Gedanate

Martial art stances are designed to give to the best compromise possible between stability and speed.

The most important thing is not to lose your balance. Because, if you do, you will fall or be taken to the ground. And that’s not a great place to be. It’s where people die.

Fighting stances as used in martial arts are designed to keep you from being knocked over easily, but should still allow you to attack or defend in a split-second… The blink of an eye. And if you’re into a kicking style, you’ll probably keep most weight on the back leg so your front leg has the weight kept off it so you can kick or move easily.

Some of these martial art positions are very stable such as the ‘riding horse’ stance, where you sink your center of gravity right down low, with your legs spread wide apart and knees well bent. This stance is very stable, yes, but it is also quite hard to get out of again quickly.

Our normal postures in Aikido tend to be with our feet spaced shoulder-width apart. This is a good compromise between stability and speed.

What’s more we usually move like a fencer… For example, the right leg stays forward all the time as we shuffle back or forward pushing with the rear leg – which is exactly how a fencer (swordsman) moves. A spearsman (with yari, jo or bo) also moves with the shuffling movement. In Japanese language, it is called tsubi yashi.

What martial art positions work for you will depend on your style of fighting, and your body type. But learning stances is a very basic skill. You will need to learn defense and attack postures as well, so you can fight a skilled opponent.

Fighting skills only come with much hard work and training, and after you have earned the skills with your own sweat and determination over months and years. By that time your stances will be taking care of themselves quite naturally without your thinking about it. It doesn’t matter if you are defending or attacking, you will move your body the way you have been taught.

Certainly, your fighting skills can save your hide in a fight, but a true martial artist doesn’t go out looking for a fight.

The skilled martial artists who have the ability to do damage really don’t want to brawl with anyone. They know what they can do in a punch-up, and they don’t get a schoolboy’s cheap thrill thinking about how they can ‘kick ass’.

The hardest ass a true martial artist has ever had to kick has been his or her own. It is called self-discipline.

It is very hard work to discipline yourself for years and years to hone your fighting and defensive skills.

Any jerk who is half-skilled can kick someone else’s ass if their victim has less skill, is taken by surprise or doesn’t want to fight. Heck, if you got a pistol and blew away some person you were pissed off with, would that make you a man? A tough guy, worthy of respect?

I think not.

You can always try standing on one leg like the Karate Kid and see if that bluffs your opponent. But the chances are that the other guy’s just going to flatten you, if you haven’t the fighting skill to back up your fancy pose. Otherwise, kiddo, you know the answer already.

Roll up your sleeves. It’s time for “Wax on. Wax off.”