An understanding of this exercise necessitates knowledge of the so-called stability - manoeuvrability continuum. This simple concept demonstrates that long low stances are very strong and stable but do not provide the ability to move quickly or evade an attack. The short, high stances are very good for quickly moving and evading an attacker, but do not afford stability. Both these extremes have their uses. If you are grappling with an attacker in some way, stability is of the utmost importance. If an attacker is chasing you, the ability to manoeuvre becomes very important. Once the student has learned to appreciate these extremes, he or she will be encouraged to adopt a compromise position for general use, in which the stance is held neither too long or too short thus affording moderate stability and moderate manoeuvrability. It will become ingrained habit to adjust the stance to accommodate the needs of the moment by lengthening or shortening the stance.
A fundamental precept in Shinseido thinking is shown for the first time in this exercise. That is to retain both hands in front of the body in the so-called wedge
(kamae) position. The front hand is called female hand (me-te) and the backhand is called male hand
(o-te). Either hand can become active while the other remains passive, this is shown in the following exercise called
Uchi Waza (see my paper entitled
Go No Sen O Toru for more information on this aspect).
This exercise helps the student to develop the correct posture, positioning and balance required for Shinseido practice. In the V stance and ready stance, the body is held naturally erect and relaxed. In the remaining stances, a 'pugilistic posture' is adopted in which the lumbar region is opened by tilting the pelvic girdle forwards and drawing the shoulders forward a little so that the chest sinks a little. This symbolically draws energy from the ground up through the feet and into the arms and hands.
Stances used in Tachi Waza
Ready Stances
| 1. | Ready Stance | (Yoi dachi) |
| 2. | V Stance | (Musubi dachi) |
Stable Stances
| 3. | Horse Stance | (Ba dachi) |
| 4. | Tiger (forward) Stance | (Tora dachi) |
| 5. | Snake (back) Stance | (Heba dachi) |
Manoeuvrable Stances
| 6. | Crane Stance | (Tsuru dachi) |
| 7. | Cat Stance | (Neko dachi) |
| 8. | Phoenix Stance | (Useishi dachi) |
Manoeuvrable and Stable Stances
| 9. | Dragon Stance | (Ryu dachi) |
Outline of Exercise