Stance Effectiveness

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A fundamental. The basic is demonstrating and instructing basic stances. The fundamental of each stance is to instruct the person on its effective zones. In the book, "A Professional's Guide to Ending Violence Quickly," the author calls this the stability of stances. The directions that a stance is stable or has integrity and the directions that it does not or where it becomes less stable and easier to push a person off the stance and on to the ground, etc.

I guess what I am saying is there are two points I would look for if attacked. First, is the person in my exclusion zone? This is what was called a martial artist perimeter where he/she can be hit with the foot or hands. If they are outside your exclusion zone your not in danger of being hit. When you see them start to enter your exclusion zone then prepare to take action.

This zone line cross over may mean before the crossing your standing in a natural stance, arms down, and hands by your sides. Once they cross the zone you raise your hands, my hands anyway as this is my thing, up by your face, palms facing them, and hands open as a sign saying I don't want trouble.

Knowing your range, i.e. effective distance of either your foot or your hands, is now even more critical. Now you move and take note of the attackers direction and stances as he moves. If moving directly toward you and you move off at an angle and forward your going to move into his instability zone or the effective zone to knock him off balance and out of his stance. Then if done correctly his body will succumb to gravity.

Now, as to you and your stances. As a fundamental of stances you have to know all your stances and their effective/ineffective stability zones. You have to know them and associate them with appropriate and most effective techniques, etc. Simplistic and basic and keep in mind it is not all of it but a door to get to all the other fundamentals involved.

Two points, when the attacker enters your exclusion zone you move into a position of his weakest stance integrity. I guess actually that is three points but what the hey, I am just figuring things out. Practice-practice-practice!

Create all your stances (see graphic below) and have some one walk 260 degrees around you and push slightly so you can feel at what point the stance is most stable. Do this until it is ingrained and it applies to an opponent. You may find when you do this type of study of the fundamentals that when you use them in practice and training it and the applicable technique take on a bigger meaning. Then other things start to jump out at you to increase your knowledge of stance effectiveness, i.e. fundamentals.

Notes: The graphic is my rendition of the one provided in the bibliography by Marc MacYoung. The second one at the bottom shows only the various stances, a few, to give you an idea  on finding the stability points of each one. Feel free to download, find the stability points, and then change it/rename it and send it to me. I would be interested in what you find/found, etc. :-)

Bibliography:
MacYoung, Marc. "A Professional's Guide to Ending Violence Quickly: How Bouncers, Bodyguards, and Other Security Professionals Handle Ugly Situations." Paladin Press. Boulder, Colorado. 1996.

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