Isshin Ryu Stances

Isshinryu Stances Stances - Mobility and Stability

One of the key attributes of the Isshinryu system is its unique viewpoint on stances. Isshinryu is noted for its compact, short, quick, mobile stances. They are neither too deep nor to shallow and promote a greater mobility with adequate stability allowing split second timing in changing to accommodate the ever changing characteristics of combat.

The wider, lower stances promote greater stability keeping the practitioner rooted and almost immovable while very narrow and higher stances provide for quickness while sacrificing that rooted stability; a practitioner easily unbalanced.

Isshinryu sets the stances at a point that corresponds to the physical make up of the practitioner. When in a proper stance one is rooted to the earth with just enough stability to execute a solid and properly formed technique using the Isshinryu attribute of snapping punches and kicks while allowing for the practitioner to easily and quickly change stances with split second timing. The Isshinryu stances allow the practitioner to sway and bend with the force of the wind while snapping back to an effective combative position much like the bamboo which is strong, flexible, and resilient allowing it to bend to natures forces and spring back with strength and stability.

This creates an advantage over most other styles who have to take that extra time to uproot their lower stances to move into another low rooted stance. The advantage extends to those few styles that have very shallow stances since the stability is so much like a leaf on the wind, easily moved and uprooted allowing one to easily unbalance them. Isshinryu stances help to find the middle ground for stability and mobility; split second changes for faster defensive and offensive action.

If the practitioners goal is to root themselves to be practically immovable allowing for explosive hard techniques then Isshinryu is not the style to practice. If the practitioner wants quick split second mobility with explosive snapping technique then it is the only style to practice.

Source : Shihan Robert Slywa