THE FUNCTIONS OF STANCE

 by Phillip Starr

For all the noise your teacher makes about your stances having to be exactly so, just what is/are the function(s) of stance, anyway? Why must they be so precise? Isn't just standing in a balanced position enough?

Well, the answer to that last question is an unequivocal “NO.”

Don't confuse stance with footwork. They're two very different things. Footwork is what happens BETWEEN stances. And it's a whole different can of worms...

The primary function of stance is to provide a platform from which powerful techniques can be delivered. If the stance lacks stability, it cannot fulfill that function. So the platform mustn't be too high or low, too short OR too long (which it often is, in the case of modern wushu-type practitioners). The depth and length of a given stance varies, depending on the height of the practitioner.

The length and width (when it is used; many stances have no width to speak of) are actually very easy to determine. In Yiliquan (the style of gong-fu that I teach), all novices learn a basic routine that is practiced in the manner of a form. This routine is known as jiubuquan (nine step form) and it teaches proper length and width of all nine basic stances that we use. Basically, all stances can be divided into two categories; short and long. The length (and in the case of the horse-riding stance, the width) of all long stances is two shoulder-widths. The length of all short stances is one shoulder width.

Moreover, you mustn't simply “stand” in a given stance. Remember their primary function... Secondarily, some of them act as a platform from which you can move quickly and easily. There's considerable difference between the two; those that are long are always used to stabilize you when you emit power. These stances should use “outward tension”; that is, the legs feel like they are pushing in opposite directions to some degree.

Short stances use “inward tension”; the muscles of the inner thighs are contracted (squeezed). In case where you must emit power from a short stance, this tension should be considerable. However, if you are not emitting power and your stance is to be used for quick and agile movement, the tension must be very slight. Strong tension will “lock” you into place, making quick movement impossible. This is seen in the karate form, “sanchin.” Lighter tension will set your stance on a “hair trigger”, enabling you to move faster than if you use too much tension or no tension at all.

In all stances, the toes should “grip” the floor. When emitting power, they should grip very firmly, like claws. When planning to move quickly, their grip is rather slight. They must NEVER be raised...not even slightly, since doing so destabilizes the stance.

The study of stance in a science unto itself. It's very worthwhile to study this subject very thoroughly. It's still one of the great secrets of the martial arts.

FOOTWORK

 by Phillip Starr

In a previous article, I wrote about the functions of stance. So you might ask, “Then what is footwork?” Footwork (known as “bufa” in Chinese) is what happens IN BETWEEN STANCES. And in the traditional martial arts, it doesn't involve bouncing around like a flea on amphetamines...

Different arts and styles of those arts utilize different forms of footwork. Some favor stepping heel-first, some (like baguazhang) emphasize that the whole sole of the foot comes down at once. Numerous Japanese martial disciplines utilize “suri-ashi” wherein the foot slides easily along the floor, as if a piece of thin paper is beneath it.

Akira Hino sensei, a martial arts researcher and genius, believes that suri-ashi is a relative modern creation because back when Japanese martial arts were being developed, training usually took place outdoors. Performing suri-ashi would have been not only very foolish, but extremely difficult as the ground might be rocky, muddy, covered in high grass, and so on. I have to agree with him. When most martial forms began practicing regularly in dojos with polished wooden floors, suri-ashi would be much easier to do. In Okinawa, where the ground is very rocky, it would have been really foolhardy to try it.

Regardless, all of these martial disciplines stress that the step(s) and body movements are to be made from the “hips” - the dantien (“tanden” in Japanese). Exactly how this is done is discussed and illustrated in my books, MARTIAL MECHANICS and MARTIAL STRUCTURE. This way of moving maintains stability while moving the whole body at once – as a unified whole. There is no other way to do it.

Bufa is used only when necessary; it is used to move inside your opponent's defense perimeter so that you can land an effective blow, to move outside of his reach or evade his attack, or to move into effective striking distance (for you). That's it. It isn't done just to be moving or to help reduce nervousness or the “jitters.” There are some who allege that bouncy movements make one a moving target that is difficult to hit. They're wrong and have clearly never had to engage a real opponent on the street. Most real self-defense occurs at very close range without any “squaring off” in a fighting stance. However, in any scuffle that begins at some distance, anyone who starts bouncing around is going to get turned into breakfast food (toast) very quickly.

Move with a purpose and if you're not far outside your opponent's reach (or, God forbid, within his reach), DON'T start bouncing around! Otherwise it'll be a very short skirmish. Your dentist may thank you for putting his kids through college, too...

Move with a purpose.

THE FIRST THING YOU LEARN

 by Phillip Starr

It was obvious that the young man was very excited about joining my martial arts school. He was all smiles as he asked, “So, what's the first thing I'll learn?” My response didn't do anything to keep the smile on his face. “Courtesy”, I said. “And manners.”

