“Karate has many stances; it also has none”. Genwa Nakasone wrote explaining Gichin Funakoshi’s 17th precept; ”Kamae wa shoshinsha ni ato wa shizentai”. (Fixed positions are for beginners: later, one moves naturally)
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So there are no stances in karate?
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A common complaint about karate, and its kata, is that the stances are impractical–that one would never use such stances in a “real fight.” This tends to stem from the fact that the word “tachi” (which changes to “dachi” when it is a suffix to another word) literally means “stand,” which implies a static, inactive position.
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We can identify positions in teaching that should be moved through to ensure the right shift of bodyweight; and it’s in that process of identification we create a “stance”. However, movement should also be fluid and continuous such that we never freeze on a given position. We should always be moving.
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In other words, the way you have to move your body in order to apply the technique in the kata, is such that you end up moving into the positions that most people call “stances.” They are not intended to be “fighting stances”, you simply transition into the techniques of the kata directly from whatever position you find yourself in when you are attacked.
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It can sometimes be difficult to see how these stances manifest themselves in actual fighting, especially if all one ever sees is static examples.
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Stances ensure the effective projection of bodyweight, or they limit the opponent’s motion and control their position.
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When attempting to determine the purpose of a particular kata movement, one key thing that you must consider is the stance being used. You then have to decide whether it is the way in which the stance is being assumed that is incapacitating the opponent, or is it the final position of the stance itself. Stances are a vital part of the techniques of kata and their combative functions must never be overlooked. ??
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With thanks to Iain Abernethy
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? Kiyou Shimizu World Kata Champion