Stances are the foundation on which every technique is built. If the stance is weak or incorrect, then any technique will be weakened or may even become ineffective. When performing a pattern at a competition this will result in lost points; when using Taekwondo in a real life situation this could result in defeat.
There are many different stances in Taekwondo, each with its own purpose and application. We practice these stances during patterns where the purpose of the stance is shown. For example Walking stance (gunnun sogi) is used for strong forward or backward techniques. Sitting stance (annun sogi) is used as a strong base for lateral strikes and forward techniques. L stance (niunja sogi) is our primary fighting stance. Agility, balance and flexibility are the controlling factors in the correct use of all stances.
It is extremely important to learn the correct posture for each stance at an early stage in your Taekwondo career. This is because we develop 'muscle memory' and once a movement is learned it becomes automatic. Therefore if a stance is practiced incorrectly then the resulting muscle memory will also be incorrect. As Patterns become more complicated, or in sparring when we are under pressure, we rely on muscle memory to produce the correct stance. This is why it is essential to practice each stance correctly. We need to understand how a correct stance ‘feels’ so that eventually we just know we are performing it correctly without needing to check.
We suggest that you check your stances whenever you have an opportunity – in line work, or when performing patterns in Instructor’s time. Just a quick glance down to check foot position, spacing, correct weight distribution etc. If anything is wrong, correct it but also try to understand why it was wrong, and how you can get the stance correct next time. If you know what a correct stance looks like and feels like (so that you can correct your stance when you check it) but you still find that a stance is incorrect when you first check, then the only explanation can be an incorrect movement into the stance or application of incorrect muscle memory. The good news is that these can be corrected with your Instructor’s guidance and practice. However you must make it your responsibility to work at perfecting your stances.
Most stances are measured in terms of shoulder widths. A useful exercise is to measure your actual shoulder width, then use this to measure your stances – this will tell you if your stances are the correct length/width.
Basic principles for a proper stance are:
- Keep the back straight with few exceptions.
- Relax the shoulders.
- Tense the abdomen.
- Maintain the correct facing. The stance may be full facing, half facing or side facing depending on the application (e.g. block or punch)
- Maintain balance (equilibrium)
- Make use of the knee spring properly when moving.
To help understand the correct position for each stance, which must be the starting point, please use the instructions below.
Remember, practice makes perfect, but only when you practice correctly!
[fblike]
Attention Stance
Parallel Ready Stance
Walking Stance
Sitting Stance
L Stance
Fixed Stance
Rear Foot Stance
Bending Ready Stance
X Stance
Low Stance
Vertical Stance
Close Stance
Diagonal Stance
One Leg Stance
