Stance 9.30.2013

Is going into a stance really that important ?

Do we really need to have this perfect stance to make the techniques work?  We always try and concentrate on making the stance we are in a correct one,  back straight , hips low, legs in the right position.  But is this necessary?  When I watch the students doing one-step sparring or working on flow drills, it seems to me when they are working with speed and placement and not worrying about their stance they move faster and smoother. The techniques are working and they are finding their correct distance. Good stance is the foundation of good techniques, and  power comes from the legs. Is worrying about doing a  perfect stance really that important?  When looking at old pictures of the founders of karate their stances are more of an natural, upright position. In modern Okinawan Karate the stances are a little more upright and natural, still using the power of the hips and having the techniques come from the center of their bodies.

To quote Miyamoto Musashi ( Japan’s greatest swordsmen) “it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance.”   

By taking away the “rule of doing a perfect technique” you open up the bunkai (applications) of the kata.  By not thinking about perfect stance the applications flow and you just do the combos that are in the kata.  When practicing techniques in basic training it is more for conditioning the body and learning to do the movements correctly. This will also get your body strong enough to make the techniques work.  By being in a more of an upright stance and relaxed state, the movements flow, and when doing  natural movements, the speed will be there.

Of course when doing kata we should always try to do the stances correctly.  Kata is the template of our karate, it not only works to perfect our techniques, but conditions our body to be strong and flexible. By sinking the body’s center of gravity it increases the power of your strikes. That is why you need to develop your stance to your body, which will allow you to drop your weight quickly. Dropping the weight adds tension in your legs and joints, which helps generate speed when you are moving from stance to stance.

So what does this all mean? In my humble opinion,  when you are just starting out in karate, you should do all your stances low so you can get the  feeling of the stance.  When you are moving into a stance, dropping your weight doesn’t mean you put your legs further apart so you can be low enough. It is a feeling of sinking your weight and moving from your center.   After you have been training a few years you will  develop a more natural stance, which will give you your maximum power and speed. To be able to get your body to do what is needed,  karate has to be your own. It is a feeling you get that only comes after years of training.

 

See you in the dojo