Bladed Stance

As you may already know, the bladed stance is the most common, if you will, used for defense in both competition and self-defense. 

Some violence professionals have repeatedly referred to the bladed stance in a variety of teachings in the self-defense realm. 

Almost all martial arts in sparring, competitive sparring and in teaching defense will drop into a bladed stance.

There are many stances in karate but when push comes to shove the go-to stance seems to always be the bladed stance. 

Boxing 🥊 naturally takes a bladed stance as well and it must be for good reason because they have used it since the first fist-a-cuffs matches. 

If karate 🥋 is a civil defense system you may ask yourself, “why teach all these other stances?”

Bladed stance: (martial arts) A stance in which one foot is in front of the other and the body is at an angle to a person in front (who may become aggressive). The traditional stance of fencers. 

In self-defense we need to keep it as simple and natural as possible for when the adrenaline hits and the stressors reach critical mass you want your body, mind and spirit, in that moment, at a state of positive relaxation so you act in your best interest, “man, down now” and survival!

In the next section below are excerpts that demonstrate the why and ease of the bladed stance and positions necessary for best ability to avoid or man down fast - now.

Police: The classical interview stance (blade stance) involves your body being bladed 45 degrees to the suspect, your feet approximately shoulder width apart also bladed at 45 degrees, and your hands placed up above your gun belt in a non-fighting position. From this stance, you can switch into a fighting stance by either taking a step out with the lead leg or back with the rear, depending on what martial philosophy you adhere to. You also raise your hands up and cover your chest just under the chin. In this position both hands are ready to block, strike, or grab.

Transitioning from the interview stance into your fighting stance is a simple task. You merely bring your hands farther up, open with palms out, making sure your fingertips are under eye level (which ensures that your vision is not obscured). You establish a lead and back hand like any other fighting stance, which allows you to set up zones for each arm.

I don't recommend closing your fists unless you need to. Once you close your fists you limit your tactical optionsby losing your ability to parry and grab. Also, if phone videos are recording and you have an open hand stance, it looks like you have taken a defensive posture vs. an aggressive one. The real issue is that if you make your hands into fists prematurely, you tend to tense your muscles in the arms and shoulder areas, expending valuable energy that you might need later.

Generally, the toes of your back foot are in line with the heel of your front foot, but the stance can be adjusted for personal preference and comfort. If you go too wide or too long, however, you will only alter the stance and render the same base concept useless.

Another selling point is that because the stance is patterned after the way you walk, it's more comfortable and readies you for what comes next.

Because your feet and hip placement has stayed the same during your transition, you are ready to move in any direction in a tactical manner without having to adjust your stance first. By keeping the same base, the transition from interview to fighting to shooting and anything in between has been made much more efficient.

it's up to us to capitalize on every bit of available training time and see what we can consolidate by keeping what we need and getting rid of everything else. A skill not practiced is a skill not used when the need arises. We need to focus on core techniques that give us more bang for the buck.

Officers will learn to appreciate this one-stop shop concept as it becomes second nature. Since there is just one way to position the hips and place the feet, it's easier to learn. Because the associated arm positions are natural, they add to, instead of interfering with, the stance.

The key to the three-in-one stance is that the bottom half of your body stays basically the same. The only thing that changes is your upper body, based on your situation. Your hands are either close to your chest, out in front ready to fight, or holding your sidearm ready to shoot. It makes life easier when you move, transition, and integrate other skills.

Note: two key points are movement and using only the bladed stance. 

If you are in karate for defense then use stances to learn certain principles with emphasis on movement then as an expert fall back on this one true natural human instinctive bladed stance when facing off with potential violence.

https://www.policemag.com/340851/one-stance-three-uses