Walking Stance

[Tez3]

When I train with a friend of mine who runs a TKD class, he teaches a 'walking' stance for blocks. It's quite a nice stance, obviously easy to do but I'm wondering how common it is? We have nothing like it in karate, we have back stance instead and I've never seen anyone else do such a 'short' stance, it is literally blocking while walking. If you do this is it useful or pointless?

 

[Cirdan]

Can`t say I`ve seen anything like it. What is it supposed to teach?

We do all sorts of strange things in the cat stance. Somtimes we practice "kung fu walking" wich stress proper tranferance of weight and flow, can also be done adding pushing hands with a partner and with eyes closed. None of these are close to a normal walk however.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

We do the palgwe forms and there is one in palgwe 8 where you go into a short stance after a deep front stance. We really dont do them at all outside of a couple of forms but from what Ive seen of the taegek forms they seem to have a lot of them, but I dont know the taegeks.

 

[Tez3]

Can`t say I`ve seen anything like it. What is it supposed to teach?

We do all sorts of strange things in the cat stance. Somtimes we practice "kung fu walking" wich stress proper tranferance of weight and flow, can also be done adding pushing hands with a partner and with eyes closed. None of these are close to a normal walk however.

To be honest I don't know what it's for, as you say we have a lot of stances in Wado but I don't know anything similiar not even Renojidachi.

The class does it in line work walking forward doing either rising block, in to out and out to in block ( I'll describe in English to save the Japanese/Korean language problem). I never have the time to ask because I don't want to interrupt the lessons which aren't for me but for the students, he just asks me along because he wants the kids to see there are female black belts as well as men lol! They are a very small group mostly male but with a few younger girls he wants to impress on that they can, if they work hard, also grade up to be BB when they are older. This particular movement is very easy for me to fit into, though tbh most except the high kicks are. He has me sparring with them MMA, MT or karate style to teach the others how to cope with someone who's not TKD.
The SD stuff we do is the same more or less as I do already, we swap techniques which is great.

 

[andyjeffries]

When I train with a friend of mine who runs a TKD class, he teaches a 'walking' stance for blocks. It's quite a nice stance, obviously easy to do but I'm wondering how common it is? We have nothing like it in karate, we have back stance instead and I've never seen anyone else do such a 'short' stance, it is literally blocking while walking. If you do this is it useful or pointless?

It's definitely common in Kukki-Taekwondo (Taekwondo as specified by the Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters). The first move of the first pattern (kata in Karate terms) is a walking stance (also called a short stance). It's called Ap Seogi in Korean (seogi is pronounced suh-gi, not see-oh-gi by the way).

Technically it's defined as three foot lengths long, the inside edges of the feet on the same line and the rear foot turned out by 30-45 degrees (I'm not 100% sure on the angle, but I doubt anyone is that fussy if you do 30 or 45 or somewhere between).

 

[FieldDiscipline]

Can't comment on the rest of the site as I haven't looked, this was the first google result showing this well. From the old KKW site IIRC.

http://www.olympictaekwondo.org/taegeuk-il-jang.html

 

[FieldDiscipline]

Click 'next pattern' for a comparison to long stance/forward stance/long walking stance (or whatever you wish to call it).

 

[Tez3]

It's definitely common in Kukki-Taekwondo (Taekwondo as specified by the Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters). The first move of the first pattern (kata in Karate terms) is a walking stance (also called a short stance). It's called Ap Seogi in Korean (seogi is pronounced suh-gi, not see-oh-gi by the way).

Technically it's defined as three foot lengths long, the inside edges of the feet on the same line and the rear foot turned out by 30-45 degrees (I'm not 100% sure on the angle, but I doubt anyone is that fussy if you do 30 or 45 or somewhere between).

Ah, now that definitely sounds familiar! They call their first pattern '13 steps' and the first moves are in 'walking stance'. It seems a very good introduction to doing patterns, I know the first kata/pattern/form tends to be the hardest as it's something very new to beginners in any martial art.
cheers for that!

 

[Cirdan]

We have a similar kata, more of a collection of strikes really, that we teach to the white belts. Refered to as the "kickboxing kata". Ten punches and kicks from a left guard, turn around and do ten more from a right guard, turn around again, finished. However it is done from a front stance, and the importance of rooting is taught from the start.

 

[ATC]

The walking stance is use in the first 3 forms (poomsaes) to introduce students into moving while blocking. As the forms progress up the walking stance is slowly removed as more advanced stances are introduced.

