All martial arts incorporate the use of stances in their training. They can be used for building up strength as well as to set the fighter up for the next movement to be made. As the human body can only move so many ways, there tends to be similarities in stances from one art to the next. It's important to remember that the strength is in the movement and the intention is not to fight from a static position.
Forward Stance
A basic forward stance has one leg in front of the other, shoulder-width apart, with the weight balanced between both feet. Where this can differ between martial arts is how much distance there is between the forward foot and the back foot. For example, in tae kwon do, the distance is greater than in karate, possibly due to its greater focus on kicking. Practicing the stance with a greater distance will strengthen the legs more.
Backward Stance
In the backward stance, the feet will also be shoulder-width apart, with one foot in front of the other. The back foot will be turned outward 90 degrees and the knee bent. Approximately two-thirds of the weight will be on the back foot. As with all stances, it's very important that the bent knee does not extend beyond the toes or injury is likely to occur. In this stance, there is less forward distance between the two feet in tae kwon do than in karate.
Horse Stance
In the old days of learning kung fu, students were made to sit in this stance for an increasing amount of time before they were taught anything else. It was used as a way to show that the student was serious. It also works well to build up leg strength. In this stance, the feet are usually 1 1/2 to twice shoulder-width apart and the knees bent. Again, the knees should not extend beyond the toes and the tops of the thighs should not be lower than parallel to the floor.
Fighting Stance
This will vary from art to art. In many, the legs are shoulder-width apart, the front leg is one step ahead of the back and more weight is distributed onto the back leg. Others arts will have a similar stance but with the weight distributed evenly. There should only be a slight bend to the knees. There may be some variation as to hand placement but, generally, they will be held in front of the face and in loose fists.
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