Question 031: Stationary stance

 

Stationary stances are practically useless in a fight. Watch boxers fight. The sluggers stand in stationary stances square with the opponent, they plod when they move, and they try to get a knockout with every punch. They bob and weave to try to slip punches, but they are hit a lot. Their only hope is that they are able to knock the opponent out before being knocked out. Boxers who are constantly shifting (dancing) are difficult to hit, So, unless you like pain, it is better to keep moving.

If you are standing still, any movement you make will be detected by your opponent. If you are constantly moving, any new movement that might signal an imminent attack is camouflaged by your other movements.

When you execute an attack, for it to have maximum power, at the moment it makes impact, you must be in a stationary stance. Power comes from a force acting upon an object. For maximum power, that force must push against something as it is applied to the target. That something is ultimately the ground, so all power begins at the ground and moves through the body to the point of impact. If you are moving at the moment of impact, there is no firm contact with the ground so the power of the attack is lessened.

In patterns, we use stationary stances, not because we should spar that way, but because patterns are not meant to be depictions of actual fighting techniques, they are meant to display perfection of techniques. To appreciate perfection, it must be seen, so in a pattern each technique is held stationary for a brief Kodak moment. When sparring, the split second that a stance is stationary is barely noticed.