Have you ever thought that some of the stances in Shotokan Karate are too long ? Why did they lengthen them?

Question

When I was training (from 1981) we had really deep, long stances. They were very impractical. Funakoshi's stances were actually a good deal shorter.

Why do you think some schools changed them to the deeper longer style ? It never did make much sense to me.

Answer 1

I can answer that one.

First the length really has a lot to do with strengthening, rooting and form.

In real life any one would know not to go into a deep stance like that. It is for classroom and form. Just as a boxer would not wear his gloves  on the street you would not use deep stances either!

I hope that helps some, I have studied not only Shotokan but several other styles and have done both long and deep and short and sweet.  All were effective in the hands if the right user.

So no I think they should remain the same for that is their purpose and it serves that purpose well in Shotokan. YES some certainly EXAGERATE their stances today that is for sure. Far too deep to the point they are off balance!! If it is those you are referring too, then they are already doing it wrong and need to go back to Shotokan's origins which is still a deep stance but not as deep as some do today.  If you have no balance what good is the stance correct?

Answer 2

Well, I wanted to give my two sense but it's already been answered quite well by two very experienced individuals.

Answer 3

People see the stances we use in the Bujinkan and say, "Nobody fights like that. It's completely impractical." And they're right. Nobody fights like that. They are completely impractical. But there is a point to a wide, deep stance.

Training in the dojo is about developing the muscles to make proper movements easier. You do it "wrong" in the dojo, so that, if your life depends on it, you can do it right. The deep stances build inner thigh muscles, core strength, etc, all of which translates to more explosive power when the stance is narrowed. By not training deep, you don't get the full effect.

If you follow the link below, Arnaud Cousergue has an article three or so down called "Training Wrong to Fight Good" that may be of some assistance. It's not shotokan, but it applies to any martial art.

Answer 4

Have you ever noticed that those deep stances hurt your legs after doing them all the time? It's to train your legs.

It's not really practical to use those stances in a real fight. However, if you can efficiently use  them in fighting (sparring), then you'll surely be able to fight even better if you shorten them.