And that's exactly what I told anyone who asked me about what students learned first in my school. They were generally rather surprised; they were expecting to hear something about the horse-riding stance or basic punch. But it was important to me that students begin by learning proper behavior and protocols before engaging in more exciting things.

Most Westerners are something less than thrilled at having to learn and adhere to special forms of courtesy and manners. Most of us tend to be what we call “laid back.” Very casual. And although Eastern folks are, for the most part, equally “casual”, they still follow certain protocols and their martial arts teachers often tend to adhere very closely to them. For instance, it's important to learn not only when and to whom or what one should bow, but exactly HOW to do it...many, many Westerners (including those who teach martial arts) think they're doing it correctly but they're wrong and although an Eastern instructor might not curtly correct them (particularly if they're in the Eastern country), they do make a mental note of it...

Frankly, when I was sometimes confronted with a potential enrollee who lacked good manners, I regarded him as undisciplined (I still do) and I figured he wasn't particularly teachable. In any case, he'd make a poor student.

So make it an important point to master the courtesies of the culture from which you martial form is born. Consider how the teachers of that culture would see you if you didn't do so; if you haven't bothered to take the time and effort to learn fundamental courtesies, how can they expect you to put in the necessary time and discipline to learn the art that they teach? If you're not serious about the most basic things, you're clearly not very serious about more advanced things...

FIRST AID?

 By Phillip Starr

I have always believed that it's very important for all instructors (and students as well) to be trained in basic first-aid. After all, we practice martial arts....which are designed for actual combat and try as we might to prevent injuries, they still happen from time to time.

Common martial arts class injuries would include minor things such as split lips, bloody noses, jammed fingers and toes, and the like. But it's always possible that other more serious injuries might occur; things like concussions (resulting from knockouts or falls), broken fingers or toes, cracked ribs, and even broken bones in the arms or legs.

In the many years that I have taught martial arts, none of my students ever suffered a serious injury due to training...and we have NEVER used padded mittens or footgear. Even so, minor injuries were not uncommon and a basic knowledge of first-aid has always been a part of my training program.

Learning CPR as well as the Heimlich Maneuver can be very useful in daily life. A local kempo instructor taught a special class to his students here and a short time later, one of his students was in a restaurant when a young boy began choking on his food. Noticing that the boy wasn't able to breathe and everyone was horrified and unable to help, the student jumped up and performed the Heimlich Maneuver on him. It saved his life.

To this day, I require students of various grades to be proficient in forms of first-aid, including the aforementioned life-saving techniques. I encourage all instructors to do the same and to maintain a proper first-aid kit in their school.

EVERYDAY CONFLICTS

 by Phillip Starr

Martial arts isn't just about simple hand-to-hand fighting; it's much more than that and much more than a form of exercise. One of it's virtues is that it can be used to handle everyday conflicts. In a class of intermediate students, I would ask how frequently they became involved in physical conflicts. The usual answer was maybe once a year or less. But when I asked about the frequency of becoming involved in a non-physical conflict, the answers came back as approaching an almost daily frequency.

If their interest was wholly on physical self-defense, I recommended that they carry firearms; it doesn't take long to become proficient with such a weapon and God knows it's a whole lot more effective for self-defense than a martial art can ever be. And they're cheaper, too. To become proficient enough in a martial art so that you can adequately defend yourself will require several months of rigorous training, which is very time-consuming and can be rather expensive. A shotgun is even better; nobody picks on someone who's carrying one of those! But...firearms are useless in dealing with non-physical conflicts, which we encounter with considerable frequency.

Advanced martial arts practitioners can study their chosen disciplines to better understand how they can be effectively applied in dealing with non-physical forms of conflict (the most common type of conflict by a very long shot). For instance, in the art that I teach (yiliquan) there are 8 main tactics (called “shapes”, each of which has a distinct name), which are ways of dealing with attack. These are not techniques; rather, they are bodily movements that allow you to penetrate the opponent's defense perimeter so that an effective counter may be applied.

Four of these are performed by “changing the point of focus.” That is, when the enemy attempts to strike or grab you, he directs his attack to a certain point in space where his intended target is located. If you change the distance of that point, you have “changed his point of focus.” For instance, when your foe tries to punch you in the face and you step back a bit or forward, you “change his point of focus.” You have altered the distance, which renders his technique useless.

The other four tactics rely on evading the attack so that it misses its mark. If the opponent strikes and you step forward at an agle, you have evaded his attack while simultaneously penetrating his defense perimeter (which puts you within striking distance).

Each of these “shapes” are studied in minute detail over time. Each has its own rhythm:

• Broken Rhythm: striking after the enemy does, but before he can deliver a second strike.

• Mutual Rhythm: striking at the same time as the enemy.

• Preceding Rhythm: striking before the enemy begins his attack.

