Horse Stance.

Bon · Black Belt

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jakmak52 · Green Belt

I think it looks nice in kata with your thighs perpendicular to the floor, besides lowering your center of gravity, I always thought it was also a great way to increase the muscle endurance in my quads??

Jiggy9 · Purple Belt

" Against a Typhoon " - Gichin Funakoshi

The sky above, was black and out of it there came a howling wind that laid wast to whatever stood in its path. Huge branhces were torn like twigs from great trees, and dust and pebbles flew through the air, stinging a man's face.
Okinawa is known as the island of typhoons, and the ferocity of it's tropical storms defies dscription. To withstand the onslaught of the winds that devastate the island regularly every year during the storm season, the houses of Okinawa stand low and are built as sturdily as possible;they are surrounded by high stone walls, and the slate tiles on the roogs and secured by mortart. Bt the winds are so tremendous (often attaining a velocity of 100 miles/hour) that despite all precautions the houses shiver and tremble.

During one partiuclar typhoon, that i Remember, all the people of Shuri huddled together within their homes, praying for the typhoon to pass without wreaking any great damage. No, I was wrong when I said all the people of Shuri huddled at home, there was one young man, up on the roof of his house in Yamakawa- Cho, was was determinedly battling the typhoon.

Anyone observing the solitary figure would surely have concluded that he had lost his wits. Wearing only a loincloth, he stoond on the slippery tiles of the roof and held in both hands, as thought to protect him from the howling wind, a tatami mat. He must have fallen off the roof to the ground time and again, for his nearly naked body was smeared all over with mud.

The young man seemed to be about 20yrs old or perhaps younger. He was of small stature, hardly, more than five feet tall, but his shoulder were huge and his biceps bulged. His hair was dressed like that of a sumo wrestler with a topknot and a small silver pin indicating that he belonged to the shizoku.

But all this is of little importance, what matters is the expression on his face; wide eyees glittering with a strange expression on his face: wide eyes glittering with a trange light, a wide brow, copper red sking. Clenching his teeth as the wind tore him, he gave off an aura of tremedous power...

Now the young man on the roof assumed a low posture, holding the stray wat aloft against the raging wind. THe stance he took was most impressive, for he stood as if astride a horse. Indeed, anyone who knew karate could readily have seen that the youth was taking the horse riding stance, the most stable of all karate stances and that he was making use of the howling typhoon to refine his technique and to further strengthen both body and mind. The wind struck the math and the youth with full force...but he stood his ground and did not flinch.

[ This Message was edited by: Jiggy9 on 2001-11-18 09:10 ]

Jiggy9 · Purple Belt

In other words - the horse stance is an extremely stable stance. It's probably just me ...but I dont understand what you mean about the nice thigh something?

I think blocking a kick is very effective, it's just a question of 'how' you block it. Initially i found the same problem, after alot of training and refinement of placement and technique of the block I eventually found the correct application of the technique, in which it doesnt really hurt me or require me to exert much force at all.

True that you have time to move out of the way, which i think is a perfectly good way to defend yourself...but sometimes when you have no where to move too, or often i found that when you defend the kick you open up oppurtunities to attack for yourself.

But thats just what i think.

SaiFightsMS · KF VIP

Jiggy that was a very interesting tale.

I think most of us wonder at the deep stances from time to time, usually in the middle of class when we have been in one for what seems to be forever.

Many things we do in karate that are seemingly a bit odd are referred to as "good training". Kicking requires leg strengt. Many things require balance. I am finding that the longer that I do this the more little light bulbs go off. Or that the explanations of others make more sense.

For me the deeper stances aided my every day ambulation. I need not ask any more why's than that.

KickChick · Black Belt

I would also like to add to jakmak52's response that the horse stance itself is very beneficial for strong knee development. Many therapists are frequently recommending side to side knee training exercises (horse stance posture) to people with bad knees.
Isn't there also a kata in shotokan that is done entirely in horsestance...tekki? I think it was supposedly symbolic of the fighting techniques that would be used by horsemen in combat.

jakmak52 · Green Belt

There's a kata in ITF TKD which we called Choi Goi (pronounced Cho Gee), which means Iron Horse that is done mostly in the horse stance facing only one direction supposedly protecting a wall..

Kickbutt · Pre-Black Belt

When being attacked from behind, going into horse stance is also a great way to break the attackers' hold on you - simply drop into horse stance, take either leg and wrap it behind the attacker's and flip them over your leg...don't know if that explains it clearly enough, but y'all get the general idea!

Lori

[CT]pizzaboy · Green Belt

It's common sense that to withstand a hard tackle one must lower one's center of gravity. With the knees bented, it's like a tree rooted to the ground. Jiggy great story...but to looonnnggggg...longggggg.lol. Bon, never confused kata with actual fighting. I don't think nobody would stand in a horse stance in an actual fight. Even if a person was a complete dork and have no martial arts skill, no one would open themselves in such a vunerable position.

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I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversations.

Bon · Black Belt

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