Hi All, I am really struggling with my kiba dachi stance . here is the link for non-karate guys: Horse stance - Wikipedia who may have similar stances. Specifically I have a lot of problems pushing my knees out and above my toes. I can go somewhat deep with a good enough width but the knees keep folding towards each other which is a big no no. Can some one please tell me what specific exercise I can perform to improve this particular stance? thanks in advance, -A
Honestly, horse stance training. Nothing makes a horse stance better than...doing horse stances! Do it for short periods every day. Just 30 seconds here and there. Then 40 seconds, then so on. Make sure your horse stance isn't too wide. If your legs are too far apart- proper alignment of pushing your knees out is impossible. And it is a common error with this stance. Be patient. doing a higher stance with good form is better than a lower one with poor form. Work your way lower gradually. If proper form makes it higher, resist the temptation to make it lower with bad form. Use mirrors when possible. Have you asked your instructor to look at your stance and give feedback? Pulll him or her aside and ask. Collapsing the knees is bad for your knees. Trust me! You don't want knee problems! So it is good you are focusing on correcting this. Let us know how it goes.
Thanks so much for your reply. So i have tried to narrow the stance and that helps me somewhat with the knees but the problem it causes is that when i narrow my stance i cannot keep my back straight when i lower my upper body. I talked to my instructor and he advised just to keep trying to flex my muscles and keep pushing my knees out until i eventually improve which I guess aligns with your line of thinking to just do it in baby steps. I was hoping though there would be a specific stretch we would accelerate the process as this seems to be a very long road to travel. cheers, -A
As a general guide, all stance work is helped by stronger legs and back, maybe try some bodyweight squats every other day for a few weeks, and see if it helps. Edit if your knees are collapsing inward, theirs some elastic bands you can add to your squat that makes sure you keep the knees pushed outwards.