stance

[danfaggella]

me and you go back and forth forever, and its great cuz im picking up allot from this.
so i guess i should ask, do YOU detect CMA in MMA these days? what i mean to say is that i dont even see a hint of CMA stances, not in transitions, nothin'. AM I NOT LOOKING HARD ENOUGH?

[shaolin-warrior]

Traditional stances ie. those found in forms and kata are like the prerequisite courses taken for a degree in higher education. As importantant and useless as English 101. In the ring they are useless, except for the fact that they were the basis of all our fundamentals.

[medic06]

think of stances as exaggerations of positions that happen in a fight. Hell, think of most techniques in kata as alphabet blocks for more advanced skills.

[shaolin-warrior]

couldn't agree with you more!!!!!

[robertlee]

Take a look at a boxer persay. As he throws a jab You will see a change on foot work. Near as a front stance for just a moment then back to guard Stance is but for a moment. Look at say a thia boxer Lifting the leg to check a low leg kick. look at a jujitsu person dropping for a take down. You will see different moments that stance is done. If you open your eyes . Or tape a fight play it back slow. You will notice things. Now training many misunderstand. Remember begining training fight starts from natural postion. On to different motions of defence and counter. To look at stance at think of you stand in guard that way. Well you have to remember. You have to remain balanced and moblie. So the stance. really guard postion. Must be of continued use to reurn too. Flat areas rings. Flat lands a higher stance is more mobile. After all when the fight starts. Its not how you stand its how well you can do what you do. And thats fight useing what becomes your best method of use. Both in foot work and use of the tools.

[medic06]

yeah that right. I think. . . . .

[djcaldwell]

me and you go back and forth forever, and its great cuz im picking up allot from this.
so i guess i should ask, do YOU detect CMA in MMA these days? what i mean to say is that i dont even see a hint of CMA stances, not in transitions, nothin'. AM I NOT LOOKING HARD ENOUGH?

I agree with most of what you read above with the exception of stances being useless in the ring all together. If they were then we wouldn't need to learn them. As I've said before, for the most part as was mentioned the stances in forms are are a little exaggerated for practicle use but by far they are not useless. I've used twist, stealing step and cat alone just to avoid strikes. If you learn how to use them they are very effective. My old Sifu used to make you look like a fool without even raising a hand - he would step and use his stances to knock you off balance and even on the ground.

Again...in sport fighting you are not going to see a lot of this. Now as for what you asked if I see CMA in MMA. EVERYTHING is rooted in CMA. I may have said this before but just about all MA today can trace their roots back to CMA so YES I see variations of CMA stances in all MA. Even American Boxing stance is similar to the Fukien Fighting Stance or what CLF calls Da Sik.

Hope that answers your question.

[Tai Chi Fighter]

stances

One reason that stances from different styles look so much alike is because martial arts have the same origin coming from the Shaolin Temple. And it was taken there by an Indian Monk named Bohidharma, who taught it as an flexibility and strength training excercise.

[Drunken Munky]

One reason that stances from different styles look so much alike is because martial arts have the same origin coming from the Shaolin Temple. And it was taken there by an Indian Monk named Bohidharma, who taught it as an flexibility and strength training excercise.

There were martial arts (and fighting stances) practiced at the Temple before Bohidharma arrived.

[danfaggella]

from what i know, he introduced Zen Bhudism to the Temple, there was plenty of MA being practiced before him. Not to mention, things DID develope independant from Asia totally, however, much MA is rooted back to traditional CMA stuff.

[shaolin-warrior]

Although it is known that some forms of boxing did exist prior to the arrival of bodhidharma, specific records of how systematized they were do not exist. However, the essence of the great sage's incipient martial arts herritage was absorbed, enriched and refined by succeeding chan masters to become what we know today as shaolin boxing. also called shaolin chu'an or shaolin fist. The introduction of taoism to kung fu came later, but thats a whole other topic.

[danfaggella]

Was he the reason there were so many boxers running around? I do so love boxers, even though they all didn't really have good moral.

[shaolin-warrior]

Yes, but in a round about way...imagine this strict diciplinarian's disapproval when he saw the monks weakend bodies slumbering during vital meditation exercises....although buddhism is aimed specifically at saving the soul,budhidharma explained to the monks that body and soul in this world were inseperable. This unity must be invigorated for enlightenment. the legend continues that physical fitness became a part of shaolin life with the introduction of systemized exercise to strengthen the body and mind. not only was health perfected, but self defense moveswere devised later from budhidharma's knowledge of indian fighting systems. some of the earliest and most original forms were the muscle change or the change of sinew, the marrow washing and the eighteen hand movements of the enlightened ones.(SHAOLIN BOXING)