Tall people shouldn't squat

[Sin]

I am a fairly tall guy.....6 ft.......my style is based on RYUKYU KEMPO and dits mostly Boxing, my teacher keeps tell me to squat and keep my knees bent all the time..Now I have gotten better at it but still I can not get as low as he can, and he is like a whole foot shorter than me. I feel like I am trying my best but its not good enough....What to you suggest...should I keep trying, or try to find some other stance that whouldn't hinder my knees.....Now don['t get me wrong the style works just it gets so damn difficult...............Or and I just being a wimp about it. :jedi1:

 

[rmcrobertson]

My original teacher was also a foot shorter that I.

Bend your knees.

 

[The Kai]

squatting with your weight forward throws your weight into the front of the knee joint, stressing the ligimants, tendons. Think of keeping your weight centered in your feet. This way your quads pick up the stress.

I know everybody says "keep on the balls of your feet". Which you can do with keeping your weight centered with practice. In the end do what is right for you
Todd

 

[Sin]

A friend of mine told me not to just shift my weight down but forward.........was that a good suggestion.

 

[bignick]

i'm 6'5'' and with some techniques in judo/jujutsu it gives me problems because i have such a hard time getting under a shorter person...just keep working at it...you'll find what works for me

 

[OUMoose]

I feel your pain. My original teacher was probably over a foot shorter than me. You just have to adapt to what feels comfortable to you. Explain to your teacher the difficulties you're having, and he may have some insight on how to help you further.

 

[The Kai]

A friend of mine told me not to just shift my weight down but forward.........was that a good suggestion.

No it will stress out the knees even further.
as a test assume a horse stance and slowly roll your weight to your toes, where do you feel the pressure?
Now assume the same stance drop your hands straight down, going behind your legs. as you squat down th=ink of your fingers touching your achilles tendon, while your weight shifts to your heels (you can actually pull your toes off the floor). Where do you fell your weight?
Todd

 

[Shurikan]

I am also 6'0" and train in prof chow's kempo and he was only 5'3 or 5'4 so we do alot of stuff to get under our opponent, and it is worth it. I dont have a problem with my knees but it was difficult when i first started training years ago to get down and do these tech. but it has paid off for me as now i have a much more versitile arsonel of tech to use.

 

[AaronLucia]

If you can't get it..just keep trying!

 

[Tydive]

Make sure you never let your knee pass your toes... that is the one easy thing that will keep you from getting your knee scoped.

 

[Trent]

I'm 6'4" and my instructors are shorter than me. All my students, but two, have been shorter than me. The two that were taller were 6'9" and 6'11" respectively. KunTao Silat has some very low movements which are worked on for protracted periods of time that yield real benefits in conditioning and application when proficient with them.

Excellent advice to never place your knee in front of your toes. It's just good structure and if you start working hard and long at low movements or squatting with weight it will save your knees.

That said, I squat lower than all of my students for longer periods of time. The vast majority of the time, unfortunately, it is simple conditioning. As an earlier post stated, "Keep at it." You need to build up strength in your muscles, tendons and ligaments in your legs and knees. It will get easier over time, but will take awhile. If you are experienceing sharp, knife like pains at certain times instead of the burning, "Oh this hurts and I'm tired" pain, go see a physician and get checked out; you may have some real structural problems that need to be addressed. However, it's unlikely or you would have bumped into that type of pain already when first attempting the movements, and the pain gets worse through use over time instead of better as in a conditioning matter.

Two of my students are about 5'7" and my stances are about 8" to 10" shorter than them while moving while I continue to tell them to get lower. An old familiar line to many people I'm sure. There is a purpose for it other than conditioning and explosiveness in application which will become clear as you rise in experience. That said, it's not realistic to assume that someone my size will move like someone 5'4" in low stances. The physics simply isn't there, but I do work and keep trying. It really assists in a multitude of ways. I've been told due to my size and conditioning that being able to move fluidly and low with proper structure usage and application makes for a very difficult to handle combatant.

Best wishes, and keep at it.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Work on your leg strength, and you knees won't hurt anymore. I'm a Kenpo guy, and I had knee probs, myself, until I took a S h i t o Ryu class in college. And just like magic, my knees quit hurting and my stances were lower. All it took was a little hard work. If you would just trust these guys your power will increase, and actualy be able to perform some of your foot maneuvers faster.
Sean

 

[rmcrobertson]

I forgot: don't squat, kneel. And it may help to constantly check whether you've got your back straight.

It can be done. Guys I train with are 6' 9" and they can get down there, so...

Could be worse--could be kalirippatyu. I thought I had low stances...then I saw a demo....damn.

 

[Touch Of Death]

I forgot: don't squat, kneel. And it may help to constantly check whether you've got your back straight.

So you kneel while stepping through in reverse?

 

[rmcrobertson]

What the heck are you talking about? I suppose that if you break down one version of a step-through in reverse, you'd get a sequence--rear bow; cat stance; rear cross/twist stance; neutral bow--but I don't see any kneels there.

There are some interesting transitions, using kneels, in the older, "A Pattern of Alternating Stances," in Mr. Parker's "Secrets of Chinese Karate."

But I'm simply noting that if you squat rather than kneel, no wonder your knees hurt.

 

[markulous]

I am 6'4". I think training in a low stance is good for flexibility and strength but I would never kid myself thinking I would actually use that in a real fight other than to duck something really quick.

 

[Touch Of Death]

What the heck are you talking about? I suppose that if you break down one version of a step-through in reverse, you'd get a sequence--rear bow; cat stance; rear cross/twist stance; neutral bow--but I don't see any kneels there.

There are some interesting transitions, using kneels, in the older, "A Pattern of Alternating Stances," in Mr. Parker's "Secrets of Chinese Karate."

But I'm simply noting that if you squat rather than kneel, no wonder your knees hurt.

That little sequence you just mentioned is called a squat. That is what I'm talking about.
Sean

 

[rmcrobertson]

Markulous, I have GOT to introduce you to Dexter.

Otherwise, no, it is not. Squats and kneels--at least in American kenpo--are altogether different. In point of fact, "squats," are discussed entirely as what to avoid. Uh...I find it hard to believe that you did not know this? Since a close kneel is a forward bow dropped low, and a wide kneel is a neutral bow dropped low?

Neither is a squat, which involves dropping the *** lower than the knees. Trust me...I'm part Welsh, and my people have been singing baritone, selling Dylan Thomas souvenirs, and squatting before the coal face or waiting for the calf's face to emerge since time immemorial.

 

[markulous]

Markulous, I have GOT to introduce you to Dexter.

Who/why is that?

 

[Touch Of Death]

Markulous, I have GOT to introduce you to Dexter.

Otherwise, no, it is not. Squats and kneels--at least in American kenpo--are altogether different. In point of fact, "squats," are discussed entirely as what to avoid. Uh...I find it hard to believe that you did not know this? Since a close kneel is a forward bow dropped low, and a wide kneel is a neutral bow dropped low?

Neither is a squat, which involves dropping the *** lower than the knees...

Actualy that is not entirly true. The American kenpoists that subscribe to this concept understand that you start to kneel forward and you start to squat back, but catch your self before completion with your other leg, hence, a stepthrough while down in stance. American Kenpo and its beliefs are different from school to school; so, you are better off saying there are no squats and kneels in the LTKKA.
Sean