Every system has its own take on a proper stances. Some systems have very deep stances others have high stances.

• Deep stances have power and more stability but are difficult to move quickly from one stance to another.
• High stances lack stability but allow for much quicker mobility from one stance to another.
  

Neither stance height is wrong, they are functional within their martial arts systems.

Let’s look at the size and relationship of different parts of the body, and discuss a stance that is somewhere in between high and low stances. Watch the video tutorial or read the details below.

Finding the Body Proportions

The length of the forearm from the point of the elbow to the tip of the extended fingers is the same width as your shoulders. You can test this by standing with your shoulder next to a wall. Hold the lower arm horizontally in front of the chest.

This is also the same length of the upper leg from hip joint to mid knee and the lower leg from mid knee to mid ankle joint. Due to different body types there are slight variations. Wide, muscular upper bodies will be wider than the arm. Some people have narrow shoulders that are more narrow than the hip points. However, you can use the measurements outlined above to set up a basic relationship of the body to get into a good front stance, zenkutsu-dachi.

Adjusting the Front Stance

It is generally accepted the front stance is one shoulder width wide and one and a half shoulder widths deep. Here’s how to check that your front stance is proportional to your body type:

Check the Depth of Your Stance

1. Get into what you feel is a good right front stance. (Right leg forward.)
2. Without moving your feet, kneel on your left knee, the back leg. Make sure you kneel straight forward as if your feet and knee were on a railroad track.
3. To check for proper depth, trace a line from the front of the left knee to the back of the heel. It should be straight. Putting a piece of masking tape down on the floor can help with this.
4. If the stance is too long, the line will slant forward.
5. If the stance is too short the line will slant back. 
6. If perfect, the line will be horizontal from left knee to right heel.

Check the Width of Your Stance

1. While still in the kneeling position as outlined above, bend your right arm, lean forward and place your right elbow on the ground against the inside of your right foot.
2. Extend your fingers. Your fingers should touch the inside of your left knee.
3. If the forearm and the extended fingers cannot reach the knee, the stance is to wide.
4. If the fingers and forearm won’t fit between the knee and heel, the stance is to narrow.
5. Adjust your stance accordingly. 

When you raise back up into the front stance you should feel stable with little strain on the legs. With a good posture, you should also not be able to see your front toes when you glance down. Your front foot points forward and the back foot points out 20 degrees. The weight distribution is about 60% in the front leg and 40% on the back leg. If the stance is too narrow, it is unstable. For this reason students will turn the back foot so the toes point to the side to maintain balance.

Adjustments by Body Type

Some people’s body types are not proportional. For example, there are those who have long legs and a shorter torso. There are also those who have shorter legs and a long torso. It is also common for some people to have narrow shoulders or others to have wide shoulders. You will need to make some small accommodations for these slight differences. What if you aren’t sure if your body is proportional? Here are some ways to check your own proportions.

Determining Leg Proportion

• Find your hip points on your body. Then wrap a piece of tape around your body, horizontally covering your hip points.
• From this line, measure down to the floor. You can use measuring stick or a bo staff that you mark off with a piece of tape.
• Now measure from the hip line to the top of your head.
• If the length of your hip-line to floor measurement is half your height, you have a balanced and proportional leg to torso body type.
• If your hip-line to floor measurement is less than half your height, then you have shorter legs and a long torso. Your stances will need to be a bit higher to have balance.
• If your hip-line to floor measurement is more than half your height, then you have longer legs and a short torso. Your stances will need to be a bit deeper to have balance.

Determining Shoulder Proportion

• Measure the width of your head at the largest point, usually ear to ear.
• Measure the width of your shoulders from shoulder point to shoulder point.
• For Males: Multiply the width of your head by 2.75. Proportionate shoulders are roughly equal to the result. 
• For Females: Multiply the width of your head by 2. Proportionate shoulders are roughly equal to the result.
• If the result is much larger figure than your shoulder measurement, then you have narrower shoulders. This means you may need to slightly narrow your stance.
• If the result is a much smaller figure than your shoulder measurement, then you have wider shoulders. This means you may need to slightly widen your stance.

Each individual needs to adjust the stance to accommodate these differences. The best stance for you is one that fits your body type, not just a high or low stance.

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