Don’t expect to have amazing stances from class alone
No matter where you train you can’t depend solely on class time to improve your stances. Anything you expect to be great at such as stances, splits, jogging, and forms you must take extra time outside of class to practice. Let’s put it into perspective, first, think of how many hours you train a day. Next how many hours do you train a week? At the Shaolin Academy in China we train 8-12 hours a day. That’s how long most people train in one week. Real dedication will require some sacrifice at home. Always keep your goals in mind, always stay humble and always look for where you can improve.
First of all let’s look at the importance of stances
Of course your forms will improve if your stances improve but here are a few other ways strong stances will impact your life.
In a fitness aspect, strong stances improve hip stability, flexibility and erector muscle functions. Training stances burns calories and stabilizes the human body from head to toe if practiced correctly with diligence and attention to detail.
In a practical aspect, strong stances make your center of gravity lower, and your base harder to knock off balance. Both your ability to throw your opponent and resist takedowns will become greater. Your ability to transfer weight from your feet to your hands when punching as in a cross or hook will noticeably increase.
In an internal aspect, grand circulation (advanced projection of internal Qi) can’t be achieved without first being able to connect with the Earth and rooting yourself. Being able to project Qi through the ground often starts as a very physical experience gripping the ground as you practice stances, but as time goes on, one learns to project through the ground without physically dropping their center of gravity. For instance my Shifu at Fa Wang Temple could push away my friend and I while standing feet shoulder width as if he were waiting for the bus, while both my friend and I pushed against his forearm as hard as we could.
Improving stances at home
Before any exercise or stretching be sure to warm up to avoid injury. If you’re not sweating, you’re not warm.
Ma Bu (Horse Stance)
Hold Ma Bu against a wall, be sure your heels, hip, upper back and head are touching the wall, a common mistake is to move the heels away from the wall, pay extra attention to this detail.
This exercise is helpful towards traditional styles and southern styles, it will ensure you are not cheating on your Horse Stance. In Wushu and Chang Quan it is common to hold Ma Bu with the hip back with an anterior tilt whereas in traditional styles and in southern styles the knees are forward and hip tucked with a posterior tilt with the toes clenched into the ground, you should not be able to see your toes.
Speed & Strength
Start in your lowest Horse Stance count to five then fast as possible without changing hight switch into Front Stance, count to five, then back to Horse stance and repeat on the other side for at least one minute. To make the exercise more difficult hold the stances for longer and switch stances faster.
This exercise will help train the body to rotate faster when throwing punches and switch stances with more power when practicing forms.
Gong Bu (Front Stance)
Runner’s Stretch as it is commonly known is a great way to improve the flexibility of the muscles that if tense can impact Front Stance negatively. Start in Front Stance, drop your opposite hand next to the front foot, allow your heel of the back foot to pick up off the ground and drop your knee close to the ground, sink your hip to the ground and at the same time push your hip forward. If your back knee can touch the ground spread your stance wider. Be sure to keep your back straight and chest out.
Hands down is easier, keep the body straight and front knee parallel to the body. If this is too easy you can try it while stretching your arms up.
Pu Bu (Crouching Stance)
Practice Crouching Stance a little to warm up and then when you are ready grab the foot of the leg that is bent with both hands. Next switch your stance but keep both hands on the foot you grabbed. Be sure to pay attention to the finer points of Crouching Stance; both feet flat, butt down, back straight, head up.
This exercise can correct a lot of mistakes people commonly make when doing Crouching Stance.
(on the left) a bad stance, back isn’t straight and back foot isn’t flat (on the right) a good stance, back is straight head is up and body is leaning forward.
