kihon drill stance

[Spartacus Maximus]

A question to Shotokan karate students/instructors:

After watching kihon waza drills of Shotokan groups in person and in media, many if not most drills for basic kicks start in the forward stance/zenkutsu. What exactly is the reasoning behind using that specific starting point? Is there some advantage to training/teaching basics that way? It is one of the first things noticeable when comparing how Okinawan schools train versus what is the norm in Japanese schools. The Okinawan schools have mostly the exact same drills used in Shotokan, except the most common starting stance is either natural standing(shizentai) or something that looks like a natural waking stance with a natural guard instead of closed fist with arms extended to sides like seen in the “Shotokan version” of drills.

 

Anyone have insights?

[Nidan Melbourne]

Despite not being a Shotokan Practitioner, I have heard that they go into Zenkutusu Dachi for Kihon Drills is to help developing the strength for the deep long stances they have and to work on distance when attacking whilst keeping a stable base. 

But to me as a primarily Goju Practitioner, it is odd to do it as the clubs I've visited start in Heiko Dachi or Moto Dachi (albeit sometimes in other stances). 

Currently my favourite thing to do is sitting based defences, both pre-emptive and reactive to attackers. 

 

[Wastelander]

I'm also not a Shotokan practitioner, but I did get my start in a style that was largely based on Shotokan basics and I've done a fair bit of research on the development of karate. The practice of those sorts of basic drills (along with kumite) was taken from Kendo, where they use a stance very similar to a han-zenkutsu-dachi. When Shotokan co-opted those sorts of drills, they expanded the stance just as they did with all the stances in their kata, which they did do in order to emphasize leg strengthening in the absence of proper hojo undo.

[bushido_man96]

I think part of it has to do with how the techniques became more stylized as they went along.  Long front stances look good, especially in forms competitions.

[Spartacus Maximus]

When comparing the kicking technique of high level Okinawan stylists with high level Japanese Shotokan, both have very solid, fast and fierce basic kicks. Their method of teaching and training kicks clearly produces a similar result technically speaking. So then besides stylistics and esthetics, there must be a different point of emphasis versus the “Okinawan style” kicking drills.
 

As for the Okinawan method described in previous posts, the explanation is that learning/practising basic kicks from a natural stance closed hands in a guard is that it is meant to emphasize all muscles involved in kicking. Most importantly the essential role of the core in the action. The other reason is that if one is attacked, one will most likely be in a natural standing or walking position, therefore it makes sense to train to execute techniques effectively from the position people are usually in when casually walking or standing.