Middle stance – often called the horse stance or horse riding stance – is one of the easiest stances to learn and practice. However, because the body is well-balanced front left to right and front to back in this stance, it actually is not a good stance for blocking attacks or countering attacks with strikes or kicks of your own. It doesn’t take much of an attack to send you off-balance; similarly, without being able to shift your weight, you can’t add weight to a strike or kick.
However, the horse stance does help a martial artist help find their center of balance as well as help develop good strength and stamina. For this reason, many martial artists and teachers encourage students to study the middle stance and then have them hold it for increasingly longer and longer times.
Start your middle stance by placing your feet one and a half to two shoulder widths apart, with your feet pointing forwards. (Turning your toes outwards changes your center of balance and shifts the muscles strain from the big thigh muscles to the inner thigh muscles which are not as strong.) You need to keep your hips centered evenly between your legs so that you are well balanced; you don’t want to lean to the left or right. Bend your knees slightly (imagine that you are riding a horse), but don’t let your knees go too far forward over your feet. Your butt should stick out slightly behind you – your shoulders should be evenly positioned your hips and your head centered over your shoulders. Take care not to stick your head out in front of you: this will make you off-balanced as well as giving your opponents and enemies and easier target.
Make both of your hands into fists (remember to keep your thumbs in front of your other fingers, not under them or alongside your fists), and bring them into high reaction force (close to your armpits, palms facing upwards.) In our style of Taekwondo, we deliver strikes in straight lines, so the hands are held closer to the upper part of the body, rather than at the hip position as in other martial arts.
To build strength and stamina, take a middle stance, then lower yourself slightly, bending your knees a little deeper, while being sure you are still well-centered. If you feel yourself falling forward or backward, push yourself back up a little: good balance is the focus of this stance. Try to hold the stance for at least one minute, then evenly (using both leg muscles at the same time) tighten your hamstrings and glutes to push yourself back into a standing position. Rest for at least one minute before repeating the exercise.
When you are comfortable with the stance and can hold it for at least one minute, change the practice by practicing punches. Start by targeting with your left hand at an imaginary target at waist height. (If you are not certain where that is, stand in front of the mirror, and draw an imaginary line from the knot of your belt to the mirror. Aim for the mirror image of the knot. DO NOT PUNCH THE MIRROR!) Execute a right punch at the target point while pulling the targeting hand back to the reaction force position. Once your right hand has reached the imaginary target position, it will serve as the target for a left punch. Continue punching left, then right, executing each punch carefully and slowly. (This is a good chance to practice your punching technique as well. We’ll review basic punches in an upcoming article.)
Take care not to swing your hips and shoulders while you are throwing the punches; the purpose of this practice is to increase your muscle’s strength and endurance; swinging your hips and shoulders will shift your weight and change your foot position, which detracts from the work that your legs are doing.
As your legs get used to the effort of holding the position, you can sink a little lower into the stance. Unlike many schools, however, we don’t teach taking the horse stance too low. Because the body is well centered in this stance, it takes energy and time to move from a deep horse stance into another position, and when you are sparring or defending yourself, you don’t want to waste time or energy in shifting your weight back and forth so you can throw a block or execute a kick. Movement from any stance should be fluid and controlled. Practicing extremely deep middle stances can also be difficult on your knees.
A second middle stance drill you can practice is “Touch Together”. Take a good middle stance, then contract the muscles of your right leg and move it to the left until it reaches your left leg. Touch your feet together (your knees should be slightly bent when then touch), then move your right foot back to the starting position. Repeat the same motion using your left leg. Repeat for at least one minute. Be sure not to use your foot to push yourself up, but to contract the muscles instead; your shoulders need to stay level as you leg moves. Practicing in front of a mirror will help you see if your shoulders are going up and down when you move.
As you get better with the “Touch Together”, you can modify the movement which will prepare you for executing a side kick. Start in a middle stance, then look to your left; contract the muscles of your right leg, lift it slightly from the ground, and move it to your left foot – but as your right foot moves toward the left, turn it so that the heel of your right foot is close to the center of your left foot, and your toes are turned away. When you place your foot down, your two feet will be in a letter “T” shape. Make sure your knees are still slightly bent, then look back to the center and return to your starting position. Repeat by looking to the right and moving the left foot into the “T” shape. (Practicing looking in the direction of your kick will help you with balance when you execute the kick! Make it a habit now, and your kicks will be stronger and more accurate later.)
This stance works your leg muscles hard, so do remember to warm up before practicing and to stretch those muscles after your practice session. Remember: practicing a little every day will yield better results than practicing a lot once in a while!
