Karate Stances Page 3
Train hard and pay special attention to your stances. They are a very fundamental part of a Martial Art and should never be underestimated. What might look like a boring or pointless stance could quite well turn out to be an ideal situation for a perfect attack or escape, it could be your life saver, it could be the difference between you falling over or making your opponent fall. Stances also help build powerful leg and core muscles and some even help develop strength in the feet, tendons and ligaments.
Neko Ashi Dach | Cat Stance
Neko Ashi Dachi, (pronounced Nicko-Hatchy-Datch) also known as the Cat Stance is a medium height stance used in many styles of Karate most noticeably GoJu, who use the stance in many of their katas. The Cat Stance is used to sink down into an opponent and to counter with the front kick which only rests on the ground using the ball of the foot, the remainder of the bodies weight is shifted to the rear leg in this stance. Full Details and Instructional Video on Neko Ashi Dachi, the Cat Stance.
Kiba Dachi | Horse Stance
Kiba Dachi, (pronounced key-bar-datchi) is a wide karate stance best employed for sideways combat. Also referred to as the horse riding stance due to the position of the stance which resembles that of a person riding a horse. Kiba Dachi is an important and strong stance popular in lots of Asian Martial Art styles. Full Details and Instruction Video on Kiba Dachi Horse Stance.
Shiko Dachi | Sumo Stance
Shiko Dachi, (pronounced Sheek-co-datch) is one of the widest and lowest stances used in our karate syllabus. The stance is also known in some styles as Sumo Stance or even Square Stance, this is because the legs are stretched out wide, with the toes pointing outwards at 45 degree angles. Bending the knees at this point and sinking down into this stance is great for working most of the body, although not ideally suited to fighting due to the groin exposure. Learn more about this stance and watch the video demonstration of Shiko Dachi Sumo Stance.