What do you mean "feet forward"?I'm brand new to karate and am wondering about the feet forward. It feels unnatural to me. How long does it take for this to go away?
If you walk with feet inward at a 45 degree angle for a period of time, you may be able to fix it.
That is because Sifu Woo and EP had a falling out over a book deal.
As far as I understand, No , that is not correct. actually the stance you describe , has several names in Okinawan karate, Shiko-dachi (usually low stance ), Soto-hachi-ji-dachi (a little higher with feet a bit closer together), in both cases the back is allowed to arch naturally and is aligned but not straight. A horse stance is Kiba-dachi the feet are straight forward, the back is straightened by un-tilting the pelvis. This kiba-dachi is the stance most often used kata like Naihanchi/tekki while Shiko dachi is most often used in kata of Goju-ryu, and Shorin-ryu (other than naihanchi), Shikodachi is often most used in Kobudo. Most styles of Kung fu however use a horse stance , or what the Okinawans would call Kiba-dachi (straight feet and back)
You are absolutely correct sir. What many call a horse stance is more akin to a "sumo" stance or some variance. The problem with defining a "Horse Stance" from the Chinese perspective as well as any other is in anatomically defining what it means to have your feet "straight" or parallel. For the purposes of a horse stance, anatomically the feet are naturally curved so relatively speaking only the outside of the foot can be used as a measure and perspective. The stance requires this perspective in order to be anatomically sound, efficient, and to support upper body strength and Marriage of Platforms.
I don't believe I made mention of anyone in particular in my answer. I was speaking of a horse stance and its correct posture.
In the first martial art I trained (essentially a style of Kempo) we were also taught that a proper horse stance should have the outsides of the feet parallel and pointing forward.
When you bend your legs and then straight your legs, your body will move toward the direction that your feet are point to. If your use
This is only true if your feet naturally point the same direction as your knees. Most people's do. Mine do not. And while my particular condition is uncommon, being "duck footed" or "splay-footed" is not uncommon. For people with this structure, your "rule" does not apply, and in fact can damage the knees!
Yep I've heard that advice too, that the knee should aaaaaalways travel in the direction that the foot is pointing, but as I've said before my feet are the same as yours. I never knew how to tackle that, but generally angle my feet out slightly.This is only true if your feet naturally point the same direction as your knees. Most people's do. Mine do not. And while my particular condition is uncommon, being "duck footed" or "splay-footed" is not uncommon. For people with this structure, your "rule" does not apply, and in fact can damage the knees!
Yet I had one instructor who stubbornly insisted that the the human foot always aligns with the direction of the knee and tried to force me into the traditional stance, nearly wrecking my knee joint. When I showed him my problem and explained my medical history, he insisted that I was the one being stubborn.
I came to the conclusion that while he was a great practitioner, he was a crappy teacher or coach for me. I respectfully stopped training with him. A shame really. But your health must come first.
The pictured posture is not incorrect. It is perfectly fine when you understand Martial Posture.
While anatomically correct postures are usually dictated and dedicated to particular actions or functions, there are always anatomical anomalies in nature that cannot be ignored. While "normal" people may find it hard to believe, the direction the feet point does not always line up with the knees, and as such adjustments and allowances must be made for anatomical discrepancies.This is only true if your feet naturally point the same direction as your knees. Most people's do. Mine do not. And while my particular condition is uncommon, being "duck footed" or "splay-footed" is not uncommon. For people with this structure, your "rule" does not apply, and in fact can damage the knees!
Yet I had one instructor who stubbornly insisted that the the human foot always aligns with the direction of the knee and tried to force me into the traditional stance, nearly wrecking my knee joint. When I showed him my problem and explained my medical history, he insisted that I was the one being stubborn.
I came to the conclusion that while he was a great practitioner, he was a crappy teacher or coach for me. I respectfully stopped training with him. A shame really. But your health must come first.
Stances are not created for aesthetic reasons in the Traditional Chinese Arts, and that includes the Horse Stance. The position of the body in its entirety constitutes posture, not just the feet. The alignment of the feet properly has a profound impact on available upper body strength, and an improper Horse Stance can demonstrably be shown to take away available upper body strength in the arms as well as compromise the vertical plane of the structure.
My primary instructor focuses on the direction of the feet (in front stance, "feet parallel, pointed forward). My feet don't align with my knees, so I learned to focus on the direction of the knee. So when I teach students, I teach them in "knee" terms (in front stance, "knees pointed on parallel path if you bend them"). The direction of the knee is what affects structure in most cases.This is only true if your feet naturally point the same direction as your knees. Most people's do. Mine do not. And while my particular condition is uncommon, being "duck footed" or "splay-footed" is not uncommon. For people with this structure, your "rule" does not apply, and in fact can damage the knees!
Yet I had one instructor who stubbornly insisted that the the human foot always aligns with the direction of the knee and tried to force me into the traditional stance, nearly wrecking my knee joint. When I showed him my problem and explained my medical history, he insisted that I was the one being stubborn.
I came to the conclusion that while he was a great practitioner, he was a crappy teacher or coach for me. I respectfully stopped training with him. A shame really. But your health must come first.
That diagram is no longer at that link, apparently. In any case, he referred to an issue with the drawing, didn't he? Or did I misread that?
I have copies of all of that. I have all of Sifu James Wing Woo’s writings and drawings and diagrams. I believe he (doc) was commenting on the diagram of horse stance. These diagrams show direction of internal torques in a static horse stance. In any case, there is no such thing as standard issue when it comes to human body parts. Varus/valgus knee joint angles vary widely. people with a wider hip will typically display a more pronounced medial apex of the knee joint, which may necessitate more attention to the supination of the foot to adequately center the load distribution. Part of why the Chinese classic is titled the “art” of stacking and folding.
The only issues I see here is that arms are too high for single whip, and feet are double weighted. All weight should be on one leg here. But, again, results are what really count. This is why pictures of martial arts usually dont look good. It doesn’t mean much because we have all had moments of learning where we do things incorrectly.
