Your Stance
How to Use It
As you come along in practice, there are many variations, but here are the basics and a great foundation to start. From your normal and comfortable standing position, with your non-dominant foot, take a step forward as if you were going to take a walk. Stay upright with balance at 50/50 between both legs. While viewing an opponent in front of you, put your hand up to your eyebrow level, elbows tucked into your ribs. From here, your hip position is critical and will dictate your style. Keep your hips at a 45-degree angle in reference to your opponent. Your hips shouldn’t be dead square facing your opponent, nor should they be “bladed” where your hips are facing 90 degrees to the left or right of your opponent. Rock back and forth to maintain a healthy balance on both feet.
When to Use It
Any and all strikes and defensive movements start and finish here in the stance. It makes it much more efficient to implement any move needed to strike and to keep you from being struck. As a first and last-case scenario, the stance alone serves as an ample defensive position. If your reaction time is not fast enough to intercept your opponent’s strikes, calmly stay in this position to weather the storm and get to work when the time is right.