Stances
In Chinese martial arts, what is known as bu fa 步法 or the laws of footwork is the core fundamental to all good martial arts. If there is anything that one should practice, it is the strengthening, understanding, and feeling of the feet and legs. The true secret of Qi Gong, Tai Ji Quan, and Kung Fu is in the feet and legs. There are several basic stances that one must train to have strong legs, strong grounding, and power in the practice. They are the ma bu 马步 horse stance, gong bu 弓步 bow stance, pu bu 扑步which is called side stance in English, and xu bu 虚步empty stance. There are many more kinds of stances from different martial arts, but these are the basics in most Asian martial arts.
The base of these stances is learned in站庄 zhan zhuang as standing meditation. This is difficult, but this training teaches us to stay true to the term kung fu. Traditionally stances are trained for over a year, hours a day before anything else. Wei Tuo Academy Kung Fu’s first test is the horse stance for a half hour before teaching how to punch. It is that important.
The most basic, most important stance to practice.
The Horse Stance is the most basic stance in most Asian martial arts.
The Bow Stance is a forward stance for a forward attack.
The Side Stance is shifting the weight to one side from a horse stance.
Empty Stance is used partially for a set up for a kick or a step for retreat.