Crane stance

[isshinryugurl]

recently, my sensei asked us to find out what crance stance has to do with body energy. i know that it has something to do with crossing your legs. any ideas?

 

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make'm cry or get disqualified!

[Shorin Ryuu]

I haven't seen the Isshin Ryu crane stance, so I'm not sure exactly what it looks like. I've seen and done a few, and all parts of the body are important.

 

Just something to think about...when you are in crane stance (really, all stances) you should be balanced but not static (balance in imbalance). If your energy is deadlocked, you can not flow from technique to technique. Tai Chi calls it movement with stability.

 

Anyway, apart from my ramblings...if you describe it to us, maybe we can help? Or at least point in the right direction. A lot of this has to be felt individually.

[Shorin Ryuu]

Well, to continue in from the other topic...

 

If you understand about naihanchi, then you'll probably understand this next point.

 

Now, I'm talking about energy right now rather than application. When you bring your leg up, you must be careful not to fully balance yourself in your new position. I say this, but let me explain it a little further. Just like in Naihanchi, when your leg kicks upwards toward your center, you don't do it by shifting your weight completely on the remaining leg. That would deadlock your energy. Instead, you keep everything still centered, which is why you should hear a more significant stomping sound when the leg comes back down.

 

In the crane stance (once again, you have to give me more details on how Isshin Ryu does it), you want to have this same feeling where you are not in total balance. That doesn't mean you are falling over, but it means that you (to put it in elementary science terms) created an area of higher and lower potential energy. Your energy wants to flow to the area of lower potential energy. This doesn't mean that you have to let it flow right away, but that difference in potential is there. If you are totally in muscular balance, there is no potential energy. You should still have stability, but not deadlock your energy.

 

Same with your arms (and you can experiment). In the crane position (not sure if this refers to both arms in front of you like in Hakutsuru, perhaps, or maybe one up to the side and another down, like in Chinto), the position of the arms also determine how your energy is situated. You can place your arms in varying positions and see how "full" or "powerful" your kicks feel.

 

Anyone these are just some thoughts.

[isshinryugurl]

I can see where you are going with this; an isshin ryu crane stance has your front foot facing three o'clock, and your back foot on the pad and toes of your foot. Both feet are on the ground. Most of your weight is on your front foot. Most styles have one foot off the ground, but not isshin ryu. This is probably because Tatsou Shimabuku wanted a "strong" style, and having one foot up in the air doesn't look strong.

[Shorin Ryuu]

Interesting...is there a picture of this anywhere?

[Goju 4 Life]

Our crane stance is pretty funny. Remember in the karate kid where he stands with one leg up with his hands straight out to the side. That's our crane stance.

[isshinryugurl]

here is a link that will show you an isshin ryu crane stance.

 

http://www.kidskarate.com/ABSTRACT/Internet%20Class/Orange%20Belt/IM000021.jpg

 

this is a sideways veiw.

[Drunken Monkey]

having one foot off the ground doesn't always mean you are unstable.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

here is a link that will show you an isshin ryu crane stance.

 

http://www.kidskarate.com/ABSTRACT/Internet%20Class/Orange%20Belt/IM000021.jpg

 

this is a sideways veiw.

 

That's a crane stance? Hmmmm..interesting, and totally different than what I have always understood a crane stance to be. Not that it's wrong...just different.

[P.A.L]

interesting, I didn't know this is a crane stance, I think Ishinryu lineage goes toward tomari-te and it's different from shuri-te.in our style one foot hold the other one behinde the knee.(chinto). now in this stance (Ishinryu) do you feel the tension in thigh and leg, or legs are relaxed?