Japanese stylists will recognize these three rhythms as go-no-sen, sen-no-sen, and sen. And each one requires an adjustment to your timing (the moment during your bodily movement when your technique is delivered), which also requires an adjustment for distance (because distance and timing are the same thing).

Only after mastering a given “shape” can a student begin to understand how it can be applied to non-physical attacks. This requires a good deal of introspection and time.

DON'T PUSH IT!

 By Yang Xuangxing

How often have I observed numerous karate, taekwondo, and gong-fu stylist “oomph” their punches and kicks out there, all the while making a nasty grimace! They're “giving it all they've got”, or so they think. I used to do the same thing; my teacher would make a remark about weak punches, and off I went...gritting my teeth and trying HARDER and HARDER to get more “oomph!” And then my teacher would walk up, smile, and say, “That's not it. But you'll learn.” Needless to say, I was more than a little confused...

When I'd ask just what he meant, he'd tighten his fists and arms, tighten his jaw, and clench his teeth as he said, “Too much Unnhhh!” I thought he meant I was stiffening my muscles too much. I was wrong. It would actually be years before I finally “got it.”

I was simply trying too hard. Grimacing and trying to get “more hip” into my technique wasn't the answer at all. I remembered watching my teacher punch. It didn't matter if he struck one of my classmates (and he never did that very hard) or anything else, the amount of effort he put into it always seemed the same....which wasn't much.

What he was emphasizing was proper bodily structure more than anything else. If the structure was correct, very little extra effort was required. Power was generated naturally; I didn't have to try and “help” it at all. I came to understand the old saying, “Correct boxing (gong-fu) is like taking a walk; striking an enemy is like snapping your fingers.” And it led me to write my sixth book, MARTIAL STRUCTURE, to ensure that future generations might come to understand and apply these principles.

DON'T OVERDO!

 By Yang Xuangxing

I often see and hear of instructors (and over-zealous students) “over-doing” certain training routines, which lead to naught or, in some cases, may result in injury. Convinced that “more is better”, they stand in stances that are much too deep (and in some case, incorrect, which can lead to serious injury), fire off a very large number of basic techniques, and so on.

Holding static stances is a favorite training routine, especially in the Chinese martial arts community. The revered “horse-riding stance” sits at the top of the list. And holding this stance for a period of time certainly will toughen and strenghen the legs and hips and help foster the development of a strong “root.” But...although this kind of routine has been practiced for centuries, I believe it's actually counter-productive after a certain point. A proper horse-riding stance, for example, relies on certain muscles. When those muscles become overly fatigued, they call on certain “support muscles” for assistance. These support muscles are not normally used when standing in this stance but if holding the stance is done too often, your body will automatically call on these support muscles from the beginning and a bad habit is then developed; the stance is incorrect. It's much better to limit the standing time to no more than about five minutes at most.

Oftentimes, students stand in a horse-riding stance that is too low; with the buttocks at the level of the knees or even lower. The places too much strain on the ligaments of the knees and can result in injury (I can hear some of you cheering). Properly, the buttocks should be somewhat higher than the knees. In any case, you'll never utilize such a low stance when applying techniques or sparring, so standing so low shouldn't become an unconscious habit...you're unable to move quickly from such a position.

The above situation holds true for any posture that is held statically for lengths of time. The popular “zhan zhuang” (stake standing) practice of internal martial arts is a fine example. In holding such a position for great lengths of time, the main muscles used to support the arms and shoulders become fatigued and eventually call in support muscles to bolster them. And a bad habit is quickly developed. I suggest holding such postures no more than fifteen minutes or so. The primary muscles won't become overly-fatigued and the practitioner can keep his mind focused properly.

Further, such exercises also become very painful to maintain once the primary muscles become too fatigued. For decades, it's served as a rite of passage; students are expected to “gut it out” and hold on. But...the mind, which is supposed to be focused on the breathing, is completely taken over by the pain. Students are gritting their teeth in pain, unable to concentrate on anything else. This is counter-productive. Trying to develop a lot of machismo just won't cut it.

Firing off a hundred punches in a row is equally counter-productive. Not only do the muscles get tired and call on support muscles to support them (which makes the following punches incorrect), the mind wanders because it's bored! The first twenty or so punches will be well-focused but after awhile, mental focus wavers and then disappears altogether; students are just lobbing their fists out there and keeping count. There's no spirit. And it's not their faults; the fault lies with whoever is pushing them to exercise in this way.

Extra-strenuous training is reserved for the tradition of “gasshuku” (合宿), which means roughly, “to stay together.” It refers to keeping the mind and body together as the tough training tempers them. This is done only at special times and the object is to develop an indomitable spirit rather than refined technique. A gasshuku usually lasts only a weekend or so anyway, so refinement of technique isn't really possible. But gasshuku-type practice should not become a regular diet and done in every class.

Good, progressive training takes time. More isn't necessarily better. And training isn't about becoming a Mr. (or Ms.) Macho, anyway...