About Stances

The famous Japanese swordsman Musash, who survived over 60 actual life and death duels and then wrote his classic text on strategy, The Book of Five Rings, wrote:

"Make your fighting stance your everyday stance; make your everyday stance your fighting stance."

Stability and movement are essential in the practice Taekwondo. For any block or attack to be effective, the body must be stable so maximum force may be transferred to the opponent. While maintaining its stability, the body must also be able to move quickly.

Stance primarily refers to the lower portion of the body. A strong stable base is needed to perform powerful, fast, accurate, and smoothly executed techniques. The upper part of the body is balanced on this firm base, with the back straight and perpendicular to the ground. This relatively stationary stability is called static stability. However, it is only necessary to assume this position just before delivering an attack. If one concentrates too much on remaining in a firm and stable position, he or she will be stiff and unable to move quickly. During movement, the body must maintain stability, this is called dynamic stability.