Bladed Stance vs Squared Stance

[@ethanstraub854]

This channel is such an immense contribution to the amateur striking community. Generations before us would have been lucky to learn a fraction of what you’ve chosen to share with us, it just blows my mind. Just want to thank you for what you’re doing for the sport as a whole with these videos.

[@natlimweshasin1983]

Never hurts knowing both since you don’t know what background your opponent has. Fought a Taekwondo guy once and his bladed stance really throws me off. Set ego aside and trained with Taekwondo guys and now I’ve grown. Good luck guys, proud of you all :)

[@huwhitecavebeast1972]

Really? Because with wrestling and 6 months of Muay Thai in high school I annihilated tae kwon do black belts of varying degrees. In high school!

[@Gzussss]

@@huwhitecavebeast1972 Even if you win, you can still notice that you have opening and weaknesses. I sparred a Kung Fu guy once, and he landed only one punch on me. Not a knock out blow, but some kind of uppercut to the stomach that I didn't see coming. Now I'm at least aware of this path of entry in my defence.

[@bboyaddicted]

@Huwhite Cavebeast pure tkd guy vs a tkd based kickboxer is pretty different. Guys who kick box or transition to muay thai with a tkd base are usually good at striking you from long range where they can hit you, but you can't hit them. Gives an extra element to their striking that some people might not be use to

[@wasabi5338]

tkd and shotokan guys who have bladed stance are easy to leg/calf kick though since they cant check. They also have a harder time circling around. Their blitz in and out are great though.

[@acexae2411]

​@@bboyaddictedso 2hats so different in the tkd game?

[@MEXTHAIBOXER]

I teach my fighters a diagonal stance. Neither square, nor sideways (bladed). Feet shoulder with apart and chest diagonal, not squared up. A good compromise between the two stances. Works for Muay Thai , Boxing or MMA.

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

Most boxers actually use a diagonal stance. Many MMA fellows also do

[@TonioTalks1]

ELITE!

[@joebagtas9617]

This is awesome! I've worked in both stances throughout my life. I have a more tilted/bladed square stance. I don't know how some people can fight bladed stance, respect.

[@MikesDadvice]

I use a bladed stance when fighting on the outside, but quickly switch to square stance when I get on the inside.

[@DutchVader040]

Steven seagel’s round stance best by far….

[@paulconrad6220]

His sitting-in-a-chair stance is martial perfection

[@demoniac972]

🤣👍

[@kaizenproductions00]

Steven Seagal's attempt at making Jamaican dance hall music can knock out any opponent

[@dannychung5962]

When in doubt, roll out 😂 🌝

[@prime5991]

No need for stances when you can eat every opponent

[@leotherealosopher6805]

Thank you for being such an awesome teacher. I've learned so much just from watching your videos. I almost gave up last year after I lost in a tournament but the fire never went out. Ous!

[@buckets3628]

Been thinking of this for past week, coincidentally fortunate. One point that was brought up to me (I suck) is the square stance leaves so much open, so if you’re not active with consistent defensive skills then your gonna get picked apart

[@buckets3628]

That’s prolly why some ppl beginning naturally stand bladed and bouncy (self preservation influence)

[@fabioooh]

Yes but with a bladed stance your hooks are very limited

[@Skibidi4234]

U are open to leg kicks

[@buckets3628]

@@Skibidi4234 exactly right, maybe that's why the in and out movement of guys like whitakker, cory, sean, are the way they are... On the other end u have OG Mcgregor who would hold ground in bladed stance and just rely on pure timing. Crazy.

[@Skibidi4234]

@@buckets3628 ye but the thing is whittaker still gets hit a lot with leg kicks and so does conor exept he hasnt fought many kickers. He was getting hit by eddies inside leg kicks until he stopped throwing them. U could move out of range but still tbh its never going to be nearly as effective as a square stances check. Alex pereira with his square stance can check leg kicks really well and tore up adesanya and jiris legs in their bladed stance. Even wonderboy gets hit with them

[@muzammal-h]

I've watched many of your videos Gabriel, and want to express much appreciation for your generous sharing of such rich experience! Thank you for being a wonderful teacher :) Re the stances: one thing that comes up for me is in the context of self-defence situations and the exposure to the groin in a more square stance, that doesn't apply to Kickboxing or Muay Thai. So, I'm considering that, while also appreciating more than I had before, particularly through watching your videos, the value of the square stance in sideways mobility and defense against leg kicks etc. My background in striking arts has been predominantly traditional tae kwon do, although I have started training boxing since last year (and had attended some kickboxing classes in the past), so am exploring what kind of stance I feel most comfie with. PS thank you sharng your wisdom while leaving it open for us to make up our own mind :)

[@ManaIndieDev]

The new room is brighter which makes it easier to see, and the camera angle allows us to see the position of your feet better!

