Why is stance so important?

[William]

The closest thing I have trained in that may be called a stance, is the gunfighters pose. Which is basically like normal a walking stance(Very good for Pre-emptive striking) if surprise is gone I simply put my arms up as if jogging.

I have done horse stance training with my kettlebells, but mostly for developing balance and core strength(from my experience thats what the horse stance must be used for, and maybe for actual horse back fighting).

I simply feel that the human body is most relaxed when in its natural form, and without tension I feel I can Deliver/Avoid blows with ease in this state. I think the best advantage to it is the fact that I can usually avoid having to parry or block, by quickly and easily moving out of the line or circle of attack.

I prefer not to give the opponent a sense of myself parrying only if neccesary, and preferring to give them no stopping point and simply letting them over-extend themselves by missing me.

I may be missing something though? So if anyone could please explain the advantages of stance-work.

Peace be with you all

[SunTzu]

So if anyone could please explain the advantages of stance-work.

1. developing leg strength
2. developing balance (ie. correct structure)
3. developing a firm root

Correct stance is important, because, power is generated by the legs it is the sole foundation of every movement.

[William]

If one did develop these things, would it be incorrect to assume that one should then evolve to forget about stance and focus on natural movement?

The reasons you mentioned are the only reasons I have practiced stance. (Horse Stance in Roller Blades doing Kettle Bell Work is interesting/painfull)

But I never have actually used a stance other than a controlled upright walking posture(GunFighters Pose) in an actual situation.

If I have balance, understand the core, and am deeply rooted, does it not make sense to then rely on whats natural? or is this limiting to myself?

I guess I move kinda like a blade of grass. I have roots but the wind moves me.

[SunTzu]

If one did develop these things, would it be incorrect to assume that one should then evolve to forget about stance and focus on natural movement?

Yes you're quite right, as long as the basic principles of each stance continue to be applied it doesn't really matter anymore. But one continues to practice because development (and learning) is infinite.

The reasons you mentioned are the only reasons I have practiced stance. (Horse Stance in Roller Blades doing Kettle Bell Work is interesting/painfull)

I wouldn't recommend that. Chances are strong that you're getting used to an incorrect posture that way. Probably by sticking your butt out. Otherwise you most likely will start rolling away.

But I never have actually used a stance other than a controlled upright walking posture(GunFighters Pose) in an actual situation.

Look at it this way...

- Every time you step forward, you actually are doing bow and arrow stance
- Every time you step to the left with your right leg (or vice versa) to dodge something you're doing a cross-stance
- Everytime you step left with your left leg, you do a horse stance
- Everytime you step backwards you do a crane stance

And so on and so on ..

If I have balance, understand the core, and am deeply rooted, does it not make sense to then rely on whats natural? or is this limiting to myself?

You're right, but as I said before above, it's only limiting when you stop practice. It is said that practicing Gongfu takes a lifetime, and even still when facing death there are many things yet to understand.

I guess I move kinda like a blade of grass. I have roots but the wind moves me.

That means you're not strongly rooted yet, you need to bring your mind (Yi) into the ground and use your stance to become one with the ground.

[William]

Really late reply to this but yeah, I got ya. Fundamentals/Roots are important

I've been doing a good deal of Fundamental work as of late,
Its a pain, but well it definitely increases my Intent, and my legs are stronger.
Though usually I feel the need to have a backpack(With good frame no off balancing) full of sandbags when I do it.

[Yue]

Is it normal to get knee pain in the joint after maybe four minutes of horse stance?

[joeblast]

If you dont build up to it gradually enough, there are a vast amount of things that can hurt...pushing yourself is good, pushing yourself too far is counterproductive. I'd probably injure my knees if I tried 4 minutes right now

[Yue]

Really? Wow. I typically feel a slight ache in the knees after doing any low stances for longer than fifteen seconds, especially horse and four-six. My knees must be pretty weak.

[citrus538]

Strength is a huge reason to practice stances. Without good leg strength you will just not be very mobile in your fighting. In a low 4-6 stance you can hop twice as far as walking one step, and in the same amount of time. I believe it also helps your kicking speed and power, but I'll leave that kind of judgement to somebody with more experience : )

Even though you stand higher in fighting than in practice, you will still have a lower center of balance than somebody who has not developed their leg strength. This gives you a definite advantage.

[misterwhite]

You have two types of muscles; mobilizers and stabilizers.

Mobilizing muscles are what you use to pick up a weight. These are what you train in weight training. They alone do not give you power.


Stabilizers are the muscles that hold everything together. You almost never train them as they are always overshadowed by the mobilizers. The only way to train the stabilizers is through stance training.


It is of the utmost importance to relax the mobilizing muscles in order to train the stabilizers. If you don't train your stabilizers, you won't have what the east calls "root".


Here is a test. Stand in a relaxed stance with your feet shoulder width apart, arms at your sides. Knees unlocked, the crown of your head held as if attached by a thread to the sky.

Stand that way for 20 minutes wihout moving. If you can do that without effort, then you have good stabilzer tone. It is very very rare that you will be able to stand this way for very long without stance training.

[joeblast]

I really noticed how much everyone fidgets and shuffles when I was in church last week for my great aunt's funeral. I was able to stand still and barely move and all, noticing other people shifting their weight all over the place, one leg, the other, both, locking knees...I feel glad I learned how to stand properly...comfortably

[Yue]

When in deng san bu (mountain-climbing stance), does your torso face the opponent or does the hip on the same side as your front leg face the opponent? It seems like it would be wiser to be in a side-on position and avoid squaring up the torso so the opponent will have less of a target to attack, but I've only seen deng san bu in a squared-up position.