Form 1 = 18 movements and has 15 walking stances and 3 long stances
Form 2 = 18 movements and had 12 walking stances and 6 long stances

The walking stances decrease as the form number goes up and the student becomes more comfortable while moving and blocking and punching and kicking while transitioning into the next stance or kick or move.

By the time you get to the 4th form there are no more walking stances. Every 2 forms will introduce a new stance. So for example forms 1 and 2 are walking and front stance only. Forms 3 and 4 introduce the back stance. Forms 5 and 6 introduce left, right and cat and x or cross stance. Forms 7 and 8 introduce horse and half mountain stance. Once you get to black belt then other stances are introduced as well.

The walking stance is also a good transition stance when you need to close distance but a long stance is just too long, or when two steps are needed but one is short as not to close to much distance. The walking stance is a great stance for distance management as it gives you a half stance for when a full stance is just too much or too little.

 

[Tony49]

The walking stance is use in the first 3 forms (poomsaes) to introduce students into moving while blocking. As the forms progress up the walking stance is slowly removed as more advanced stances are introduced.

Form 1 = 18 movements and has 15 walking stances and 3 long stances
Form 2 = 18 movements and had 12 walking stances and 6 long stances

The walking stances decrease as the form number goes up and the student becomes more comfortable while moving and blocking and punching and kicking while transitioning into the next stance or kick or move.

By the time you get to the 4th form there are no more walking stances. Every 2 forms will introduce a new stance. So for example forms 1 and 2 are walking and front stance only. Forms 3 and 4 introduce the back stance. Forms 5 and 6 introduce left, right and cat and x or cross stance. Forms 7 and 8 introduce horse and half mountain stance. Once you get to black belt then other stances are introduced as well.

The walking stance is also a good transition stance when you need to close distance but a long stance is just too long, or when two steps are needed but one is short as not to close to much distance. The walking stance is a great stance for distance management as it gives you a half stance for when a full stance is just too much or too little.

ATC, I love your explanation. The wife and I practice the palgwaes because we have always hated the Taeguks because of the walking stance. We always felt is was a lazy stance put in TKD to cater to the kids because many had problems doing a proper front stance. However, your explanation and the fact that the stance disappears in time can make in tolerable for use to change to the Taeguks.

 

[ATC]

ATC, I love your explanation. The wife and I practice the palgwaes because we have always hated the Taeguks because of the walking stance. We always felt is was a lazy stance put in TKD to cater to the kids because many had problems doing a proper front stance. However, your explanation and the fact that the stance disappears in time can make in tolerable for use to change to the Taeguks.

Glad I could shed some light on things.

 

[dancingalone]

ATC, I love your explanation. The wife and I practice the palgwaes because we have always hated the Taeguks because of the walking stance. We always felt is was a lazy stance put in TKD to cater to the kids because many had problems doing a proper front stance. However, your explanation and the fact that the stance disappears in time can make in tolerable for use to change to the Taeguks.

What I got out of the explanation is the walking stance is a fundamental and useful stance from the KKW perspective. More advanced forms introduce different stances, but the walking stance should not be regarded as a deprecated one to be replaced.

Correct, ATC?

 

[Tony49]

Then if it is a fundamental stance, can you please explain the usefulness?

 

[ATC]

What I got out of the explanation is the walking stance is a fundamental and useful stance from the KKW perspective. More advanced forms introduce different stances, but the walking stance should not be regarded as a deprecated one to be replaced.

Correct, ATC?

Correct. It is a transitional stance in a sense but it is also a practical stance as well. Like I mentioned above it can be and is used to maintain correct distance. If a front or long stance puts you to close to the opponent for a counter or block then the walking stance can and should be use. The alternative is to change your counter or block but why do that when you can practice the same techniques for both close and longer ranges.

The walking stance also makes for a good stance to close distance and sweep from. If someone is swinging overhand in a downward motion or even a hook motion and you need to be inside to sweep or even throw, the walking stance is a good stance for starting those techniques as it will allow for more range of motion when turning the hips.

Many of the one step techniques start off with the walking stance as one step is practiced at close (in the personal space zone) range. Below is a video that will show some of what I am talking about.

[yt]-ciREKkCr_U[/yt]

 

[andyjeffries]

By the time you get to the 4th form there are no more walking stances.

Moves 15 and 17 are in walking stance in Taegeuk 4 (assuming you're talking about the taegeuk series).

 

[ATC]

Moves 15 and 17 are in walking stance in Taegeuk 4 (assuming you're talking about the taegeuk series).

You are correct. inside block punch on both sides. I stand corrected.:asian: