Lower! LOWER!

[jarrettmeyer]

Everyone always tells me to get my stance lower so I guess you're supposed to have low stances.

 

I like it! "Because sensai tell me to."

[ps1]

Hold a stance as long as you like and as deep as you like. It will never build power as you are all talking about it. Remember, "power" is a function of physics. And no one here is really talking about power (force/ time) anyway. Power does not have a relationship to impact on an object. What you are refering to is transfered engergy from one moving object to another (IOW: how much damage you can do when you strike something/one).

 

What you are actually talking about is a transfer of kinetic (moving) energy. Kinetic energy is found by multiplying the mass of the object by the velocity squared. KE=mV^2

 

Therefore, unless you are gaining significant mass from holding low stances, you will not gain power in anything. You will be more physically fit and have better muscular endurance.

 

If you want to increase the energy behind your strike, you must examine the most efficient way to execute the technique (should be taught by your instructor). Once you are very good at technique start adding speed to the strike. Because the velocity element of your strike is squared it increases by a power of 2 as you get faster.

 

For this reason, Drunken Monkey seems to know EXACTLY what he's talking about. The up and down movements are used to get your entire body mass into a strike. The most biomechanically efficent way of doing the technique will also increase its speed. Thus making the transfer of energy very high. ( AKA hurt the target the most.)

 

This is all scientific truth, using the laws of motion and conservation of energy. While I do not doubt there is a chi or ki factor in effect, I can only speak intellegently on what is able to be supported by scientific evidence.

 

So let's get back to talk on stances ehh.

[ps1]

PS

 

sorry my response was so long. I simplified it as much as possible.

[jarrettmeyer]

This is actually a topic that I am having conflict with. I'm actually learning two techniques because of it depending on who is teaching me that particular evening.

 

(1) Sensai has me doing very deep stances. The point here is to increase stability and friction against the ground. He says that you should feel the strike start in your toes. Tighten everything, then explode forward from your gut. The good news is that I am stable, no question. You can't move me at all in those wide stances. My problem is, I can't move me either. But, I completely understand why sensai has me do this.

 

(2) One of the blackbelts, who is big into sparring and competition, says my stances are way too low. I need to be higher. On my toes, not my heels, springy, quick. I don't have time for stances. But I completely understand why the instructor has me do this.

 

How do I reconcile the two? Wouldn't the *best* answer, whatever that is, strive for a balance?

[ps1]

Since you are still 10th kyu (this is what your profile suggests). I will only tell you to listen to your instructor/ Sensei. There will come a time when a better answer could be provided. At 10th kyu you would not have the technical knowledge to know what is best.

 

For now, learn to move as best you can while in those deep stances.

[brickman]

engineering guys....which law of Newton's states an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by a a greater or equal force?? or something like that? that will explain the one about closer stance and being on the "toes". I would love to fight a guy with his heels down.... Gotta know when to hold'em....gotta know to fold'em. Same with when to move from the front of the foot to the back of the foot. generally the lower you are (endurance) helps you when you are fighting....and with the foot thing. It will all make alot of sense to you later on.....

[doubletwist]

 

 

Some lower stances may produce this "power" that people talk about when they talk about "powerful low stances". However, I think most people do not realize what makes it powerful. While it does build muscles, this is not what makes it powerful. People mistake the feeling of the activation of muscles they develop by deep stances as "power" emanating from a stance. This, I think, is a mistake. With muscles, you can still feel that same "power" from a higher stance. The only way that a deeper stance causes power is from "falling" energy. Simply put, lower your center of gravity from higher to lower behind your strike (falling into the target, almost). But the key to this is starting from a higher to a lower stance, not a low stance to a low stance, which is what many do.

 

If I understand your statement correctly, this is what we call "Marraige of Gravity". Basically it's using good physics to increase the force behind your strike. Most of our stances aren't low [at least the ones I've learned so far ], but there are times where we drop into a very low stance as we strike downwards in order to increase the power of the strike. We certainly don't stay in that low stance.

 

DT

[batman2]

lots of you are saying low stances are impractical in real fighting i dissagree i useually use a low stance and find it most affective it gives me a low centre of gravity and my opponents cannot move me and its easy to put them up and throw them or do a take down or submission where standing higher would leave you too off banlace but it depends many ppl argue theyre fighting style is the best but no fighting style covers everything or is perfect same with stances i find i might change my stance depending on how my opponent fights and i will change my fighting style depending on thiers aswell

[SevenStar]

if you sunk into a low stance and they couldn't move you, I question your opponents. you are very susceptible to sweeps and takedowns when you are wide like that. being low aids in preventing throws, not sweeps. It also limits mobility.

 

I don't say stances are useless, but that low satances aren't for fighting - they are for training. Look at it this way - if you can kick high, you can easily kick low. But, just because you can kick low, that doesn't necessarily mean you can kick high. The same applies to stances. If I can move low, I can easily move high. IMO, that's an inefficient method, however.

 

stances are not meant to be static - they are used in transition to the various techniques you are throwing. They are also used as stance disruptions. To fight from a low stance and try to be immovable is IMO misunderstanding the point of stances.