I have always being taught under TKD that in a guarding stance, the weight distrubution is 30% and 70%. However, as I have asked about there styles, such as Karate, it is said that many techniques are similar and have subtle differences, like weight distrubution in a guarding stance. One may say 30% 70% is considered as "correct" in TKD... but what does this really mean? If other styles can do things slightly different and the end results are just as effective, then how important is it to really do supposely "correct" techniques? Or is it just there for the hell of being consistent? An analogy I myself is familiar with is how programmers may have slightly different styles of writting the same code, whereas there are not best/correct style as long as they are consistent...
I think you already nailed it. Consistency. I agree with you (if this is what you're saying) that there's no truly correct way to various things. But if a school is teaching lots of students (versus a handful) then teachers don't necessarily get the chance to make individual adjustments, analyze individual people to see why something works for them but works differently for someone else, etc. In short, I think consistency works for mass transmission, whether it's "correct" or no. You know? Stuart
If you play a defensive match then 30/70 is good, if you are being agressive then 60/40 in favour of the front leg would be more apparant. If you have just started a match and are sussing out a new opponent then 50/50 isn't unreasonable (think fixed stance). What is correct? whatever works.
Maybe teaching lots of students isn't a good way of teaching? If whatever works is the "correct" one, then what about people like me and possibly you who have been trying to do the supposely correct technique thus perfecting it in training??
I think the 'correct' weight distribution between the legs would be whatever is suitable at the time.
Depends on your perspective. I think the individual student benefits more from a smaller class and more individualized attention. But the institution benefits more from bigger classes and lots of students. Sussing out what works. For us. Investigating what has worked for other people (often our teachers) is a pretty logical step in that process. And the laws of physics being what they are, it's not surprising that lots of people are going to arrive at roughly the same conclusions about what works. But there's still lots of room for individuation. Take the round kick for example. I've been taught the round kick in taekwondo, shotokan, muay thai, and freestyle kickboxing. Differently in each instance. But there was a rationale for those differences in each case. Some methods favoured a quick followup with the hands. Some favoured power generation, etc. But for all that, I thought I was sure of one thing. Turning the hip over is essential to generating any real hip power. Then Bas Rutten comes along to a forum and says "nah, you don't need to turn your hip over; the trick is in the footwork: step through your opponent... " So who's correct? Bas Rutten? Or the other guys? Stuart
One of my coaches got me using the terms "optimal" and "less optimal." I think these work out better in many respects. While there are some things that are flat out wrong, a lot falls into a gray area of "what works best for you" or "what you can make work." At the end of the day, there are far too many factors to allow for a simple "correct/incorrect" dichotomy. - Matt
Certain styles I know favor having a different optimal weight distribution.. JKD I know favors having the weight on the front leg.. Mantis boxing and Muay Thai favor the rear leg being the weighted one. In Kung Fu especially, the weight on each leg depends upon the application and technique used in each situation, and the corresponding stance to each technique. Throwing a 'no shadow' or basically a rear forward snap kick to the groin, all the weight is placed on the front leg for the root so power can be generated. Or the reverse of that could be the cat stance where 90 to 100% of the weight is on the back leg, and the front leg is easily snapped up and out to strike as there is no weight restricting its free movement to strike. as others have said.. its entirely situational and really depends on the mentality of the fighter in question and what their approach on hand to hand is.
