This article is true for Karate, Taekwondo, Kenpo, or whatever art that has the traditional kind of stances from traditional martial arts. You see, certain items are true about stances, and there are items that are lies. This bit of writing will give you the hard core physics so you can make up your mind how you want to do your training.
First, the purpose of stances is to connect a person to the planet. This means to connect, as in immoveable object. Or to connect preparatory to launching the body through space.
That important fact noted, should you go fanatic on having low stances? Low stances build better muscles, but that is really not what is important. The most important thing to remember here is that the deeper you get, the more energy you have to manufacture, and that is a good thing.
However, let's say a guy is old, or has a bad leg, or something. He can't get low in his forms, so does that mean his art is lacking? The answer is going to be a fat resounding no, if you understand one important thing.
The point of stances is to connect a person to the earth. That means to drive a beam of energy, to grow awareness of your connection with the earth. So you can have high stances, grow your awareness, shoot an energy beam down your leg, and have a quite superior art.
Now, which arts can prove this to be true? Well, there is good Wing Chun, good Karate, good Tai Chi...good just about any art. Please note that I am emphasizing 'good.'
Bad arts don't understand this point, nor show it through their students. But a student who is trained to grip with his footwork, to hold his position in space under attack, is practicing a good art. Workability, that is the thing that defines 'good.'
In conclusion, the student must understand the purpose of the stances. And, while low is great, true martial arts don't rely on muscle, they rely on intelligence and awareness. Understand these factors, and your karate stances, or kenpo stances or taekwondo stances, or whatever art you study, will be of high quality.
First, the purpose of stances is to connect a person to the planet. This means to connect, as in immoveable object. Or to connect preparatory to launching the body through space.
That important fact noted, should you go fanatic on having low stances? Low stances build better muscles, but that is really not what is important. The most important thing to remember here is that the deeper you get, the more energy you have to manufacture, and that is a good thing.
However, let's say a guy is old, or has a bad leg, or something. He can't get low in his forms, so does that mean his art is lacking? The answer is going to be a fat resounding no, if you understand one important thing.
The point of stances is to connect a person to the earth. That means to drive a beam of energy, to grow awareness of your connection with the earth. So you can have high stances, grow your awareness, shoot an energy beam down your leg, and have a quite superior art.
Now, which arts can prove this to be true? Well, there is good Wing Chun, good Karate, good Tai Chi...good just about any art. Please note that I am emphasizing 'good.'
Bad arts don't understand this point, nor show it through their students. But a student who is trained to grip with his footwork, to hold his position in space under attack, is practicing a good art. Workability, that is the thing that defines 'good.'
In conclusion, the student must understand the purpose of the stances. And, while low is great, true martial arts don't rely on muscle, they rely on intelligence and awareness. Understand these factors, and your karate stances, or kenpo stances or taekwondo stances, or whatever art you study, will be of high quality.
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