Tips

A few general points that usually apply to most stances and footwork:

• There will be different stances and footwork for different needs. The stance and footwork will vary upon things such as the style (EG: karate v sumo), weapon (EG: hand v rapier), quantity (EG: one v many), and the tactical goal (EG: waiting, attacking, defending, hiding, sideways movement, etc.).
• Keep the back vertical (perpendicular to the ground). This is easiest on the back. Think of picking up heavy objects.
• Keep the center of gravity somewhere between the feet for stability. Otherwise the person will tend to be off balance.
• The orientation of toes, knees, body, head, etc. are important in stances:
  • EG: A pigeon toed (toes pointing in) stance may protect the groin somewhat but to move from such a stance, the feet usually have to be adjusted first (because the knee can't take the torque) which results in telegraphing your movement which is obviously tactically a bad thing.
  • EG: The most common stance is a natural stance with the body almost facing your opponent at 45 degrees but your head is facing your opponent straight on.
  • EG: In a gunfight you want to minimize your profile and you want you're shooting hand forward; However if you're wearing a standard bullet proof vest, you usually turn your body so that your unprotected sides are not facing your opponent.
• The orientation of toes, knees, body, head, hip, etc. are important during footwork:
  • Usually your extremities lead the movement (EG: Toes and eyes point where you want to go), but the "leading" can also be done to mislead your opponent.
• The width or length the base formed by the feet determines stability.
  • A wider or longer the base is more stable. However, a base that is too wide or long may have more reach but it is also potentially immobilizing and dangerous. Some styles (EG: Shotokan karate) use a lot of long and deep stances for exercise during training.
  • Most practical stances are a body width. EG: The most common stances is a natural stance with the feet one body width apart and one foot ahead of the other by a foot.
  • If a large step is taken, the feet must be immediately adjusted to assume a natural stance once more.
• The knees (and elbows) should never be locked out (hyperextended). The knees should always be at least slightly bent with flexion. Sideways abduction should be minimized.
• Many stances have more weight on one foot than the other. Awareness of this can be used tactically --either to move or to be aware of what your opponent might do.
  • Usually the weight bearing foot is about to act as the pivot foot (jiku ashi in Japanese).
  • Usually the non-weight bearing foot is about to be the moving foot (do kyaku in Japanese).
  • A "front stance" is when the front foot bears the weight.
  • A "back stance" is when the back foot bears the weight.
• When stepping, avoid getting tangled up by your own feet and legs. There should be a clear path for your feet regardless of the direction you are moving in.
• Usually it is best to keep the height of the hips level during movements to maximize horizontal movement and minimize vertical movement.
• Most schools have their own particular names for the different kinds of footwork just reviewed. Complex footwork is often more easily shown than written or diagrammed.
• A stance is not truly static.

2007-10-15 23:51:20Z