Tip 09/02

Rapid Stance Changes

Why is it that some of us have great difficulty in changing our stances quickly, while others seem to "zap" in and out of closed and open stances faster than we can operate the TV remote?

To be sure, there can be a variety of factors, e.g. muscle strength, practice to achieve fluidity, "bounce", breathing, Zen, etc. affecting this.

One of the easiest ways to increase your speed is to actually re-engineer your stance. The primary purpose of a stance is to give us a stable platform. The MooDukKwan crowd is notably good for this. Unfortunately, to be effectively stable, one must be "grounded" or "rooted" to one's spot on the ground, a situation NOT good for mobility.

To help us with our mobility, we need to adopt an "unstable" stance. The quickest way to achieve this is to practice facing our opponent or reflection (in fighting stance) only on the balls of our feet. The feet also need to face near front, closer together, turned in slightly for defensive options, and with one standing slightly higher. Having the heels down or "dug in" will only serve to make one more immobile. Try adopting the higher stance versus the traditional lower or stable stance.

Stable	"Unstable"

Finally, please try to remember that there is a time and place for BOTH stances! We are NOT advocating a total switch from one stance to another, but having a more versatile platform to suit each situation as it arises.