(Approx 1 minute 55 second read)

Everyone starts the same way: we learn how to punch, kick, block….. and how to stand.
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In everyday English, we use the word ‘stance’ to infer a fixed, unchanging position or viewpoint. This common usage of the word can confuse people into thinking that we utilize ‘stances’ in the same way, that they represent a fixed position.
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The stances we’re taught are often very unnatural positions. How many times have you had your foot moved an inch or two to find that perfect position?
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Nobody grew up waiting at the bus stop in sanchin dachi or neko ashi dachi. We learned those shapes in the dojo.
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There’s always a strong emphasis on having “good stances”. Rightly so. In practice, that usually means forming your legs into prescribed positions and holding them until they ‘look’ right, balanced and stable.
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Beginners sweat over this because it’s measurable. You can see if the stance is deep enough, or if the knees and hips are correct. That drilling builds discipline. It also starts to build a very specific habit: step into the stance, lock into it, and repeat. Step and lock.
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Then we move into sparring, or realistic drills, and notice something odd. Where did all those “good stances” go? Who spars in shiko dachi? Who fights by planting and locking in place? If stances were truly the best solution for fighting, people would use them as taught more often. They don’t, and that tells us something. Stances are more like snapshots of movement.
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Funakoshi put it plainly: “Beginners must master low stances and posture; natural body positions are for advanced students.” The point is not that stances are useless. Early on they give structure, teach alignment, and protect the body.
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The goal, however, is to move from rigid positions to elements of natural movement. Where many schools fail is by clinging to fixed stances long after they’ve served their purpose, reinforcing the step-and-lock habit, even using them as an a reason to build leg muscle.
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As you advance, movement should change. Advanced karate is not about deeper stances, it’s about adaptability.
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Stances become shallower and more mobile. They’re used to get in close, to trap, to trip and unbalance, to apply leverage and penetration.
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Think driving through rather than stepping, a continuous economy of motion rather than a sequence of fixed positions.
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Traditional karate is exceptional at building discipline. I’m not arguing against that. I’m arguing for clarity of purpose. We must understand what stances are for, and when they get in the way.
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If we want karate to function as a practical fighting system, then we must teach the passage deliberately: from stance to movement. Teach stances to build a base. Teach movement to make that base usable. Teach both until movement becomes natural.
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Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo