Techniques>Stances>Notes about stance descriptions

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Notes about stance descriptions

Intro

Some of the terms used in the stance descriptions.

Guard position

All stances are performed with the hands and arms held in a basic guard position:

• The hands are held in fists held just below cheekbones.
• The palms are held toward the face.
• The forearms are held almost vertical.
• The elbows are held close together.

The top of the diagram is always facing the opponent; therefore, the guarding position of the hands is always held in that direction.

Stance diagrams

Stance diagrams (such as the one above) are displayed in each stance description.

All stances are shown as left stances (left foot forward) unless otherwise indicated.

Stance width. The width of a stance is the side distance between the feet.

Stance depth. The depth of a stance is how far the front foot is in front of the rear foot.

Diagram legend

• Black lines form an imaginary square on the floor with sides equal to one and a half shoulder-widths. 
• Pale blue lines are imaginary lines on the floor that are half a shoulder-width apart.
• Dark blue footprints show the foot positions on the floor.
• Red dot shows the position of the body's center of mass relative to the position of the feet.

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