Stances

[terryl965]

Which stances do you love and which ones are your least favorite.

Me I love the fore balance, I like wider and deeper stances compare to the long stances of the Tae Gueks.

The cat stance is probaly my least favorite really never ever seen a reason to be in one.

Just to be fair the backstance is great but not pactilar on the streets.

 

[Shaderon]

I have only been taught three stances up to now, Walking, Sitting and L stance.

The one of these that's giving me trouble right now is L stance, I keep putting my weight too far forwards and my feet too close together, I do watch for it and change it and I know when it feels wrong but I can't stop doing it, especially in patterns.

Sitting stance is my best, I got it from the start and never have to be corrected on it. It just feels natural and I can sit there all day, I guess it's horse riding muscles that help with it.

 

[terryl965]

I have only been taught three stances up to now, Walking, Sitting and L stance.

The one of these that's giving me trouble right now is L stance, I keep putting my weight too far forwards and my feet too close together, I do watch for it and change it and I know when it feels wrong but I can't stop doing it, especially in patterns.

Sitting stance is my best, I got it from the start and never have to be corrected on it. It just feels natural and I can sit there all day, I guess it's horse riding muscles that help with it.

I guess when you say L stance you mean Back stance, front leg straight and back leg bent and wieght shifted to the back leg.

 

[TKDmel]

I tend to like them all. I endeavor to perfect each one. I agree with Terry in that the cat stance is not really practical, but during forms its only done for a moment or so, so I think I can live with it.

 

[Shaderon]

Niunja Sogi, L stance.

Front leg slightly bent, back leg slightly more bent, weight distribution 70% on rear leg and 30% on front leg. Front foot pointing forwards, rear foot pointing sidewards, 2cm gap between the front to back parallel lines that the heels sit on.

If that's it then I guess it's what you call Back stance.

 

[Sukerkin]

I wonder if we're talking about the same thing when speaking of 'cat stance'? For me, that is a fairly narrow stance, leading shoulder turned towards the opponent, with the weight balanced on the balls of the feet and the front foot turned slightly inwards.

I only comment because that's the stance I used to use most of the time when sparring as it gave complete freedom of movement and reaction, especially for kicks and evasions.

EDIT: Noticed I'm in the TKD forum .. ignore my Lau Gar reminiscing.

 

[IcemanSK]

While the cat stance isn't a "practical" stance for a street fight, it does have a good purpose. It teaches how to be able to throw a strong kick when one is off balance. It's rare in a SD situation that one would always be in the ideal stance to throw a good technique. The same goes for the twisted stances of the open-nand high block/knifehands (as in Tae Geuk Som Jang).

These are sneaky ways to get us to practice being off balance when we kick. Just in case we find ourselves in such a situation.

 

[Laurentkd]

I like horse stance, because I think a good one is very impressive. That is actually the stance I have been focusing on lately, trying to make it really good (quads parallel to the ground, back completely straight, hands locked behind hip bone.. you know the kind!)

 

[Shaderon]

I like horse stance, because I think a good one is very impressive. That is actually the stance I have been focusing on lately, trying to make it really good (quads parallel to the ground, back completely straight, hands locked behind hip bone.. you know the kind!)

Yep that's our "Sitting stance", isn't it funny how we all have different names for things yet we all know what we mean.

 

[jim777]

I like the horse stance as well, and back stance. In my school the instructors will ask for a "fighting stance", which is the horse stance sideways, or simply facing to your left with hands up in a guarding block. Lots of options from that stance with a smaller target area. But I'm a low ranking colored belt, so take everything I say with a spoon of salt

 

[jdinca]

Interesting. I love the cat stance. Unweighting the front leg makes it possible to throw a fast forward snap kick without telegraphing. It can also be subtle enough that the other guy just thinks your backing away.

 

[Kacey]

Terry - Shaderon, like me, uses ITF terminology - so here's a quick translation:

L-stance = back stance
Walking stance = front/forward stance
Sitting stance = horse stance
Rear foot stance = cat stance

I'll try to watch for others as they come up.

As far as your question goes... I like L-stance; it's easy to move in, your front foot has less weight on it, so it's easier to kick with your front leg, harder to be swept, and easier to pivot. For sparring, I tend to use a modified L-stance my sahbum calls 11 stance - both feet parallel, about a shoulder width apart, with both feet pointing at angle (usually between 15 and 45 degrees) while the body faces somewhat more forward.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Which stances do you love and which ones are your least favorite.

Me I love the fore balance, I like wider and deeper stances compare to the long stances of the Tae Gueks.

The cat stance is probaly my least favorite really never ever seen a reason to be in one.

Just to be fair the backstance is great but not pactilar on the streets.

Please explain your position on the cat stance. I want to tear into it.:ultracool
Sean

 

[jdinca]

Please explain your position on the cat stance. I want to tear into it.:ultracool
Sean

Get him, TOD!!! :wuguns:

 

[GlassJaw]

It teaches how to be able to throw a strong kick when one is off balance. It's rare in a SD situation that one would always be in the ideal stance to throw a good technique. The same goes for the twisted stances of the open-nand high block/knifehands (as in Tae Geuk Som Jang).

Don't you mean Tae Guek Sah Jang? That's the one that has the simultaneous open-hand high block and inverted knifehand/sudo.

But I don't think the stance on that is really twisted. It's a standard long front stance with square shoulders. It feels ackward, though, because the strike is reverse and both hands are travelling to the same general area, so there's little counter-motion from which to derive power.

