The Horse Stance is the foundation of Kung Fu.
Horse Stance is simple. And simple in the words of my good friend Sensei Mike Eshmailzadeh is code word for difficult! Horse stance may be simple in concept. However, in execution acquiring a good horse stance, matching the standard, can be a quest of training and hard work spanning years. Few people are able to do a classic and strong horse the first time they try. Most people find that they are no where near a standard horse stance.
A standard horse stance is one with
- Feet widely spread.
- Feet point straight ahead.
- Knees bent until the thighs are parallel.
- Hips tucked.
- Spine erect.
- Head lifted.
- Hands can rest or be raised.
Each of those points is non-negotiable. To meet the standard, you need to do all of them.
Personally, I think the sweet spot is to have your thighs just a tiny bit higher than level. This is the most strenuous position and the springiest for generating power. Sometimes when people are at a low horse stance because they have enough flexibility, they can be level or slightly lower and sort of hang into their knees with their thighs. By going extra low and hanging the thighs of the pelvis your horse stance becomes much weaker and more difficult to exit if someone opposes you. By doing this people rest a little and transfer their weight to their knees to spare their weak thigh muscles. Best to avoid that to come just enough so you feel the full weight of your upper body in your thighs and your thighs retain a springiness and mobility.
The key to keeping your balance and not falling backward in extremely low horse stances is to grip the ground with your toes. When you grip the ground with your toes it stabilizes and strengthens your horse stance. Engaging the ground with your toes completes the strength of your legs and allows you sit both down, and a little back, when you lower yourself into your horse stance. This feels like sitting on a small bench behind you. Doing this helps protect your knees and makes your horse stance stronger.