[@kingofgufi]

your breakdowns are amazing as usual and i really love finally to see the complete movement of your body! for a person like me who are not much "instinctual" in doing things is an huuuuge help :)

[@Papanda1995]

I swear, EVERY time I think “I really need to understand/work on _____” you immediately come out with a video on the topic 😂

[@Caranilion]

Honestly, I think this room is better for filming than the other. I wouldn't mind you just keep filming in this one.

[@undeadpresident]

I think it's good to practice both so you can interchange as needed. When you are in a bladed stance you have better overall position for punches. With jabs in a bladed stance your body is already close to alignment for distance and power, and with right hands (while there is more distance to travel) you can generate much more power more quickly. With lead hooks from a bladed stance you can fire them off faster and in a more protected position (at least from punches). This is why western boxers are taught to fight by default from a more side-facing position. Not totally sideways - square enough that you can rotate your hips and move laterally as you need to but still have the advantages I just mentioned.

[@fernandoruiz5794]

Dude this room looks much better. Thanks as always

[@KelpWolf]

Thanks for the breakdown. I'm trying out a local Muay Thai gym this week, I'm super excited to start training again. Can't wait for the follow-along combo video you mentioned - those are my favorite videos that you put out!

[@PHIplaytesting]

Still hoping to see you collab/spar with Wonderboy some day. The differences and similarities in your styles and histories would be really interesting to see collide.

[@lMobiuscidl]

Gabriel you're my favourite martial arts Influencer! Thank you 👍👍👍

[@jackcony9706]

Hey Gabriel, we want a full body coverage like this one

[@JohnDoe-rb6yj]

Thank you for this breakdown!

[@peezieforestem5078]

You know, I haven't really asked for Gabriel's feet, but now that they're here I'm not gonna complain.

[@stateofmind2668]

Will mess around with both now thanks Gabriel, i never thought of bladed stance making those fancier kicks fly out better. I'm no fighter but enjoy putting all this to good use on a heavy bag, good cardio. - My initial thoughts on bladed stance is that it simply taught to you as a traditional stance if go to a gym, but also what if your opponent lands big shots, especially hooks because knowing you can get knocked off balance alot easier. And I don't like this "Makes you harder to hit" , I don't think it does , especially when you're trying to fire shots off. The best stance imo is kickboxers wider stance, throw your combo, then pre-emptively fade back like Floyd does. That's where your defense is.

[@dezzelmoney]

No matter where you film bro, we still watching 👌🏼….

[@marcvic_1595]

Gabriel, what do you think of using both stances? For instance when I want to have more control over distance, and want to throw some side kicks or lead leg round kicks use bladed stance. But when I want to use techniques and skills learned in boxing, surprise an opponent with a few moments of a square stance that focuses more on power and high guard defense. Is it often to see martial artists use both in the same fight/sparring session?

[@bingsoo9559]

A lot of people actually do it unconciously, what I love to do is a dynamic adaptive stance that adjusts to context, threats, and distance

[@mathurex211]

​@bingsoo9559 i use somewhere in between and try to stay flexible between setting up distance management between bladed and squared. The closer i am, the squarer i tend to get. And ill often blade out to bait and counter.

[@Jamoni1]

My kid and I were just working on this yesterday. He was having trouble with his sidekicks, and it was just that he couldn't reprogram his body to turn his hips away from the opponent.

[@wazedfox566]

Love the new studio, please make it permanent And thank you for all your great videos I'm from Bangladesh, I try to utilize some of the techniques you have demonstrated here

[@AbdulAli-fv8th]

Bala ni

[@Tony-de4px]

thanks really interesting ...great stuff👍👍👍👍👍

[@forrestelliott9486]

I (a noob) have come to think of the bladed stance as for "fencing" I.e. Using fancy footwork to set up longrange shots of some kind and the other as for "brawling" I.e. Dealing with or throwing lots of wild shots. The second one is more stable and well rounded afaict but the darting in and out can be useful if you know what you're doing and I don't lol.

