Fighting stances vary for everything from Boxing, Kickboxing, Wrestling and Way of the North Star Point fighting to anything invented by Steven Seagal.
It’s my goal with this article to shed some light on some universal principles on Fight stances and it’s purpose and function.
A fighting stance is simply an athletic way of standing. I call this the Universal Athletic Position (UAP). The UAP is a stance that allows for mobility and allows the body to both generate and absorb force.
Check out the video below for a quick breakdown.
So that you can be mobile and so that you can absorb and generate force, your feet need to be slightly shoulder width apart.
Newbies will often have their feet too far apart or their feet too close.
The best way to check if the distance between your feet is sound is to get into your stance and bring your rear, right knee to the floor.
If your right knee touches your left ankle, then that is the perfect distance for your feet. If your feet are too close together, you will lose balance and punching power.
If your feet are too far apart, you will lose mobility.
I explain it here in this video.
Think of the Boxing stance like you would stand if you were about to push a car down a road. This is what I mean when your fighting stance should allow you to produce force.
If you were to punch forward with a straight right hand, your torso, legs and hips should align as if you were about to push a Smart Car.
There’s many ways to hold your hands up when you’re fighting. Every Boxing coach I’ve ever had has shown me a different way to hold up my hands.
Every martial art on the planet has a specific way to hold your hands ups.
There are 2 main reason you need to have your hands up.
1) To protect your head.
2) To generate force for punching.
I tell my students to hold on to an invisible steering wheel like they’re driving a tiny little car.
This really works. It’s not nearly as ridiculous as it sounds. Watch the video below and I’ll prove it to you.
You also have to be carful not to “walk the line” when you’re in your fighting stance.
No, I’m not trying to be an Asian Johnny Cash. This is actually a real problem for many newbies.
Here, watch this video.
Okay, so there you have it. Not an exhaustive breakdown on all the different fighting stances the Martial Arts world has to offer; but, it’s a good place to start.
I hope this was helpful 🙂
