Horse Stance Training

All styles of Kung Fu stress the importance of stances. Regardless of which stances are most important to your particular style, you are probably still asked to do some sort of horse stance training. I have often been asked by students about how to practice/train stances.

The base stance for practice is the horse stance. Once again, depending on the style the proper technique can differ. I recommend the student take the time to understand the proper way to do a horse stance in their particular style. Understanding this is important to ensure that the student practices properly on their own.

The next question is normally how to practice, high stances or low stances. The answer is both. I recommend higher stances for long periods of time while doing something else such as watching TV to take your mind off of shaky legs. I also think it is important to practice proper stances in the lowest possible position to train your legs to hold your weight at that height. You will never fight in your lowest stance but training your legs to be comfortable in a low position will help when you need to be in a lower than possible position.