[@bodyboardingchronicles602]

Thank you Champion!

[@gabrielckazacu6189]

Extremely useful 🙏

[@matthew-jy5jp]

The room looks great Gabriel. Thank you for all you do for your channel and the community you made

[@lordnutman]

love this camera angle, can see the whole body

[@hifta7]

Great video ! Personally i switch stances according the style of the opponent depend wheather he send me low kick or start boxing. Anyway thank you🙏🥇

[@StephenduPreez]

Love the videos bud. I can't speak for everyone but I think it would be cool if you did a short video where you ''labelled'' your belts. Gave the competition name/organisation name. maybe told a story about who you fought for each title. give a bit of narrative to your career online. (if you've done this already please drop me the link)

[@kylelemon4230]

The secret is using both, why litmit yourself to one. What stance fits the scenario i want to create . Bladed on the outside , traditional at the mid range

[@abdul.arif2000]

8:25 how does a side stands prevent takedowns? Doesn’t it make it easier to take down because you can’t sprawl

[@Skibidi4234]

I believe its cuz ur hips are harder to get to. Double legs would be harder to do. U can still sprawl with a bladed stance

[@patzamudio]

I work several variations depending on distance/opponent.

[@ethanwasme4307]

squaring up just looks so much more intimidating though 😎

[@ProdigiousReturn]

One point to add: if you work in any government environment with at risk youth, where cpi and other crisis prevention techniques are used, they mandate bladed stances. It is viewed as less aggressive and protecting your vitals more.

[@DirkKingstonActor]

In a ‘bladed’ stance you can tai sabaki (pivot for a better position off the front foot). Can’t really do that in a square stance.

[@etiene363]

Mr. Gabriel I dunno if you ever reply but I'm gonna be the best MMA fighter anyone has seen.

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Awesome. Get after it 👌

[@MrSummertimeShine]

Thank you !

[@BMO_Creative]

WOW ! Varga turned into Wonderboy in 3 minutes! LOL

[@MRornge800]

I think the best medium is to develope a decent back kick from a more squared stance.

[@theprodigalson4003]

Gabriel always has the same decorations on the wall. What about a Chinese scroll, or whatever else Gabriel likes displayed around his home. I’d like to get to know what sort of stuff he likes lol Also thanks a million for the feet. I was one of those people who really wanted them

[@redmetalpanda9051]

I think pretty much the only time id go completely bladed like that is if i want to cover a big distance quickly and launch a lead leg kick

[@maranat045]

Can you also analyse the best examples of each stance including edged, but upper body square fighters, the moves the stances allow them to do...

[@anotherboredperson]

with bladed stance why would you even want to check back? If you can lift your leg shouldnt you be counter kicking into their hip or gut?

[@godtheartist2906]

Id luuuuuv to hear you elaborate on how the bladed stance "closes off takedowns" a little better.

[@Goteiii]

Personally, I fight almost bladed moving in and out keeping them at bay and pestering them with my lead leg and hand. Then, I move my lead or back leg outside to sqaure up once I have the momentum or once they are too close and I want to fire some good shots while move sideways or backwards with my hands up. I do this while throwing a kick or punch with my back leg or arm. I also like to sometimes narrow my legs and get in a muay Thai stance with a long guard to fire some power kicks off my back leg once they get in some mid range trying to close the distance.

[@korybarron32]

Isn’t it not a good idea to put your heel behind your other heal?

[@Maxstrikingandfitness]

I use a high breed between the two my top half is blade in my lower half is a little more square but still hip and shoulder behind me

[@jackjones267]

Personally for me the square stance is just better I feel I can move cleaner, feel safer and I do like using my hands more than kicking but whatever you find more comfortable and enjoy more will always be best

[@ronniesotoful]

Dude in the white shirt has one of the squarest brawler stances I've seen in a while. Heavy hands too. Black shirt is a champ for eating those😮

[@paulconrad6220]

Coming from fencing, new to kickboxing, staying square forces me to avoid muscle memory that can get me in trouble lol

[@theshapetv9203]

Lol That boy striking like he got a rapier, dope af

[@craigcanaan]

Try savate, apparently it's similar to fencing without the sword

[@avancalledrupert5130]

It won't get you in trouble. You will literally be doing European long guard mate .

