Could clear up some misconceptions...
Sean
Well, in Tibetan White Crane we use a full body pivot to generate power, probably most people who don't practice this type of thing would say that we over-pivot. But this gives us a tremendous amount of power, as well as adding to our reach. And we can shorten the movement if appropriate, while still having this power. If you develop it with the full movement, you can later use it in a shortened version. If you only practice the shorter version, you can never switch to the long version.
In a very basic version of how we punch, we would start with the feet squared facing forward, slightly wider than shoulder width, and the stance is pretty high. Not a deep horse at all.
We pivot from the feet and up thru the torso and turn the body until the torso is sideways to the opponent in front. The feet can pivot as much as 45 degrees, but as you develop your technique, your feet may actually stay in place while still driving the pivot thru the waist and the torso. In a way, this is kind of a high bow stance. As we make the pivot, we use that torque to throw the striking hand forward, while whipping the other hand back, which helps develop forward force for the striking hand. We pivot back and forth this way, throwing the strikes forward, but the torso, like I stated, is turned sideways at the time of the strike. At full extension of the strike, you can draw a straight line down the arm, across the shoulders, and down the other arm. And you have turned your torso sideways to the enemy at this point.
Turning like this gives us additional reach, and the pivoting body encourages incoming strikes to pass by or glance off with minimal effect. We pivot back and forth, throwing different kinds of strikes from many directions, very quickly to overwhelm the enemy. There are straight punches, as well as swinging and whipping punches that come in from the sides, over the top, and from below. The arms are relaxed, we rely on the pivot to generate power, and they hit like a wrecking maul.
Now to transition into the bow stance.
Essentially, we run forward while throwing these strikes. The idea is to charge down and overwhelm the bad guy with a blitz of strikes from everywhere. As we charge, we pivot and strike. The stance now is a bit different from an actual bow stance, it's really more like you are in the middle of a running stride. While doing this, we need to close the groin at each stride, so there are still some "bow" similarities. But we don't stop the torso pivot when the shoulders are squared forward, like many arts. We continue the pivot until the torso is again turned sideways. Right hand is striking while left foot is forward, just like you walk or run, only much exaggerated. take another step, pivot the torso and throw another strike. And again. And again...
in our forms, you can often see a more classical "bow" stance. But again, we make the same "extreme" pivot as I described in the running charge.
this is very difficult to describe in writing, hope you all can get a visual.
