Im not exactly sure whats the point (because i do wushu) but i think its to avoid most blows to the head and make the groin an easier target? tell us your opinion if u know???
I suspect its because lower stances are supposed to be more stable. I'm fairly sure avoiding blows to the head doesn't come into it, since by keeping your head further down you're actually setting it at a more natural level to receive punches.
No one in their right mind will use that low a stance in sparring let alone a fight, it's used for training purposes. |Cain|
the reason for such a low stance is that it increases blood flow in the legs and lower back allowing maximum chi flow while meditating. it also allows maximum range of static passive motion after meditating.
I used a low stance to spar a short guy. It meant I was better grounded and able to reach lower targets. There were a few side-effects of this. The lower stance was longer/wider making it harder for him to get to my trunk because my legs took up more space. It also allowed my greater reach to be maximised because it was able to go horizontally out rather than the downward slope if I stood higher. Granted it wasn't a very low stance but plenty lower than 'standard' for my style. Monkey and Dog styles live very low to avoid the hands and get under the kicks. Rgds, David
The lower to the ground you are the more stable you become. this allows you to assurt more power in attacks with increased accuracy. it also adds to your defence because you are more "rooted". But that is all EMA. The IMA reason is mor complex. But just as you are more grounded for EMA it makes your chi become more stable as well
Reply from your phriendly phamily physicist: Lower stances mean a lower center of gravity (C.G.). Lower C.G. means you're more stable. It has absolutley nothing to do with "ki" or any "internal energy flow". That's why small cars can take turns but you read about SUV's rolling over. Ask why does a 280-pound defensive lineman crouch at the line? Answer: It lowers his C.G. so he is more stable and better able to push against and topple the opposing lineman. BTW, Cain was right--the lowest stances are generally used for training purposes only. Horseback Riding stance, for instance, would never be used in a fight, but it builds up and tones leg muscle groups needed in other situations.
I thought I would kick in on this one just an interesting factoid that I'm sure most people are aware of and that is that allot of low stance work was employed by the Southern Chinese due to their shorter stature. The Northern Chinese being a taller race used a far more upright and long range fighting technique.
i think a low stance can be very good depending on the situation, also can decrease the impact if you fall
Well your **** is closer to the deck, thats for sure! But that's not a good mental attitude to go into combat with! *L*
i am quite tall so a low stance can be mandatory against some short people. it does give better stability but at the cost of mobility
i have seen it done think of crab walking(moving in a horse stance sideways ) faster than i thought it would be we use it for reaction training also build leg muscles .build root a word you dont hear very often in sparring.
Much like the Crane stance, it will generally make your opponent think your a joke. I'm not really a big fan of low stances, and since your horse stance is not stable from a side attack, or leg trip, I would think it's one of those things that got attached to MA, like speaking the language, and wearing belts.
first of all the distinction between north and south china styles is the terrain, not height of fighters. second of all, , the lower you go you invariably excahnge mobility for stability. in a proper horse stance, you are more stable from side attacks than even frontal attacks.
Low stances were employed for training and for certain takedown maneuvers that require dropping one's center of gravity. There is little to no historic evidence that they were used in "real life" fighting scenarios. In archived photography of Martial Arts masters you rarely if ever see them enganged in low stance in application of technique (outside of form). There are photos of people posed in low stances, but when you look at pictures of two man sets or combat, invariably people are in medium to high stances. - Matt
I agree with many of the posters that low stances are generally a training aid but there is an application in fighting. Although you will almost always stand in some sort "fighting stance" (which is generally an upright posture) to give you the ability to move quickly when you are going to meet or evade an attack, if you perform a technique such as a sweep or takedown then you will most likely go down into some form of crouching (i.e. low stance) so that you use the momentum of that dropping energy to cause your opponent to go down with you. If you have trained yourself to maintain a low stance then you will be able to stay stable in that stance and recover back up into a high stance quickly after the technique.
