Anyone who has ever trained alongside me or taken a class taught by me, knows that I value stances a lot. While stances are a crucial fundamental and having a good foundation is critical for the development of good technique, that is not totally why I emphasize stances. I emphasize stances, because anybody can have a good stance and anybody can take the opportunity to make their stance better than it already is. Some struggle to do flashy jump kicks and jump spinning kicks due to physical limitations, but everybody can go 6 inches further in a stance or at the very least make their stance more technically correct with how their feet, knees and hips are aligned.
To me, the stance is a hallmark of how hard a student is trying, how much they want the goal they are striving for, and their comfortability with discomfort. Sure it may hurt a little bit at first holding their stance deeper for a longer period of time, but they will be stronger from it. Stances are also not the most exciting thing about martial arts. Focusing on improving stances shows that they are able to “eat your vegetables” and work on the boring things that are important for them, but aren’t necessarily the most fun.
Those two points of doing things even when they are uncomfortable and when they are not exciting translate to one thing for me, and that is discipline. We may find that doing the laundry, or cleaning the bathrooms (Picture any chore you don’t like doing!) to be just as arduous as holding a horse stance, yet we see that consistency through those things are both important. Maintaining this consistency may be difficult, yet we are rewarded in the end. Just as we enjoy living in a clean house and having clean clothes to wear, we will enjoy the benefits of a good stance to the rest of our technique if we take the time to focus on it. Much like the rest of martial arts training and in life, raw talent will only go so far. Focus, discipline and hardwork can take anyone and lead them to success. Really, with those three things anyone can become successful at anything.
Many times, there are fundamental and unexciting things in all aspects of life that show intent and character! What is your “stance work” at work, at home and in your other avocational activities? If you can identify and intentionally focus on the “stance” you will go far.
