlike boxing but similar to Muay Thai, elbows are commonly used to strike the opponent.
Much of the argument and conflicting information about 52 Blocks stems from whether or not the style has been influenced by “uprocking” or what most of us call breakdancing. This link is believed by some to be the aspect of some of the fighting techniques inspired by or copied from “diss moves” borrowed from the Brooklyn Rock or uprock style of breakdancing. It seems you can find as many sources making these links between 52 and urban dance as the opposite, making it the subject of 52 with the most conflicting information.
As many practitioners of 52 have felt that his system has been overlooked for a long time, it is now beginning to take its rightful place in martial arts history, the product of increasing media coverage over the long haul. Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight, is one of the high-profile boxers to first endorse 52 and professional boxers including Mike Tyson, Zab Judah and Bernard Hopkins have proven the style’s existence, giving it a voice of legitimacy of real boxers. Rashad Evans, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, has also touted the 52 and its effectiveness.
