Blocking is one of the most critical and underrated skills in Mortal Kombat 11. One failed block can cost you an entire round, and as you climb the ranks or face tougher AI, your defense becomes your foundation. In this episode of the beginner tip series by Mad Dog Games, we break down how to build your blocking habits, learn character-specific defense, and punish with confidence—step by step.

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Why Blocking Is So Important in MK11

MK11 features a 50/50-heavy combat system—many characters have overhead and low mix-ups that can be hard to defend. Blocking requires not only execution but patience, anticipation, and good habits. As a beginner, it might feel overwhelming, but developing these fundamentals early will give you a huge edge.

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Step 1: Train Your Defense in Practice Mode

The first step to improving your block game is to build muscle memory:

• Go to Practice Mode
• Set the AI difficulty to Hard or Very Hard
• Do nothing but block for 5–10 minutes

Why this works:

• It trains your body to react defensively under pressure
• It teaches you to identify overheads, lows, and throws
• It’s a low-stakes environment for learning to anticipate and react

Pro Tip: While blocking, don’t mash buttons—focus solely on observing and reacting.

This exercise also gives you a crash course in teching throws, since the AI will often attempt grabs. To tech a throw:

• Press any attack button during the first few frames of being grabbed
• If done too late, it will say “Escape Failed”

Doing this over and over builds your reaction speed and sharpens your timing.

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Step 2: Matchup Strategy – Learn to Block Specific Characters

The next step is learning how to block character-specific offense. Start by asking yourself: Which character do I struggle defending against most? If the answer is someone like Sonya, with strong overhead/low options, do this:

• Set Sonya as the opponent in practice mode
• Let the AI use common strings and mix-ups
• Focus on reading her animations and guessing her mix-ups

While it’s true that no one can block everything, your job is to minimize damage by making educated guesses. Once you’re comfortable with one matchup, repeat the process with others.

Challenge yourself by practicing against corner pressure next. The corner is where most players—especially beginners—break down defensively. Practicing here builds composure under pressure.

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Step 3: Recognize and Practice Punish Opportunities

Blocking isn’t just about defense. It’s also about turning defense into offense. That’s where punishing comes in.

A punish is a guaranteed attack you land during an opponent’s recovery after a blocked move. These are huge momentum shifters.

To learn how to punish without worrying about frame data:

• Continue your AI blocking practice
• After you block a string or special move, immediately strike back
• Observe what tools of yours are fast enough to land after a block

This helps you:

• Discover which of your buttons are safest and quickest
• Understand what moves the opponent cannot throw out without risk
• Build natural reactions to unsafe play

Over time, this will help you turn the tide of a match by punishing unsafe moves reliably.

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Step 4: Build Experience Over Time

Improving defense isn’t a one-session process. It comes through repetition and exposure:

• Play Towers, AI battles, and online matches to gain matchup familiarity
• Practice blocking and punishing in every game mode
• Focus on one or two troublesome matchups until they feel manageable

The more matchups you understand, the more confident you become. Many players panic when facing rarely picked characters—they don’t know what to expect. That’s why expanding your matchup knowledge is just as important as building your reactions.

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Final Thoughts: Blocking = Growth

Blocking is not about guessing right every time—it’s about staying calm, reading situations, and reducing risk. By taking time to develop these fundamentals, you’re on your way to becoming a well-rounded player.

Recap of the Method:

1. Practice blocking vs. AI (Hard/Very Hard) to develop muscle memory
2. Learn specific character offense to predict mix-ups
3. Practice punishes to turn defense into offense
4. Accumulate experience across all game modes

You’re not going to block everything—but over time, you’ll block more, react faster, and stay composed where others crack.

“Blocking is the gate you must pass through to reach mastery.”

Thanks for following this episode of the beginner series. If you found it helpful, be sure to mash that like button and share it with friends who want to sharpen their MK11 defense.

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