I still want to see a photo or something of someone with their feet at shoulder width, thighs parallel to the ground, and back straight. I’m not convinced it can be done without toppling backwards on account of body weight being shifted so far back (behind the feet.)
But I’m eager to be proven wrong!
i’ll see if i can take a pic this weekend, chang.
my PC isn’t hooked up and that’s the one i have the digicam on.
**** windows only software.
that aside, using running shoes ( the ones that have the forward tilt ) for stances…not such a good idea.
Waterdragon, you said your thighs are parellel to the ground your pelvis is tucked in and your back is straight correct? Did you find that it took you some time to get your back to relax so you could get it straight, with your thighs parellel to the ground? I just started the horse stance training not too long ago and I am finding that it is hard to get my back straight.
Also, this may sound like a weird question, but do any of you get headaches while doing this?
Thanks Neptune. I’m looking forward to seeing it.
And yeah, I always do stances either in bare feet or kwoon slippers.
It took about 5-6 months to hit the proper position and I still struggle to keep it. I suggest taking the thighs down to parallel and then “pulling” your back into a straight position. I think you’ll always struggle with the stance, but I think that’s the point as well. See the other horse thread for more on this.
Originally posted by Chang Style Novice
[B]I still want to see a photo or something of someone with their feet at shoulder width, thighs parallel to the ground, and back straight. I’m not convinced it can be done without toppling backwards on account of body weight being shifted so far back (behind the feet.)
But I’m eager to be proven wrong! [/B]
Back Straight <> Back vertical. Back straight means the line between your crown and your tailbone is extended as straight as possible. However, given thighs parallel to the ground and feet at shoulder width, your back will not be vertical, but rather tilted forward, albeit minimally.
OTOH, in the Wing Chun Yee Gee Kim Yung Ma, the back is both straight and vertical, for comparison.
general kwei
gk - breath regularly and relax your neck and face…only two things that i can think of off the top of my head that would give you headaches
i’ll probably set the pc back up tonite…see if i can take a pic tomorrow.
Okay, with a forward tilt of the trunk I can see it working. Still, when I try, I lean pretty far forward.
Try pushing your knees forward so that you feel a stretch on your instep. I’m pretty sure “Knees not over toes” is only a bow stance requirement.
Royal Dragon Wrote:
Stand with your feet together
Open your toes to a 45 degree angle
Open your heels to 45 degrees the other way
Open your toes to 45 degrees again
Move your heels out to straighten your feet paralell
Ours is just the opposite:
Open your heels to 45 degrees
Open your toes to 45 degrees
Open your heel again to 45 degrees again
Moves your toes out to straighten your feet parallel
Go figure? Actually I just tried both ways they pretty much give the same width. My way might be a bit wider.
Originally posted by Royal Dragon
[B]Stand with your feet together
Open your toes to a 45 degree angle
Open your heels to 45 degrees the other way
Open your toes to 45 degrees again
Move your heels out to straighten your feet paralell
Reply]
Yup, this was the way i was taugh too.
I was also taught Water Dragon’s method, only with the distance of a fist between the feet during the “Measuring” posture used before the horse stance.
Now that I’m working with those guys, I do it their way quite often for a total of 3 horse stances. Personally, I prefer the wider one myself. I feel I’m more stable, and I can move smoother. [/B]
You are definitely gonna be more stable with a shoulder width or wider as opposed to the three flats that we use. Remember though, it’s not a static stance. You won’t fight from there, you won’t disrupt a stance from it - you throw from it. you are basically training to keep strong and balanced while you are in that position, as when you use it in fighting, you have someone else’s weight on you as you attempt a throw (think ippon seionage and rhino gazes at the moon).
Fu-Pow
Yeah, I just did it both ways to, and it ended up the same.
Water Dragon, The stance you are describing is a bit different than a normal horse stance as you are leaning forward abit. There is no way to do what you describe without falling over, or bending you knees so far over your toes it becomes a squat.
When I have seen you do the stance, you are leaning forward quite a bit. From a physics stand piont, to do any better than I saw you do would be impossible.
Seven Star, yes, it is used transitionally. in additon to throwing, it can be used to suddenly change your height and set up for other attacks like low groin or rib stikes. With a sudden drop combined with a shuffel step into horse stance, with a punch to the ribs, you can generate quite a bit of power, in an area noone expects you to be anything but off balance. I’ve also launched up from a deep horse stance with uppper cuts from the side door. under a guys guard, and clocked them for a KO. My other hand protected me from the arm I was going around. They never saw it comming. They would often be turning to face me as I did it. A really sneky move if you have the flow for it.
As far as the length of time holding, once you can old it an hour, you won’t get any substantial benifits. Practically though, you should be holding a variety of stances for 3-5 or maybe as much as 10 minutes before switching. Just do enough stances to work out for an hour. It’s better than only holding Horse, as the variety effects more body change, but then a one hour horse stance is damm hard, and definately high up there on the Bragging rights scale.
Fu-Pow’s toes out first and Serpent’s heels out first start from feet together. While I can see reason for them and the other (s) saying this is what they do, I think this is not correct. I think that where they say 45, it should be 90.
Heels or toes first to theoretically would be (starting from feet together):
45°
(then pivoting from the part just moved heel/ball)
90°
(then pivoting from the part just moved heel/ball)
90°
(then pivoting from the part just moved heel/ball)
45°
Which should get the feet parallel to each other.
In compensation for different abilities and builds (designs) these are likely guideline angles. Final povot should make parrallel best one can.
If you attain prefection, fine. Approaoching it is the most one can be expected to do.~-Ernie Moore Jr.
I think that when a female or child or man or male is raped they have a feeling of, “I can’t stop this. I want this to stop.” And it continues until the raping person exits. It can go on for years to follow.
That anguish seems at least similar to, standing and it hurts but you feel you are supposed to, or that you have to, keep there.
While there can be this in doing squats (weight machine), the Horse-riding stance does this over-comming mental anguish more-so than squats.
Strength or Power are merely by-products of Horse-riding stance. Flexibility of the legs also occures. I don’t think most would agree that squats produce both Strength And Flexibility of the legs simultaneously.
Meditative breathing can occure from a Horse-riding stance. After doing a form in a class, I would do the school puh-ups, two or three times. Keeping my hands on the ground stutter-hop my feet to near between my hands; exercise my wrists then stand-up then do a non-Northern, approaching thighs parallel Horse-riding stance feet parallel. This seems to quiet and regulate my breathing in a few seconds where else wise I couldn’t get my breath for several minutes perhaps.
The longer one can stand in Horse-riding stance not only greater legs endurance, But, Over All Endurance.
There might be many things that can give individually what the Horse-riding stance does all at once. One hour to do all these at once seems more efficient then taking the time to do even some of them individually.
Perhaps some-such, there is more to the stance than merely standing.~