The fundamentals of any martial art, especially Shaolin kung fu, lie in the stances. Every movement, strike and block leads into its own stance. Practicing these stances can be a workout all on its own, such as the Horse-Riding stance for leg strength and stability. This upcoming series of articles is designed to teach some basic techniques in the five animal styles of Shaolin kung fu.
As a disclaimer, these articles are for information only. They only explain the very basic, bare-bones aspects of Shaolin kung fu, so are not a substitute for a good teacher to correct your techniques should they be flawed.
The first thing to do, before any type of physical exercise, especially Shaolin kung fu, is to stretch the muscles. This will help you to avoid muscle injury or cramping and overall increase your flexibility, which is important for kicks. Stretch the legs, abdomen, torso, and arms thoroughly.
When you feel that all your muscles are warmed up and ready to train, you can practice the Shaolin kung fu stances. Not all of these would necessarily be used in a practical combat situation, but they all are useful in attaining strength and flexiblity.
Closed Stance
This is the basic ‘ready stance’ used when beginning forms in Shaolin kung fu. In it, stand fully erect but relaxed and look directly forward, neither to the sides, up nor down. The feet should be together, and the fists should be clenched lightly and extended slightly outward to the sides. Why clenched lightly? Simple – the unclenched fist is quicker and hardened when transitioning into a punch, whereas a fully clenched fist will only serve to fatigue the arm and block the flow of chi.
The ready stance, because it’s so basic, is used to shift to other, more specialised stances in Shaolin kung fu.
Forward Stance
Shaolin kung fu’s stances are done slightly differently than in other, more widely-practiced martial arts – they’re more open, in a way. In the forward stance, the body is leaned forward, the forward foot is often turned inward slightly, and about 80% of the weight is placed on the front leg. This stance is mainly used when committing to an attack or counterattack, but not a stance to remain in for risk of having the leading foot swept from under you.
Back Stance
This is like the forward stance in that most of the weight is on one leg, but it’s the rear leg – the posture almost looks as though you’re sitting on a chair. Again, not a stance to hold, but it is useful for defense or blocking. Anywhere from 80-90 percent of the weight can be placed on the rear leg. Make certain not to have the front leg fully extended – this leaves the knee vulnerable to severe damage from a kick.
Horse-Riding Stance
The Horse-Riding stance is seen in many styles of martial arts forms, especially the Shaolin kung fu forms. It is a low, stable and powerful stance from which to defend or attack. To form the Horse-Riding stance, place the feet about two shoulder-widths apart, as close to parallel as can be achieved, and whilst holding the upper body straight, bend the knees as though there were a chair beneath you. I like to sink as low as possible and do punching drills with a penny placed on my knee and try to keep still so the penny doesn’t fall off. This drills in stability and balance.
Cat Stance
A very quick and agile stance, the cat stance in Shaolin kung fu is created by keeping the feet close together, sinking the body and bending the front knee slightly. Most of the weight is placed on the rear leg, and the front foot is pointed so only the toes touch the ground. This makes it easy to launch the front leg into a kick.
Crane Stance
This is a commonly known stance even outside the martial arts community, due to its use in The Karate Kid. The crane stance is used for some Shaolin kung fu hand strikes and blocks, but due to its instability, it’s not a stance to hold. It’s useful in training balance, however. To adopt the Shaolin kung fu crane stance, lift the left leg and place it slightly against the right leg, holding the foot with toes pointed downward. Shift your weight so that the right leg is directly beneath the centre of gravity, and extend your arms outward slightly to resemble the crane’s wings. The positions of the legs can be reversed depending on preference.
These are just a few of the stances used in Shaolin kung fu. Even if not all of them are strictly applicable in a combat situation, they can be used for exercise and strength and balance training.