[@paulconrad6220]

@@avancalledrupert5130 Oh, good to know

[@avancalledrupert5130]

@@paulconrad6220 all those upward, downward ,Inside, outside parry and reposts are transferable. Just keep your chin tucked ,your rear hand pinned to your cheek and elbow into your ribs . Always covering ready to fire when the gap appears . Your lead hand literally fence with it . Think of a jab as a lunge . When you parry a left push it out to your left . It opens them up for you to fire the right while stopping them firing there's . If they throw a right parry it to your right and fire your right. It's very important. If you parry the wrong way you can't counter and they can . If you are a fencer all that footwork will carry over . Be an in and out fighter . Get your , enter , jab , cross , leave crazy fast . Watch Lenox Lewis. He is the goat of that style.

[@kez_the_reaper2657]

I do often try to use a bladed stance in sparring, it doesn't work for me as well as a boxing stance because of my build. But I did find it was easier to set up the spinning back kick from that stance which did allow me to rep that kick out in sparring a bunch of times I kinda think even you have the stance you are better at for competition, it's still worthwhile to train both just work on certain things like if your always bladed square up in sparring every once and awhile and get the practice in standing and exchanging with your hands Or always square switch and get practice in creating space and drawing the other guy into your kicks with your footwork

[@michaeld2716]

It looks like a bladed stance would help against liver shots. One of those, and ... .

[@serafimciobanu3021]

Hi, I have a boy who is very passionate about contact sports (wrestling, muay thai, boxing, MMA) He is 7 years old. I wanted to ask you to tell me what would be the best way to develop his motor skills and to become a complete fighter (if he likes it and further) what would be the order of sports he should follow to develop completely.What motor skills or other things(mental,neurological) could they better develop now, between 7 and 10 years old, to become a good fighter (which would be harder to develop after that age)? What exactly should we focus on to get the best out of those 3-4 years? Specifically what should and shouldn't we do? Thank you!

[@vytas5584]

The blade stance becomes ineffective at close range. Fair to say?

[@nvanguy6868]

Bladed at long kick distance Only

[@johnz7167]

Thanks to this that I realized that my last coach was bad, he teaches square stance technique as oppose to my bladed stance

[@acexae2411]

How to counter fighters that fight with a bladed stance? In a striking match?

[@abramneitling4204]

This bedroom is way better! Seeing your feet is key 🔑

[@keaneralphadesoyo87]

Karate dosnt really have an exact fighting stance since they just teach their practicioners how to defend myself without getting into q fight8ng stance, but they still do teach a fighting stance since all they say is you front foor(toes) needs to be pointing towards your back heel(rear foot) so basically karate is more of q mix of both kindoff butnit still depends on the style and practicioner and etc

[@watwatt2557]

Square stance is by far the best stance! Hence everyone knows and does it.. People who do the bladed stance, they know the regular stance. Fundamentals first! Also pro tip. If you fight anyone in bladed stance. Just spam low and body kicks. The body kicks will break your arm, if your not squared up. It's a classic weapon.. My background is TKD and Muay Thai.

[@rainbowskyrunner]

Please bring back the axe 🪓 kick and crescent 🌙 kick Gabriel!!! We all believe in you! We know you are the one to return us to the days of ol’the days of ye’ol’axe and ye’ol’ crescent of yore!!!! 🙏🏾🤓 they really are effective you just have to hone them mine brethren… ye must only to sharpen the axe and wax the crescent of thine blade..! Noble Sir leave us not in want for your lunar lumberjack leg legacy!!!🤓🫳🏾 …..🎤 😅 I just love those kicks and I see the potential for you to use them because of how under used and underrated they both are while also being highly effective, plus you for sure have all the prerequisite skill you just gotta set your mind to it and practice hard. Anyway good vid man thanks for doing what you do sorry if my comments are ever a bit much I have way more than 2 cents to pitch in when it comes to the combat arts which is one of many loves of mine… it just happens to be one of the first 10 so…what can I say.. I got a lot to say about my beautifully violent lover 😂 Many blessings, great respect, plenty peace and much love to you Gabriel 🙌🏾😌

[@codycushman2738]

I think I've seen footage of Saenchai sparring where he's pretty comfortable flowing between the two stance styles.

[@supremoluminary]

For boxing only, I prefer bladed shoulders and partially but not completely bladed feet.

