What's the point in having stances on forms?

[FlamingJulian]

Is there a benefit to stances in forms (poomsae, kata....)? They're so complicated and idk they just don't make sense ugh!

 

[RTKDCMB]

You have to stand somehow, might as well do it properly.

 

[drop bear]

They can train your core and balance. We don't do stances but do similar movement exercises that are similar.

 

[Tez3]

The Function of Stances | Iain Abernethy

 

[Gnarlie]

It's not so much the stance but the movement that gets you into and out of it that is important. It teaches you how to apply body weight correctly.

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[Buka]

The same point as having a stance when fighting, as having a solid foundation to a building, to having a root system to a tree, to having good wheels on a car.

 

[Red Sun]

A stance is a platform for power generation. You can also generate power by catapulting yourself around, if that's what you prefer. The risk is launching yourself into a counterattack.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Is there a benefit to stances in forms (poomsae, kata....)? They're so complicated and idk they just don't make sense ugh!

Since a stance is just a way of arranging the body, it would be difficult NOT to have them in your forms (or in anything, for that matter). If you're talking about specific stances, with very exacting requirements, there are reasons for that, as well. Often, if a student isn't held to very exacting stances, he or she will drift into stances that are not effective for the situation (poor balance, weak in a specific area, poor mobility or stability, etc.). Forms - whether they are long forms or short forms - often have fairly exacting stances, to require good control of the body. Long forms tend to be controlled very rigorously by the instructor so that they remain consistent across generations.

My personal belief is that exacting stances are useful at two points: early in training (to encourage good habits) and later, as one is preparing to become an instructor (so you know your model is good enough to develop good students).

 

[JowGaWolf]

I don't know about other systems, but in Kung Fu some of the techniques only work if you are in a specific stance at a specific height. The one that I use as a demonstration is the lower cross block. Shown below. This technique can be used to block a kick to the groin, but only if you use it at the proper height and in the correct stance. You can see below that they have the correct stance (bow stance) but only one has the correct height.correct height. When the stance is low, it will meet the kick before it gains full power. If the stance is too high then it meets the kick at full power and you sill get kick in the groin. Notice that for the guy the guard is lower (by looking at the belt) compared to the students who have the guard above the waist. You can try this technique with any stance and you'll find that the bow stance is the only stance that fits. The better your bow stance the further away you can move the groin out of range and the easier it is to block the kick at it's weakest point. Get lazy with this stance and the technique will fail.

Lower stances will also help you to avoid take downs. Striking systems will take a lower stance that also allows them to punch and defend against the grappling.
This is only one reason why stances are good to practice.

In general stances provide you with the necessary structure required to do a technique. If you have a weak stance then your technique will be weak.

 

[Flying Crane]

Is there a benefit to stances in forms (poomsae, kata....)? They're so complicated and idk they just don't make sense ugh!

Since you are new to training you need to recognize that there are some things that will not be clear to you until you have more experience with it.

That being said, it often is not so much the stance itself, as it is the transition from one stance to another, that is important. It is during that change, is where the real work gets done. That is how you drive power in your techniques, how you punch strongly, etc. The stance itself is just the end posture of that movement, and often doesn't mean much by itself, however it is a reference posture for training purposes.

It is my impression that many people, including "instructors," do not understand this. They just copy the general look of a stance and that is it for them, without understanding how the stances should be really useful. So hopefully your instructor does not fall into this category.

 

[Kickboxer101]

I won't go into all the technical stuff but one main thing it'd look awful if someone came into watch and everyone was doing stuff with their legs all over the place and try and do your katas without a stance see how it feels everything's there for a reason

 

[Dirty Dog]

If the stances feel complicated, you're probably not doing them right.

 

[FlamingJulian]

You have to stand somehow, might as well do it properly.

You are funny lol


-Julian

 

[FlamingJulian]

If the stances feel complicated, you're probably not doing them right.

Now they don't feel complicated but it took hard work that could've been spent on something a little better


-Julian

 

[FlamingJulian]

I won't go into all the technical stuff but one main thing it'd look awful if someone came into watch and everyone was doing stuff with their legs all over the place and try and do your katas without a stance see how it feels everything's there for a reason

True lol


-Julian

 

[FlamingJulian]

Since you are new to training you need to recognize that there are some things that will not be clear to you until you have more experience with it.

That being said, it often is not so much the stance itself, as it is the transition from one stance to another, that is important. It is during that change, is where the real work gets done. That is how you drive power in your techniques, how you punch strongly, etc. The stance itself is just the end posture of that movement, and often doesn't mean much by itself, however it is a reference posture for training purposes.

It is my impression that many people, including "instructors," do not understand this. They just copy the general look of a stance and that is it for them, without understanding how the stances should be really useful. So hopefully your instructor does not fall into this category.

Umm I'm not really new to training. Been training for 5 years. And I get what u saying


-Julian

 

[RTKDCMB]

Umm I'm not really new to training. Been training for 5 years.

It's all relative.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Now they don't feel complicated but it took hard work that could've been spent on something a little better

No, it could not. If you have crappy stances you're going to have crappy technique.

 

[WaterGal]

I know it can be difficult to remember which stance goes where when you learn a form, and that can be frustrating, but they do have value.

Maybe we could give you some examples that are actually from your forms. What forms does your school teach? (Taegeuk forms, Palgwe forms, Chang Hon forms, etc.)

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Now they don't feel complicated but it took hard work that could've been spent on something a little better


-Julian

Ah, but the point of doing them then was so that they would be more "natural" now - and not feel complicated. That time that feels like it could have been spent elsewhere is why your stances are what they are today. Leave that out, and much else would become more complicated.