The CORRECT Fighting Stance: Foot, Body and Hand Placement

[@hard2hurt]

Question for Viewers: What kind of stance do you use? Why?

[@kobudofrog2604]

Karate stance to ugly square weight on back foot to jag front leg for defence and kind of checking kicks. Having said so, I am a pathetic fighter :-)

[@slashdude1855]

A squared up stance, because I like to have power in my punches, although I also use the one where my legs are in a bladed position and my upper body is squared up, because I think it makes me more mobile :)

[@AdaTrimaj]

More of a kickboxing stance to use the heavy hands and be able to follow with different kicks when needed. Great job here, good to hear someone using common sense, which is rare nowadays :D

[@MrAntiiiiiiiiiiiii]

Depends on the situation🤔 Long range = "Karate stance" Close/Medium range = Boxing(square) stance. Still having trouble switching between both tho

[@damonngozzo6168]

I do WTF Taekwondo and I just wanted to see if you could give me some tips on something, so in WTF rules there’s no punches to the face or leg kicks. I’m pretty flexible and powerful and know a good enough amount of techniques that should work during sparring but I find it hard sometimes to pass the guard of the opponent because of the limited targets. I usually end up kicking elbows while trying to go for the head or my spinning attacks are read easily. Any tips on how to get more accurate in my sport?

[@k2m524]

'Approach everything with an open mind. The moment you stop learning is the moment you begin to lose.'

[@paulv7744]

I agree👍 Once we tell ourselves that we "get it", we tend to decay.

[@katarinatibai8396]

💯

[@JuniorD01]

Yes yes 👏 thank you

[@russetvelvet]

"Fighting is more like basketball than soccer. The other team is gonna score points, you are gonna get hit, you are not gonna shut them out." So well said!

[@hard2hurt]

Thanks

[@ericr2617]

Everyone is looking for the one perfect thing that will always work. In reality all this shit goes together. Nothing works all the time

[@jamesours4422]

Exactly. Different fighter, different technique. That simple.

[@raydon14ify]

Except for sex panther, which works every time, 60% of the time.

[@Slow_Poke_Rodriguez073]

It's like when Silva front kicked him in the face. That NEVER worked. Until that time it worked

[@steveperks7054]

"I can win every fight without ever training just using one simple trick. "

[@BootyBot]

if you scream at the guy that you have AIDS then start crabwalking toward him like a schizo while making gorilla sounds that will at least work like 99% of the time

[@raydon14ify]

Wow Bruce Lees philosophy of “Be water my friend” really applies for this subject

[@Pwasercan]

you put water into a thai ring, it becomes the ring. You put water into an mma cage, it becomes the cage. You put water into a street pavement, it becomes the pavement.

[@rivermoore6179]

Brandon his whole fighting philosophy ; really

[@minlee5376]

Wadocan you forgot the best part be water my friend 💦

[@DarkGhostHacker]

Wadocan lmao. funny. But the whole meaning behind it, which is to adapt is correct and the best mentality for both fights and life in general.

[@hard2hurt]

Be orange juice

[@somatic77]

I would give anything to train with you. You know what is up. Everything you say makes practical sense.

[@fabooshka]

Would you give up 3 of your limbs for that?

[@wubear260]

Same here.

[@redactedcanceledcensored6890]

@@fabooshka I would not, but if I gave them up and could train with Mike, I would probably fight better than with all limbs intact

[@fabooshka]

@@redactedcanceledcensored6890 that is what I thought as well lol one leg wonder like jump spin drop kicking everyone like one punch man except it's one single kick that annihilates everyone

[@HittokiriBatosai]

You probably just have to give up a set amount of dollars on the 1st of every month

[@mstr293]

I practice MMA so basically, you're telling me to constantly mix it up (adjust) depending on my enemy... GOT IT!

[@hard2hurt]

Or make him adjust to you

[@isaiahmusa3474]

@@hard2hurt yep control the fight and pace I love seeing two fighters who are tactical and cerebral in battle

[@kevinruesch2864]

Expand your tool box go out of your comfort zone occasionally but still sharpening your greatest tools daily if it ain't broke dont fix it adapt your strategy not necessarily your technique or form you can have best jab in the world but if not properly utilizing it it won't work which will give far more opportunity and chance for your opponent to overcome and adapt to you

[@RW-Atl]

This channel is so honest it’s almost unproductive 😂😂

[@hard2hurt]

Hahaha I'm in my own way.

