Stances: Top Five Reasons for Training them
Stance training is something overlooked in modern martial arts curriculum.
But this is a shame, because stance training can benefit a student greatly. Here are the top reasons to train your stances:
1.) Stance training will improve your balance and stability.
2.) Stance training will help you to become more rooted, which is also part of balance
3.) It will strengthen your legs greatly, and allow them to be conditioned for rigorous use
4.) Stance Training helps you to train how you use your body correctly in order to maximize power in your strikes. In other words: stance training will help you to learn to draw power from your legs.
5.) Stance training helps you get a bearing on your center of gravity. Once you find your “center” you will be able to do many things much easier.
The best way to train your stances is to settle into one for an extended period of time, often practicing breathing, striking, meditation, or a combination of the three. Another great exercise is to practice transitioning from one stance to another, spending long periods of time in each stance. The two best stances to train are the Horse Stance (also known as middle stance) and the bow stance (also known as the front stance, or front bent-knee stance). The most important of all of these, though, is the Horse stance, which will increase rootedness and strength considerably. Make sure you train stances as deep as you can, but check with your instructor to make sure you are doing them correctly, as to avoid injuring yourself.
Above all, stance training can be a great work out!
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