The stance that I find twisted in that form is the reverse out-to-in ulnar hammer block executed from a back stance. Your torso is twisted so that your shoulders are skewed from the angle of your hips by 90-135 degrees (depending on whether your style teaches square or turned shoulders for blocks). And it comes right as the weight shifts back following a front kick with the back leg. I have no doubt that that was put in there for the express purpose of challenging one's sense of balance.

GlassJaw

 

[Laurentkd]

Terry - Shaderon, like me, uses ITF terminology - so here's a quick translation:

L-stance = back stance
Walking stance = front/forward stance
Sitting stance = horse stance
Rear foot stance = cat stance

I'll try to watch for others as they come up.

As far as your question goes... I like L-stance; it's easy to move in, your front foot has less weight on it, so it's easier to kick with your front leg, harder to be swept, and easier to pivot. For sparring, I tend to use a modified L-stance my sahbum calls 11 stance - both feet parallel, about a shoulder width apart, with both feet pointing at angle (usually between 15 and 45 degrees) while the body faces somewhat more forward.

Is your L-stance fairly shallow and legs fairly close together (like the "new" WTF stance) or is it wide and deep (like the "old" back stance)? Hope I am making sense- is it more of a mobility stance or a stability stance?

 

[Kacey]

Is your L-stance fairly shallow and legs fairly close together (like the "new" WTF stance) or is it wide and deep (like the "old" back stance)? Hope I am making sense- is it more of a mobility stance or a stability stance?

From your description, it's the older one; some people still call it "fighting stance". Measurements are based on your own body, using a shoulder width as the base measurement - L-stance is 1 1/2 shoulder widths long, measured from the front big toe to the rear heel, and the weight is split 70% back leg and 30% front leg. Both feet turn in slightly (front about 15 degrees and back about 25 degrees), both knees are bent, and the stance is about 1" wide, measured between the heels.

There's also a similar stance called fixed stance, which is longer - still 1 1/2 shoulder widths long, but measure from the front heel to the rear heel - and the weight distribution is 50/50. That's mostly used for patterns, though - white belts who don't know fixed stance think they're in L-stance and try to fight from it, which works until the first time someone runs over them.

 

[Laurentkd]

Thanks Kacey!

 

[WMKS Shogun]

Whether you like them or not, each stance has a purpose:

Front- used when moving forward to root the body specifically for punching, and the crescent step many styles use to get into it can be an unbalancing technique.
Back- defensive in nature, this stance is often done when retreating back out of range of an attack after engaging.
Horse- good for shifting weight to make throws more difficult
Cat- another defensive stance that allows for quick front leg counter-attacks.
Walking- trains the students to defend themselves in everyday circumstances without revealing intentions as openly.
Fighting (short, high up back stance version)- a mobile stance that allows evasions and attacks. Since it is not as rooted, attacks will have less force (generally).
Side Stance (wide leg fighting stance)- good for setting up certain throws and skipping kicks.
Crane Stance- useful for developing balance and teaching both leg blocks and sweep evasions.
While this is not a full list of stances nor the uses of the stances mentioned, it is at least a start.

 

[Shaderon]

Terry - Shaderon, like me, uses ITF terminology - so here's a quick translation:

L-stance = back stance
Walking stance = front/forward stance
Sitting stance = horse stance
Rear foot stance = cat stance

I'll try to watch for others as they come up.

As far as your question goes... I like L-stance; it's easy to move in, your front foot has less weight on it, so it's easier to kick with your front leg, harder to be swept, and easier to pivot. For sparring, I tend to use a modified L-stance my sahbum calls 11 stance - both feet parallel, about a shoulder width apart, with both feet pointing at angle (usually between 15 and 45 degrees) while the body faces somewhat more forward.

From your description, it's the older one; some people still call it "fighting stance". Measurements are based on your own body, using a shoulder width as the base measurement - L-stance is 1 1/2 shoulder widths long, measured from the front big toe to the rear heel, and the weight is split 70% back leg and 30% front leg. Both feet turn in slightly (front about 15 degrees and back about 25 degrees), both knees are bent, and the stance is about 1" wide, measured between the heels.

There's also a similar stance called fixed stance, which is longer - still 1 1/2 shoulder widths long, but measure from the front heel to the rear heel - and the weight distribution is 50/50. That's mostly used for patterns, though - white belts who don't know fixed stance think they're in L-stance and try to fight from it, which works until the first time someone runs over them.

Whether you like them or not, each stance has a purpose:

Front- used when moving forward to root the body specifically for punching, and the crescent step many styles use to get into it can be an unbalancing technique.
Back- defensive in nature, this stance is often done when retreating back out of range of an attack after engaging.
Horse- good for shifting weight to make throws more difficult
Cat- another defensive stance that allows for quick front leg counter-attacks.
Walking- trains the students to defend themselves in everyday circumstances without revealing intentions as openly.
Fighting (short, high up back stance version)- a mobile stance that allows evasions and attacks. Since it is not as rooted, attacks will have less force (generally).
Side Stance (wide leg fighting stance)- good for setting up certain throws and skipping kicks.
Crane Stance- useful for developing balance and teaching both leg blocks and sweep evasions.
While this is not a full list of stances nor the uses of the stances mentioned, it is at least a start.

Thanks for this terminology overview people, that's really useful, I sort of knew what people were talking about, but to have if confirmed and all in writing in one place is really useful.