[@Yarblocosifilitico]

lmao that's actually a deep dilema about teaching anything

[@SubExploration]

So refreshing to hear this kind of attitude. For years I’d been told by so many people that my stance wasn’t "correct". I employ tested stances but work my own as its suits me. As you say, fortunately I have an instructor that gives an actual shit about people so we often debate and try different stuff. Keep it up Icy Mike, love your shit.

[@hard2hurt]

Glad you have a good instructor to look out for you

[@DominicLD]

If you go outside you'll get hit by a car, if you stay indoors you'll get shot by a robber.

[@hard2hurt]

Exactly

[@ulfhazelcreek8108]

Well put.

[@BootyBot]

if you sleep a ghost will sit on your face

[@DominicLD]

@@BootyBot kinky

[@TheLyingFigure]

Thats why you shouldn't waste your time trying to learn how to fight just build a pipe bomb, nobody can out box a pipe bomb.

[@macleod1592]

Totally agree. Nobody has the same stance. Hell look at Conor's, head straight up, hands relatively low... He's doing everything "wrong".... Seems to work pretty good for him tho lol.

[@knuckle-sandwichmma681]

even more so he changes his stance a lot. in some fights he uses bladed stance, in some boxing stance with very little chances in guard, sometimes hes flat footed, sometimes moves a lot, sometimes high guard, sometimes lower guard. he always changes his stance depending on what he wants to do. box or kick, counter or attack

[@rylewmma553]

This is why I love this channel. Be like water. No way, is the way.

[@hard2hurt]

I'm more like orange juice

[@metalmayfantasy]

I actually incorporate many of the advice in your videos and have notice my striking has become alot better.

[@hard2hurt]

That is really cool to hear.

[@calebleach4658]

The spinning bullsh*t kick is my favorite kick though :(

[@hard2hurt]

Me too

[@AL-if7fe]

Joe Rogan: Knee up first.

[@fullmerfitmindandbody]

same buddy

[@jamesrowlands1943]

There's thousands of hours of people fighting, but zero hours of effective Aikido...

[@Abaddon5850]

Yep

[@hard2hurt]

Dammit you had to say it

[@jamesrowlands1943]

I don't want to cast aspersions but aikido is about as effective as Jake Mace's self defense techniques

[@unbanrofellos5786]

@@jamesrowlands1943 oh dear god i couldve forgotten about him if you hadnt said that 😂

[@onepoundswallowtwopoundcoc3115]

@Mega Police Since you remember him now. Go watch Master Ken Goof on him. 😂👌

[@slickbat5746]

One of your best videos yet. This is what's wrong with most gyms. Stunted growth to get you to conform to a system.

[@hard2hurt]

Well people are close minded usually

[@blessedcivildisobedience2402]

I recently started practicing Hema (historical European martial arts), and part of it is switching your guards to limit your opponent’s options. There’s not only one thing that works because your opponent can do more than one thing to you

[@kareeme2624]

like savate?

[@Joyride37]

@@kareeme2624 HEMA is incorporates weapons. Longsword, side sword, arming sword, dagger, spear, etc. Each from different traditions. It’s like less defanged fencing

[@AngelLonely447]

Such a honest and realistic guy. Thank you for these videos!

[@newandimproved2788]

So its like chess basically theres a million options.

[@hard2hurt]

Eleventy million

[@kevinruesch2864]

Yes and no it appears that way but you know in chess that if you don't protect certain pieces early in the game you'll lose them fairly quickly making rest of game if you last much much harder there is still general principles in chess openings if violated are very bad but often genius chess players get away with it as a amateur fighter it's better to stick to the fundamentals until you are adept or adequately more skilled then your opponent is you canteen make more risky moves because you feel that he is unable to capitalize on them that goes for boxing and chess

[@kevinruesch2864]

I literally love the user name hard to hurt cause thats exactly the objective and as you become harder to hurt your options open up more and more you become more fearless and can really begin to freely experiment with different ways that is part Ithink the most important part of training in any style or system

[@devanbuckholt4135]

More like the game "go".

[@kevingray4980]

Like chess in the way that there is no 'one size fits all'. There are multiple situations you need to be able to recognize. At certain moments it changes from abstract and open to interpretation to very concrete where the slightest inaccuracy can be exploited.

[@fabooshka]

1:45 Sidekicks do work Shane, sidekicks do work. I know you're watching this ;)

[@hard2hurt]

Poor guy. He will be heartbroken.

