What do you mean a good foundation?

When you were a baby there were certain milestones that you had to achieve in order to progress along the road in life. You had to crawl before you stood, stand before you walked, and walk before you ran. Karate is a lot like that.

Like a building you need a good foundation or you will topple to the ground. All right go ahead and ask what do you mean a good foundation. For those wondering what a building’s foundation and Karate stances have in common, it is balance. Balance is needed for everything from walking, to executing a throw even throwing an effective punch.

The ways that we form a good foundation are our stances.

One of the first things any student learns when they walk on the dojo floor is how to stand. It is the basis of all Martial Arts and probably one of the most important lessons a student will ever learn. And it is one of the aspects of training that is most overlooked by beginning students.

When we refer to stance, we're talking about a few concepts:

• Where the feet are positioned
• How far apart are your legs
• What is the weight distribution between your two sides

As a Martial Arts student, stance defines your balance and root. Too often in classes, students first focus on the hands. What is that technique the sensei is doing? Did he just punch with the fist down or up?

What needs to be focused on instead... is what are the sensei's feet doing?

In principle, even if a technique (a punch or strike) is delivered wrong, if the stance is solid it will be very difficult for an opponent to dislodge and gain advantage. Once an opponent is off balance, it is easy to take that person to the ground, toss them around, and have control of the situation

Longer, lower, get down, get a good foundation, make your stance strong!