Fighting Stance

Basic Guard
-One foot forward (generally strong side back) with feet slightly wider than shoulder width  apart.
-Hips turned in so that the feet end up turned at around a 35 to 45 degree angle.
-The toe of the front foot should be somewhat in-line with the heel of the back foot (though I tend to be slightly wider)
-Heels slightly up, placing weight on the balls of the feet. Back heel is usually slightly higher then front.
-Weight is distributed about 50/50 between the feet.
-Both knees are slightly bent.
-Hands up at about cheek level with elbows pointed down.
-Chin is down, teeth slightly clenched.


Elements of Stance
Width of the Legs

Generally speaking, a wider stance with feet further apart will provide greater stability but less mobility. Conversely, a narrower stance provides greater mobility but sacrifices stability. 

Height of the Stance

Though the height of the stance is partly determined by the width of the legs, here I will be referring to the other elements which affect height: the amount of bend in the knees and waist. A higher, upright stance with less bend in the knees and a straighter back, generally provides greater mobility. Conversely, a lower stance, with more bend in knees and waist, means a lower center of gravity leading to greater stability.

Leading Leg

A left leg forward position is often referred to as an orthodox stance and a right foot forward position a southpaw stance. A position where the legs are side by side is often referred to as a natural or neutral stance. Generally, a right handed fighter will use an orthodox stance and a left handed fighter a southpaw stance. This follows conventional wisdom from combat sports such as boxing and Muay Thai that a fighter should have their strong arm back to enhance their power side. Some martial arts, such as Jeet Kune Do, take the opposite approach and believe that your strong side should be forward. 

Weight Distribution to the Legs

A fighters body weight can be shifted so that it is primarily in the front leg, the rear leg or somewhat evenly distributed between the two. This weight distribution affects the upper body position as it relates to the distance between your feet. A fighter with straight posture and the same amount of bend in the knees will find that when weight is evenly distributed, there upper body is at the midpoint between there feet. When weight is shifted forward, the upper body is closer to the front foot (forward center of gravity). When weight is shifted back, it is closer to the back foot (backward center of gravity). 

Generally speaking, a stance where weight is distributed more to the front leg will give an offensive fighter a slight attack edge as they don't have to take the time to shift their weight forward. This attack advantage becomes a defense disadvantage since the weight forward fighter first has to shift their weight off the front foot when retreating backwards or to check round kicks.

A stance where weight is distributed more to the back leg will give a defensive fighter an advantage as his upper body is further away from his opponent and he does not have to take the time to shift his weight off the front foot. Also, The rear leg weighted fighter is better able to use the front leg in a defensive manner through the use of stop kicks or shin checks. As expected, this defensive advantage becomes an offensive disadvantage since the fighter first has to take the time to shift his weight forward to attack.

Of course, a stance where weight is distributed evenly is a compromise between these two positions.

Body Angle 

In terms of body angle there are two broad categories. The first is the bladed (side) stance, where one foot is more or less in front of the other and you present a side profile to your opponent. The other is the squared (forward) stance where your back foot is to some degree to the side of the front foot and both of your shoulders and hips are facing more towards your opponent. 

Generally, the bladed stance provides more protection to vulnerable areas such as the groin and abdomen since you present a smaller target area. Negatives include more back exposure and greater difficulty utilizing rear arm and leg attacks.  Also, it is harder to defend against takedowns as the front leg is available to your opponent, it's difficult to use the rear arm to defend and it lacks right and left side stability. 

It's important to note that this is a very general summary of body angle. In actuality, body angle is not a single thing but instead refers to the angle of various parts of the body which do not necessarily have to correspond to each other. For instance, one could have a side stance where the right foot is directly behind the left, the feet are pointing towards 3:00 but the torso is turned so that both shoulders are facing the opponent. This of course would be an uncomfortable, un-useful stance but it illustrates that point. That said, minor adjustments to this stance (moving the backfoot a little to the side of the front foot, turning the feet to a 35-60 degree angle, and making the upper torso less square) puts you into a somewhat common boxing stance. As you can see, there is a great deal of variation when it comes to stance.

Foot Contact

Generally speaking, standing flat, with both the ball and heel of the foot on the ground, provides more stability. This increased stability is the result of the greater surface area with the ground that a flat foot provides. Conversely, it is argued that being on the balls of the feet with the heels up provides 

Upper Body & Head Position 

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Terms:

Orthodox Stance - refers to a left foot forward stance
Southpaw Stance - refers to a right foot forward stance

Bladed (Side) Stance - Stance where one foot is more or less in front of the other and you present a side profile toward your opponent. 

Squared Stance - Stance where your back foot is to some degree to the side of the front foot. Your shoulders and hips facing more towards your opponent. 

Forward Lean -
Backward Lean -


Elements of Stance

-Stability

-Mobility

-Protection

-Unpredictability

-Angle of feet

-Weight distribution to feet

-Width of legs

-Head positioning (center, off center)

Bloody Basics: Striking Stance

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