Stance Work

[Marnetmar]

If you're having trouble getting lower in your stance, try doing some achilles stretches. My stance is pretty high and it's because my achilles tendon is very tight. You could try standing and placing one foot flat against the wall.

 

[wingchun100]

UPDATE ON THIS SITUATION: After taking some video of myself and watching the way I pivot to the left and right now, I can see better what Sifu means. Also, I thought more about what he said: "You're basically taking your sil lum tao stance and turning it." So in SLT, my weight is evenly on both legs. Sifu favors a 70-30 weight distribution (70 back, 30 front). So I took another video of me placing more weight forward, and guess what? The front leg was bent more. So I posted the video for him to see, and he said, "Still needs a lot of work, but it's improving." So I think I was putting too much weight back.

 

[geezer]

UPDATE ON THIS SITUATION: ... Sifu favors a 70-30 weight distribution (70 back, 30 front). So I took another video of me placing more weight forward, and guess what? The front leg was bent more. So I posted the video for him to see, and he said, "Still needs a lot of work, but it's improving." So I think I was putting too much weight back.

Our branch favors a strongly back-weighted stance, like 100% or at least 90% of the weight on the back leg. But guess what? We also keep our front leg bent and adducted, just like in YGKYM, except turned so that the feet are parallel at a 45degree angle.

My point? Simply that the same structure is necessary, in fact especially necessary when you are strongly back-weighted.

 

[wingchun100]

Our branch favors a strongly back-weighted stance, like 100% or at least 90% of the weight on the back leg. But guess what? We also keep our front leg bent and adducted, just like in YGKYM, except turned so that the feet are parallel at a 45degree angle.

My point? Simply that the same structure is necessary, in fact especially necessary when you are strongly back-weighted.

I'm not saying any other weight distribution is wrong. I just meant that this seemed to solve my problem, or at least START me on the road to a solution.

 

[OzPaul]

I was having a few dramas pivoting in CK until my Sifu said don't worry too much about the weight distribution, you just need to be able to lift your front leg without moving in your stance. So basically be able to kick without giving off any signs you are about to. After hearing this my CK pivoting wasn't a problem any more. It made me sink more when in the ygkym stance in SLT also.

 

[wingchun100]

I was having a few dramas pivoting in CK until my Sifu said don't worry too much about the weight distribution, you just need to be able to lift your front leg without moving in your stance. So basically be able to kick without giving off any signs you are about to. After hearing this my CK pivoting wasn't a problem any more. It made me sink more when in the ygkym stance in SLT also.

I posted a video of myself pivoting with this new weight distribution idea in mind, and Sifu said it was progressing. That is the first time he has said that in ages. Then again, the video showed me just doing the pivot. Now that I think about it, I wonder if it will allow me to (as you said) kick without telegraphing. I will have to try that out.