Why the Horse Stance?
Good morning!
Summer is coming,
so start thinking about what art
you’re going to learn this summer!
Let’s talk about the horse stance.
It is considered by many
to be THE stance of classical martial arts.
Why?
First, because the body is an energy system.
If you’ve gotten any of my courses
you’ll remember that
weight equals work equals energy.
When you sink your weight,
your tan tien has to create more energy
that energy can be used in strikes, blocks, etc.
BUT…
how much energy do you need?
Or…how deep do you go in your stance?
I used to practice holding a horse stance
with a stick laid across my thighs.
This made my thigh bones horizontal to the ground,
was difficult,
and gave me lots of strength
and even a bit of flexibility.
But it was impractical for fighting.
If you go lower,
if your butt is below your knees,
you’re not in a horse,
you’re in a squat.
If you go higher you’re not getting the power.
BUT…
you don’t need to practice those low, low stances forever.
Practice for a while,
till you have the power,
then raise your stances and use that power in your mobility.
AND…
I never practiced those super low stances in forms.
I practiced them in a meditation we practiced
which we called ‘Kima Chasie.’
I apologize if I have the spelling wrong,
or even the translation,
which we were told meant,
‘horse meditation.’
We would assume a stance with the bottom of our butts
on a level with the top of our knees.
A very slight slope.
We would hold one hand in an open hand high block,
and the other hand stretched to the side
with the fingers turned in a ‘beak’ to the rear.
This gets painful real quick,
but if you realize one simple idea…
‘it may hurt but it won’t kill you,’
and just sit through the pain,
the pain will eventually stop,
and you will have super leg power,
and incredible mental power.
So how deep should the horse stance be?
Depends on what you’re doing.
Are you seeking mobility?
Power?
Something else?
Are you doing it in meditation?
Part of a form?
For some other reason?
It’s up to you.
But what is guaranteed
is that the horse stance is a profound secret of poweer,
if you can get past the pain
and tap into your inner self.
Prepare for the summer!
Plan your work outs now!
Set up your dojo!
Every form is a prayer,
every technique reveals your heart.
Have a great work out!
Al
(thanks to Kumar)
And thanks to everybody who picked up my book,
Advanced Tai Chi Chuan for Real Self Defense!
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https://anchor.fm/dale-gillilan/episodes/S1E10—Al-Case-e12e3np
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How to Fix Karate:
A Karate Training and Workout Book
(Two Volumes)
