gatelessgate

When performed this way, the Motobu Naihanchi stance is very sturdy! Being higher, it also lends itself to increased mobility out of the stance. Many exercises and drills we practice are done from some variation of Naihanchi stance, with the direction of the feet changing as required but the core concept in tact - knees slightly bent and knees pushed out. You can see this demonstrated to a certain degree in Motobu Choki's Twelve Kumite.

I am a current practitioner of Motobu-Ryu and Motobu-Udundi in the only existing dojo in North America, so I believe I can shed some light on how we practice Naihanchi as well as some insight into what other styles refer to as Sanchin (in Motobu-Udundi this is called Motode Ichi). The stance of Naihanchi should be more narrow than traditional kiba dachi, perhaps only slightly wider than shoulder width. The feet should be pointed straight ahead, and the knees pushed outwards. The hips should be pushed back slightly. This is the way we have been taught by the Motobu family. Regarding Sanchin, or Motode Ichi, the stance we take is called tachi gwaa. The leading foot is tilted inwards while the rear foot remains straight, to form a triangular shape if a line was drawn along the insides of the feet. Additionally, the heels are slightly lifted - seemingly a characteristic trait of Motobu-Udundi as I have not seen this in other styles. This tachi gwaa stance is more narrow than say, the Sanchin performed in Uechi-Ryu, about shoulder width. I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask any more questions!