Are low stances useless?

ST1Doppelganger

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If it works why is it not applicable to sparring?

It can work in sparring but you better make sure you hit your opponent with that power jab since your dedicating yourself to it due to sinking in to a low stance.

In my opinion its hard to get a power jab to KO someone in sparring but for self defense a lead handed spear hand, leopards fist or a sharp object to a vital point can hurt someone enough so you can overwhelm them and finish them.
 

Xue Sheng

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Jingang dao dui

That is a form from chen style taijiquan.

It is low and has multiple apps. One is uprooting and or unbalancing your opponent an if done at the proper time it is very effective. Another is for stepping on the opponents foot, and I have been told that Chen Zhenglei can crush small stones with it...think of whst it can do to someones foot.

No stance works in every situation, low, high both have thier place.
 

ST1Doppelganger

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OK leopards fist.
p1030142.jpg


Spear hand.

set_4_chudan_4.jpg


You could do a punch from either of those positions. So you could spar throwing punches from those stances. If you feel those stances give you some advantage.

Or you could throw those strikes from other stances if you feel they give you some advantage.

Sparring will let you know which punches will let you hit know which strikes will hit targets and which won't. Extending your fingers and hitting pressure points makes no real difference.

Yes those are the strikes I'm speaking of but not done with the concept I was speaking of.

Say you have a right cat stance (most people usually have higher cat stance then horse already) with a left handed block then you twist (preferably half step a bit forward with right foot) and drop in to a lower horse stance throwing your lead hand out with a strike to a vital point.

The twisting and stance drop gives you the extra range and power that might make the difference in a life and death situation especially when blades are involved.

P.S. This is probably not one of the easier energies to get a good grasp on and takes some time to understand it but thats why its kung fu.
 

ST1Doppelganger

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When I read this post, I thought "this is absolutely absurd and flies in the face of physics." However, I've seen mythbusters. I tried it against the wall. Myth confirmed. I did not realize that would happen. That's incredible.

Did you mean myth or fact confirmed?
 

Dirty Dog

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Did you mean myth or fact confirmed?
He's quoting Mythbusters...
They test myths - things that "everybody knows" to see if they're true or not. The the myth is either "busted" "confirmed" or "plausible".
The show is entertaining, and most of the time their science is actually pretty good.
And they blow stuff up...
 

skribs

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He's quoting Mythbusters...
They test myths - things that "everybody knows" to see if they're true or not. The the myth is either "busted" "confirmed" or "plausible".
The show is entertaining, and most of the time their science is actually pretty good.
And they blow stuff up...

You bolded the wrong part of the post :p
 

Touch Of Death

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You bolded the wrong part of the post :p
Another fact is that the human body, for some reason, is designed so that you have to bend your knees, a lot, to make your upper body position itself to keep your hands at or above your head. If your knees aren't bent, it feels and is weak an unnatural. :)
 

Touch Of Death

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Another fact is that the human body, for some reason, is designed so that you have to bend your knees, a lot, to make your upper body position itself to keep your hands at or above your head. If your knees aren't bent, it feels and is weak an unnatural. :)
consider the clean and jerk. :)
 

ST1Doppelganger

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He's quoting Mythbusters...
They test myths - things that "everybody knows" to see if they're true or not. The the myth is either "busted" "confirmed" or "plausible".
The show is entertaining, and most of the time their science is actually pretty good.
And they blow stuff up...

Yes I know what mythbusters is and it's quite entertaining even though my wife can't stand it LOL.

I just didn't know if he was saying he tried it and understood the concept I was describing or if he was saying it was just some Kung fu training myth that had no practical effect.
 

drop bear

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It can work in sparring but you better make sure you hit your opponent with that power jab since your dedicating yourself to it due to sinking in to a low stance.

In my opinion its hard to get a power jab to KO someone in sparring but for self defense a lead handed spear hand, leopards fist or a sharp object to a vital point can hurt someone enough so you can overwhelm them and finish them.

But you are still committing to an all or nothing approach.

(Actually I don't think you are but that is the suggestion)

And then relying on 1 strike to finish the guy. And I am not sure why you would adopt that method of attack when that sort of strike can be thrown from any striking system.

So regardless of the sort of hand shape. The stance works or it doesn't. It either works in sparring or it doesn't. In this instance.

So to make it really simple if the stance gives me range and power it will give me range and power regardless if I am say wearing a set of boxing gloves and moving around with a guy. Or if I am trying to fire spear hands at peoples vulnerable areas
 

HG1

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I read somewhere that the low stances in Hung Gar were because it was practiced on a boat with a low ceiling. I don't know if it's true or not.
Yes, I've heard most of the Southern kung fu styles practiced on boats at some time or another.

We do quite a bit of low stances in the forms and drill work. We utilize the strength it develops in rooting and attacking an opponents stance/legs. That being said, you have to fight on all levels. An over dependence on low immobile or slow moving stances can easily be exploited. My CLF, WC, SPM & MT friends have taught me some painful lessons when I did not have a clue to it's proper usage.
 

skribs

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Pretty sure Savate was practiced on boats, but I know very little about it (including their stances). It was what French sailors used that they learned in the East.

ST1, I was just quoting the show. When I read what you said, I thought it had to be a myth (how does going lower make you go forward), but I see that it works. I still have no idea how it works.
 

ST1Doppelganger

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Pretty sure Savate was practiced on boats, but I know very little about it (including their stances). It was what French sailors used that they learned in the East.

ST1, I was just quoting the show. When I read what you said, I thought it had to be a myth (how does going lower make you go forward), but I see that it works. I still have no idea how it works.

Yes I figured that out earlier Skribs the quote was for dirty dog.

Yes savate was developed on the boats from French sailors seeing Kung Fu when they were trading with the Chinese.
 

Reedone816

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In silat there are school that specialized in only low stance, they even trained under the table.
From what they showed me, it is really hard to aim low if you are standing and they are well versed in joint break and takedown on leg.
You can find in youtube this school: silek harimau (sumatra), silat troktok, silat terumbu (banten/java).
Sent from my RM-943_apac_indonesia_207 using Tapatalk
 

drop bear

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Just did a mma seminar with a reputable guy. And yeah low stances were part of it. The idea that was put across was that pretty much your stances for striking does the exact opposite to stances in wrestling and for mma. Low stances prevent takedowns and enable you to shoot in for your own takedowns quicker. But you are loosing mobility. Some kicking and is fatiguing over the long term.

To engage in both you have to compromise between them both.

VINNY-GOOD-STANCE-IN-SEMIS-IMG_0531.jpg
 

RTKDCMB

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He's quoting Mythbusters...
They test myths - things that "everybody knows" to see if they're true or not. The the myth is either "busted" "confirmed" or "plausible".
The show is entertaining, and most of the time their science is actually pretty good.
And they blow stuff up...

And they have Kari Byron.
 

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