POSTURES

1. Forward Stance

Forward stance is one of karate's bread-and-butter stances, and it's the first fighting stance
that most students learn. It's a versatile stance, from which you can perform most strikes, blocks
and kicks. It's an excellent stance from which to practice hip rotation. It forms the basis of the
first kata.
Forward stance was one of the stances that was deliberately exaggerated by Gichin
Funakoshi when he formulated the style that was to become Shotokan. Its longer length develops
the thigh muscles, which are the key to explosive movement in half forward stance.
The stance provides strong resistance against attacks from the front, and its low height
minimises the amount of frontal body area available for your opponent to strike. However, it's
very weak against attacks from the forward diagonal (from the north-east if the left leg is
forward), and the rear diagonal (the south-west if the left leg is forward).
It lacks the fast mobility of more upright stances, and is an impractical stance from which
to initiate movement. Thus, it's more likely to be a finishing position, perhaps after a lunge or a
large backward step.

TECHNIQUES
1. It's one shoulder width broad and two shoulders widths long. The front leg is bent at the
knee at least 45 degrees, and the front shin should be vertical, with the knee above the ankle. The
back leg should be straight, but the knee should not be locked at the joint (which will cause joint
damage over a period of time) - instead, you should use your muscles to hold the leg a fraction
short of straight. The rear foot faces forwards at an angle of at least 45 degrees (measured on the
outside edge of the foot). The front foot is turned slightly inwards and the front knee is pushed
outwards slightly over the shin.
2. Your centre of gravity should be forwards with approximately two-thirds (66%) of your
weight on the front leg, and the remainder on the back leg. Your body should also be two thirds
of the way to the front.
3. Your hip rotation depends upon the action that you are performing, and with which limb
you are performing it, so your hips may face forwards for a punch or kick, or to 45 degrees for a
block. However, you also want to roll your hips forwards from the bottom upwards.
4. Although both feet should be flat on the floor, your pressure should be on the inside of
the feet. Regardless of whether you are moving forwards or backwards, your pressure against the
ground is forwards through your front foot and backwards through your rear foot.

Common mistakes to avoid:

 Don't allow the back knee to bend.
 Make sure the front knee is pushed out the side.
 Don't set the stance too wide when stepping forwards.
 Don't set the stance too narrow or short, especially when turning.
 Push the stance down from the hips, and don't allow yourself to stand tall as you get tired.
 Ensure that the hips are facing the correct direction for the technique you're performing.
 Don't allow the back foot to turn out too far.
 Don't scrunch your toes up as you grip the floor.
2. Han Zenkutsu Dachi - Short Forward Stance
 Overview

Although we conventionally call this stance "Short Forward Stance," its name actually translates
to "Half Long Forward Stance" - same intent, different words. It's a shorter version of Zenkutsu
Dachi. Whilst it's not as strong defensively in the forward axis thanks to its shorter baseline and
higher centre of gravity, it compensates by offering greater mobility. It's often called "fighting
stance" because it's a very comfortable sparring stance, that looks similar to a boxer's stance. It's
my favourite stance when I want to remain light on my feet, and it's probably the easiest stance
from which to move into other stances. Defensively, it's the perfect stance to move back into
Nekoashi Dachi to kick fromfrom, whilst offensively, it's a good starting point before you drive
forward into a full Zenkutsu Dachi perjhaps with a block or punch.

Technique

It's one shoulder-width broad and one shoulder-width long. Both legs should slightly bent, and
the knees are allowed to rest naturally. Your weight is evenly distributed between your two legs,
enabling you to switch your weight onto either leg equal ease.

Your back should be straight and your hips and shoulders should be square. A lot of people like
to turn their hips and shoulders away, by 45 or even 90 degrees whilst sparring in this stance.
Whilst this does reduce the frontal body area that can be used as a target, it also removes the
back two limbs from the fight until you turn your hips back. In doing so, the body movement is
so great that it declares your intentions clearly for your opponents to see and react to.

3. Seisan Dachi – Side facing straddle stance

In the Seisan Dachi stance, the heel of the front foot and the toes of the back foot meet at the
same line (no length), and the width from heel to heel is 1.5 times the width of the shoulders. The
back foot is straight and the front foot is turned in 45 degrees, and both feet are flat. The knees
are slightly bent and pressed outward with the weight equal between the feet. The hips are
straight forward.