MODERN ARNIS STANCES

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1. READY STANCE This is the most common used stance when you
are standing at ease. You can use this stance in
tournaments and fights before you start engaging
with the opponent.

In this stance you need to stand with your toes

pointing forward and your feet parallel to your
shoulders. Standing with your feet apart gives you
balance so that you can move to the next position
and attack your opponent.

You need to keep your knees straight and your

whole body facing forward.

Your hands should be on the waist level either you

are holding two batons or one with another
weapon.

2. ATTENTION STANCE This stance is different from the ready stance,

since you stand with your feet forming a 45
degrees angle. Your torso and the legs should be
facing forward while keeping the knees straight. In
this stance, you will stand with the heels close to
each other and the shoulders dropped to the
sides. Both hands should be kept at the waist
level. This attention stance is usually used for
courtesy in preparation for a fight at the beginning
before sparring.

3. FORWARD STANCE As you start from the ready stance, you will have
to move one foot to the front. You will have to do
this until your toes and your knee are in line with
each other. Your toes, torso and waist will be
facing forward, hence the name of the stance.
 Make sure that your foot is not too much extended
or the body is too low, otherwise it will be hard to
manoeuvre or attack from this position. You
should be able to distribute the weight of the body
equally on both legs. There are two types of
forward stances. The right foot stance or the left
foot one, depending on the foot you are extending
to the front. It is usually used in striking or blocking
techniques.

4. BACK OR BACKWARD STANCE As the name suggests, in this stance the foot is
moved to the back rather than the side.

You will start from the ready stance then extend

his foot to the back in a 45 degrees angle away
from the body.

While the legs are in a straddle position, the heels

should form an imaginary “L” shape.

The weight of the body should be equally

distributed on both legs and it is very important not
to extend the foot too far.

Back stances can be done by extending the right

or left foot. They are used in back evasion
techniques and in blocking.

5. OBLIQUE STANCE This stance starts again from the ready stance. In
this stance, you will start moving one foot in 45
degrees angle until the toes and the knees are in
line with each other.

The foot is moved forward away from the body to

 reach the right position. Your moving foot is called
the lead foot.

You will have to move your body in the same

direction of the lead foot. The waist and the torso
are kept moving to the front along with the toes.

It is essential not to extend your feet too much to

the front or lower your body too much otherwise it
will be hard to move and manoeuvre. And it is
critical to keep your body weight equally
distributed on both legs. Again the oblique stance
can be right or left foot led depending on the foot
you choose to move. This stance is used in
blocking and evasion.

6. STRADDLE STANCE You should start from the ready stance then move
either the left or right foot for a distance of 2 feet
to the left or right direction. This is done until both
lower legs are now perpendicular to the ground.

The whole body, the legs and the toes should be

facing forward to make sure that this stance is a
success.

Again, it is crucial to make sure that the feet are

not too extended as this makes you in a position
where you are unable to move properly in order to
attack or defend.

The name of this stance is due to the

resemblance to the position a horse rider would
maintain. This is why it is also sometimes called
the Horseback Riding Stance.

This stance is one of the most efficient stances

used to block the strikes especially to the side of
the body
7. SIDE STANCE This is very close to the straddle stance as you
again start from the steady stance then move your
feet either to the right or the left.

However, in this position the moving foot will be

kept perpendicular to the ground while the other
leg would be extended.

This Arnis stances somehow looks as if you are

about to engage in a side kick. Again, the torso,
the legs and the toes should be kept pointing
forward.

Also, it is very important to make sure that the

body is not too low by extending your foot too far
to the side. You can engage in a right side stance
or a left side stance depending on the foot you
choose to move.

This stance is usually used in evasion techniques

or strike deflection.