[@restistance4387]

What's the best stance for MMA or self-defense? Maybe you could do another breakdown

[@qasim1590]

We have both square and bladed in mma Square is mostly used eddie alvarez dc Jon jones Paulo Costa etc Bladed Whittaker wonder boy lyoto Micahel page

[@NA-oo4ls]

Bladed is a no-go in Muay Thai, strikes to the back are legal.

[@yunusjackson3195]

unless we do something like thai boxing... or fighting ..

[@deemc7756]

Wow you've got alot of belts Gabriel.

[@ElDrHouse2010]

Wonderboy Thompson is probably the best user of the bladed stance in the world rn.

[@milamotik3236]

Gabriel can u make a vid talking about Lyoto Machida's fight style please?

[@dirtpoorchris]

I use a bladed stance when I want my opponent to run. I use a square stance when I want to stop him from running. Or if you are going to go for centipede style speed combos blitz a square stance can help you land more strikes per second. (you can easily get 3 strikes a second with centipede style)

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

I do not understand what you mean

[@redmetalpanda9051]

Cant find anything about this centipede style anywhere?

[@dirtpoorchris]

@@redmetalpanda9051 In kung fu it just means that centipede has 100 hands and legs so it means practicing very fast combos with hands and feet to open up a shelled opponent from different angles of force. You can watch tons of kung fu movies maybe or go to china? Or learn chinese and look on their media.

[@elsuperpollo2273]

Which punching bag you suggest for home use when I'm not in a gym which I can't visit daily but I'm lucky to commute 28-30 miles away a week. I don't want to hang a bag in my ceiling but people are saying suspended in a stand is good and others are saying freestanding punching bags filled with sand or cement is good

[@impact1948]

i prefer this tudio to the other one

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

Good to know.

[@cahallo5964]

I prefer the bladed stance because of 2 main reasons. 1. I've been doing it like that since I can walk and I enjoy evading instead of blocking and moving is just faster. 2. Bladed stance skills transfers much better to weapon fighting, something irrelevant to you I assume.

[@khaihoe3841]

A square stance doesn’t deter evading. MT fighters like Samart, Oley, Somrak and Lerdsila showed this. While a bladed stance does lets you move in and out faster, it is easier to move sideways and take angles with a square stance

[@cahallo5964]

@@khaihoe3841 I honestly disagree with the angle, you can strike diagonally easier with the blade stance so you just move the backfoot and or do a switch punch switch kick (another benefit of the bladed in my opinion, switching is harder to punish)

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

@@cahallo5964 i mean, you're kinda right. But slipping and bobbing, and therefore, getting good angles against most opponents, will be easier with a squared up stance or a diagonal one

[@cahallo5964]

@@jestfullgremblim8002 diagonal bladed is superior to diagonal squared

[@siegfriedo]

Watch Bazooka Joe Valtellini vs. Raymond Daniels to see an excellent example of what top tier squared stance kickboxer can do to bladed stance opponent. As far as muay thai or kickboxing is concerned I think the argument for squared stance is loud and clear and debate is over. 😃

[@TheLockon00]

You mentioned kicking the back in Muay Thai. What are the rules about that?

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

In Muay Thai you "can hit anywhere but the groin". So yes, kicking your opponent in the back is fair play

[@TheLockon00]

@@jestfullgremblim8002 That's very interesting.

[@yungjefe7423]

Does anyone know what shorts he’s wearing in this video, they aren’t in any of his links or Atleast I can’t find them.

[@realtruth1448]

Old school ufc pants

[@jessco8950]

0:34 oh… uhmm.. yea that’s totally why we asked to see your feet. No other reasons at all 😊

[@Ilson7]

Gabriel what do you think, is square stance better suited for street fighting? street fight of course isn't related to video, but still would be nice to hear an opinion.

[@dirtpoorchris]

Whats worked great for me is leg kick and high knee chamber heel stomp kick. Most average people have never been combat kicked in their life and you can see their hope drain from their eyes after 1 good kick. That + great punch speed and people give up pretty quick. I used to hang out around gangsters and try to brefriend them sometimes and show them honor but it never ended well eventually. They end up just using you as a free bodyguard.

[@Jamoni1]

Any time grappling is on the table, you're probably going to want to square up a bit more.

