Basic Stances Of Kempo Karate

Video Transcript

"First I want to go over stances. Before you learn how to walk, you have to learn how to stand. These stances apply to any karate style. There are slight variations, so you can argue over whether your foot should be turned in this way or that it should be turned out that way, but that's a personal preference of whatever dojo or whatever sensei that you are studying under. However the basic stances, they are all the same. I am going to tell you the Japanese name and also the English name, that way you'll know them both ways. The first stance is your Hachiji-dachi or your natural stance. Your feet are shoulder width apart. Usually your toes are pointing straightforward or slightly turned in. Most likely straightforward. Your hands are in a ready position, down here. This is similar to a lot of schools when they want you to stand at attention. You immediately assume this stance right here. In Okinawan Kempo, we'll stand with our feet together and cover our fist, which shows that we are covering our weapon. This is more of an attention stance and this one is a ready stance. Now if you notice, this stance mimics the way you probably would want to be standing in real life. Your weight is balanced perfectly over both of your feet. You feel completely ready to move in any direction. If something comes at you, then you can immediately step out, come in and defend yourself from here. You're ready, in any direction, even from behind you. So that's your natural stance. From here, you will usually go into a horse stance or Kiba-dachi. which is basically where you'd bring your foot twice a shoulder width apart and you bring your hands back in the chambered position. Now this is not practical. This is not a fighting stance. So there are some people, who actually when they are wiped out they try to fight in this stance. You learn very quickly that this is not a fighting stance. As you can see that all of your vital spots are completely open and vulnerable. This is a training stance. If you stand in this for more than 30 seconds, you are going to feel it in your legs at first. It takes time to really get conditioned to where you can stay down here for a long period of time. It helps with your flexibility and your leg strength. It will make your kick strong and your stances strong. It will make your leg muscles cut. So, from here this is just a Kiba-dachi. From here we will usually do our blocks or you'll do your punches keeping your stance low. Also from here you have a front stance, the Zenkutzu-dachi. I'll show it to you from the side, but usually you would be going straight, this way. Your front leg is bent; your knee is over your toe. So if look straight down, you can't see your foot. If you can see your foot, you are too high. You want to have your foot down there. Your back leg is straight. This is the stance that you assume whenever you are doing a reverse punch. Or, if you are in a fighting position, you want to bend it slightly. It is a variation on the front stance or what they call kumite, or a fighting position. You will want your hands up and you want both knees bent because you can move. Footwork. Anyway, if you have this one leg straight you can't move that effectively. You are too slow. However, when you are punching, this is the front stance. This is also the stance you use in kata, or forms."