How to Do the Horse Riding Stance in Kung Fu

The horse riding stance, also known simply as the horse stance, is one of the most common stances in the martial arts. Found in northern- and southern-based kung fu styles, it is used as a basic stance for training exercises as well as in combat. With its wide footing and even weight distribution, a properly executed horse stance is one of the most stable stances in kung fu.

Instructions

1. Begin with your feet approximately shoulder length apart for southern-style stances and 1 1/2 to 2 shoulder lengths apart for northern-style horse stances. Sometimes the wider footing is called a deep horse stance.

2. Drop your body by sinking with your knees. Keep your back and shoulders straight with your heels, spine and head aligned. Lower your body until the top of your head is approximately at normal eye level for the southern-style horse or about at normal chin height for northern-style or deep horse.

3. Keeping your eyes straight ahead, raise your fists to the sides, palms up and elbows back. Depending on the style, hold your fists at either hip height or close to the bottom of your rib cage. This is the basic horse stance.

4. Adjust your balance by raising or lowering your knees. Weight should be evenly distributed between both legs. In some styles, students are taught to stand with their feet flat on the ground, while others teach their students to raise the heels slightly and stay on the ball of the foot.

5. Turn your shoulders, head and arms to one side, but do not twist your hips at all. This position is known as the side horse stance and is also very common throughout Chinese kung fu.

Tips & Warnings

• Although the horse riding stance is fairly easy to perform, it can be difficult to hold for any period of time if you are not used to martial arts. It is often the first stance learned, and many schools require their students to maintain it for long periods of time to build strength, endurance, focus and balance.