[@finnmiles7311]

A Bladed stance is very good when grappling is involved and makes the groin and head less of a target. Don't listen to the whole squared for grappling nonsense. The average mma stance is semi Bladed these days.

[@dirtpoorchris]

@@finnmiles7311 Until they get to the cage wall and then clinch fight and now its square stance. Or when guys move side to side to stop a running fighter that keeps retreating along the wall.

[@finnmiles7311]

@@dirtpoorchris That's not them using a square fighting stance that's them coming out of their stance and standing square as a situational thing that they are often forced into. Similarly when moving like a crab and squaring up they aren't treating that position as a stance so much as a movement they use when Box stepping, it's more of a footwork pattern. The only notable erson who uses that neutral postion as an actual fighting stance (alongside having a stance from orthodox and one from southpaw since he's not a traditional one stance fighter) is dominick cruz.

[@muhammeddawson9627]

I love kicks but Im short asf guys

[@ethanwasme4307]

i think i do more of a bladed stance but more squared out

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

So diagonal stance?

[@ulhasanzk2249]

been here for a year know buddy

[@deemc7756]

🥊

[@borisp9163]

Noone is standing in bladed stance with front foot toes forward, what you are demonstrating is the same thing as square or normal boxing stance just narroving it, bladed stance is like when you standing on snowboard, or whatever board, with tiptoes pointed more to the side and its based on bouncy movement in and out, just watch wonderboy, like literaly noone stand like this..

[@huwhitecavebeast1972]

I prefer a squared stance, bladed stances are too limiting IMO and put your lead leg too far out making it a constant target. This is why Muay has more squared stance. Also makes you more vulnerable to certain grappling attacks. With a square stance you can attack with up to 3 weapons at the same time. With a bladed stance your rear leg and arm take too long to get to the target. I your desire is to make contact, and not dance around the edges of the person trying to do everything at long range, then a square stance is the way to go. I want to make contact and use that contact to control the other person. I think part of the reason bladed stances became so common is that they are for weapons more than strict hand to hand contact. With weapons you do not want to get into close range unless you have to.

[@r.a.d.martialartsfitness34]

👍🏼👊🏼💪🏽

[@nvanguy6868]

Watch manson gibson

[@진서-k5p]

Bladed stance: longer lead hand shorter backhand👍

[@finnmiles7311]

Cool video but the traditional boxing stance is bladed just not as side on as karate. Feet should be on the heel to toe line, feet a decent distance from each other vertically. Lead foot forward or turned in and rear foot 90 to 45 degrees.

[@nicholasmessina6406]

Square is better in my opinion. More options from there offensively

[@dirtpoorchris]

Square balance stance has some AMAZING defense if reaction speed and fight IQ is high enough

[@nicholasmessina6406]

@@dirtpoorchris agreed

[@Priapos93]

Better bladed than never

[@Kickboxing1601]

Joseph Valleltini chopping Raymond Daniels

[@LA-dh1bq]

Good video. Common misconception of Jeet Kune Do is that it is solely a bladed stance, actually it has three stances depending on distance and what your doing, essentially kicking range, boxing Thai range, and grappling range. A master of JKD can shift between all stances instantaneously depending what he needs to do at that moment. Bruce was a genius his art nullifies all other martial arts and most definitely is not a mix between them. 👍

[@KeyserSoze23]

Be careful of requests from people on the internet to see your feet.

[@modahlifts5095]

Wrong community bruh that’s just weird

[@madmaster3d]

muay thai stance is best ( squarad stance )

[@PinelliSC]

Square is superior

[@ikust007]

Not sure about that .

[@GabrielVargaOfficial]

My preference as well

[@ikust007]

@@GabrielVargaOfficial square ? I think we have to adapt . From the back when getting old etc , the blades stand isn’t good. Believe me.

[@finnmiles7311]

No both are good for different reasons with different strengths and weaknesses. In kickboxing there's a range of squareness/bladedness whilst keeping relatively balanced and well rounded for the ruleset. There are kickboxing stances that are bladed but still different than a full on boxing stance with their foot position, width etc. Japanese kickboxing tends to be more bladed than muay thai and even dutch style.

[@matteovac]

I always felt blade to be a mistake for two main reason . Balance , any lateral hit , punch or Kick, will throw you out of balance . And you are losing half of your weapons, no way you generate power or speed with your cross or hook coming from the back