Back to basics: stances
Introduction Some time ago I wrote the article " The role of traditional stances ", however I have never attempted to describe these in any real detail (although I have previously discussed stances and stepping in stances in various articles, eg. " Northern and southern kung fu, karate and the question of range "). So following my last post about basic blocks, I thought I'd describe how to assume the basic stances of karate (and most other traditional martial arts): Heisoku dachi (attention stance) Feet together, weight evenly distributed. Musubi dachi (V stance) Heels together, feet out at angles, weight evenly distributed. Heiko dachi (parallel stance) Feet parallel, shoulder width, weight evenly distributed. Hachiji dachi (figure 8 stance) Feet angled outwards, shoulder width, weight evenly distributed. Zenkutsu dachi / gong bu (forward stance) Feet shoulder width, weight 70% on front foot, 30% on back, front shin vertical, outside edge of front foot pointi...