Stances

[AngelaG]

Anyway if you think of front stance as pushing, back stance as pulling and horse stance as dropping then you can see where the principles of some of the basic stances lie.

Hmmm, I have to agree on that one. Do you think that hangetsu dachi and/or fudo dachi amalgamate all three of those principles into one stance?

I think that Hangetsu dachi is more in and down, fudo dachi is more out at 45 degrees and down. Fudo dachi is a very rooted stance, it's quite hard to move someone that has stuck themselves in a good fudodachi, however it does reveal the inner thigh and groin, therefore I think of fudo dachi as a secondary stance after the opponent is already under your control.

Hangetsu dachi is a great shooting platform stance, when performed less rigidly than in the kata, it directs the power in one direction, while still protecting one's own vulnerable areas. It's good for compressing the energy before releasing it in a strike.