Take A Stance

For all the stances karate students are required to learn - and there are many - most trainees adopt only one or two for sparring. A real popular one is the side-stance (kiba-dachi) that positions you perpendicular to your opponent. This is favorable as it takes the body out of the direction of most strikes. The problem with this stance is that launching anything with the rear leg or reverse hand is compromised. The most common one I've seen (and use myself) is seisan-dachi 'to-the-oblique' or simply a general fighting stance. This is akin to what boxers use. One instructor I had used to teach an interesting way to get into one's natural fighting stance: jump in the air, turn the body slightly, and land with the corresponding foot forward. If that sounds a bit convoluted, just try standing feet shoulder width apart, and turn your body at about a 45 degree angle with one foot leading. Hold your hands at chin level with forearms vertical and bend your knees slightly, and you have a good fighting posture (kamae).

Some schools emphasize long, wide stances with chambered punches held at bay. Good for developing form and stamina and such, but for sparring these are not practical techniques to use. Shiko-dachi (wide parallel stance) works well in certain self-defense scenarios, but would be useless in a point-match. Koza-dachi (see photo) like some other "odd" stances are actually transitory maneuvers in a broader fighting scheme. According to Seiyu Oyata of Okinawan te lineage, the koza stance could actually be utilized as a leg trap for the opponent. This exemplifies how some of karate's applications have been lost or misunderstood through the years, especially when comparing close-quarter self defense moves against the longer range techniques of sparring.

In sparring you want to be grounded, yet mobile when necessary. A certain amount of movement is essential; not too much or the wrong kind, though. Some fighters like to bounce, and for the life of me I don't know how anyone can get anything off when you're hopping up and down like that. If you like gimmicks, you could always perfect the now-infamous one-legged Crane stance that Daniel-san used to save the day at the end of The Karate Kid. Otherwise, if you have a special stance or kamae that you like or feel that's useful, please share your knowledge.

Scare Tactics

Joe Lewis, sport karate's first badass from the 60s, is said to have had the ability to detect kyo (weakness) in his opponents. Whether in mind, body or spirit, Lewis would own you. Likewise, heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston had developed a habit of scaring his opponents half to death before the fight even happened. He perfected a glowering presence when entering the ring, and would go so far as to stuff towels under his robe to enhance his already massive frame. Both Lewis and Liston always gave the impression that the match was personal and that they wanted to kill you.

In the animal kingdom, defense mechanisms rooted in illusion bear a similarity to the psych-out fight strategies found in athletes. For example, the common house cat (a natural predator) will arch its back and raise its hair to give the physical appearance of being far more formidable than it actually is. When Miyamoto Musashi advises to "make yourself larger than your opponent" this is not strictly a metaphor.

It's interesting that in Musashi's tome, The Book of Five Rings, very little is discussed in terms of actual technique. His forte was cunning and effective cheating or whatever else would get the job done. Musashi's real weapons were psychology, intimidation, and especially, intent, which could only be forged through severe training. By his estimation, of the sixty or so men he defeated in duels, many had superior technical skill, strength, or the advantage of youth, but lacked the moxie to gain the upper hand. Overcoming fear is an obstacle that any warrior must face sooner or later, but using your adversary's own fear can prove to be a viable way to level the playing field.