[@groundedtruth1358]

@@hard2hurt countless examples of sidekicks working in combat sports, fight-ending examples. Why you take this stance on this particular kick?

[@groundedtruth1358]

or is it troll, for fun?

[@Mharriscreations]

@@groundedtruth1358 him and a few other martial arts youtubers troll the actual people who say side kicks don't work. They believe they do and know a lot of the examples you're talking about.

[@amyarmendez8095]

Grounded Truth holly holm is a great example and that’s in a sport where takedowns are a thing

[@Rippleshanks]

Everytime someone says side kicks don't work a Stephan "Wonderboy" Thompson loses his wings.

[@jeremyjameslatham5094]

Jon Bones Jones uses them constantly too. Those and the oblique kick.

[@Rippleshanks]

@@jeremyjameslatham5094 I may be wrong but I think Icy Mike means from a self defense standpoint

[@Krishna135ful]

"Side kicks dont work" "Send me location" ~ Wonderboy

[@Rippleshanks]

@@Krishna135ful 🤣🤣

[@jeremyjameslatham5094]

@@RippleshanksI think so too, which makes it even funnier to me.

[@blackjetski555]

It's so refreshing to hear this view on the square stance. I've always been able to throw more powerful punches when in that position, and yet so many martial arts coaches (many on KZbin) have effectively been telling me I should turn my chest at 45 degrees and reduce my punching power.

[@ShaneGoodson]

I've had the debate with people about squared stance a lot. I'm really short and heavy (think cube) and squared stance just gives me the best overall reach with all my limbs, which is useful against the tall buggers. And they always give me the 'hurr you present target' thing, but then I just keep attacking and it works.

[@andrewferris1903]

The amusing thing is all of the people who tell you that you are exposing youself never actually aim for the solar plexus regardless.

[@hard2hurt]

It's a theoretical vulnerability.

[@gmz1997]

I've now watched a number of your videos and I have to say your approach to the topics you cover is most authentic and real than anyone else I have viewed. Great job!

[@hard2hurt]

Authentic and real are the two biggest compliments you can give a youtuber thank you.

[@roninkaratemma6372]

I always tell my students I'm going to give you a few basic rules or guidelines . Then once you understand them I'll teach you how to break them

[@joer1356]

I like this video. No bs.... no rambling for 10 mins, promoting channel... nah this guy just told it!

[@biohazard724]

T Pose at your opponent

[@doomslayer8809]

Then draw a loading screen that says factory reset please wait

[@LaserTractor]

That is forbidden

[@Yarblocosifilitico]

Cyberpunk devs: eureka!

[@somatic77]

idc what anybody says, this is the best self defense learning on YT

[@carlclark955]

Great video. Fights are a dynamic situation. Learn, adapt and counter. Thanks, Mike

[@hard2hurt]

Dynamic is one way to put it

[@rudolphsimmonds1382]

Thank you for the clarity in this video. I have been driving myself crazy going from Is taekwondo to now a muay thai stance.

[@HagakureJunkie]

Hard2hurt: "Sidekicks don't work" UFC Champion Steven "Wonderboy" Thompson: "Hold my beer."

[@knuckle-sandwichmma681]

hart2hurt: *trolls* J. : and i took that personally

[@Histgyph]

Mike is a big fan of wonderboy it’s just a joke

[@jeffs3119]

A lot of good info as always. My coach will tell us that blocking is not a static thing and don’t be predictable. I now like to change up my blocks between parrying, high guard, long guard, and some evasions. I let some partners punch so I can practice and get their timing. When comfortable timing them I’ll adopt a more boxing Philly stance and unload counter punches and then straight back to long guard. As a southpaw this seems to work well for me.

[@tinkertime577]

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. Thanks!

[@hard2hurt]

That's how it works for intelligent people

[@Histgyph]

There’s a name for this in physiology

[@benjaminyoung9694]

Its like this in every subject under the sun. Its a good way to tell that you're getting better early on 😅

[@alanderson9711]

Decades of experience has helped refine the Best Stance. I taught it to my students in the 80’s. May I share it? Start with the mindset of a boxer. Keep your dominate foot back. Now quickly spin 180° in the opposite direction, arms pumping as you safely transition yourself out of harms way. That’s ALWAYS the Best Stance. Of course after Mastering Verbal Judo this is all completely unnecessary. Great vid, as always. Cheers!

[@hard2hurt]

Are you trying to say "run away" but in a corny dad joke kinda way?

[@somatic77]

fLOVE what you're doing. Please don't stop.

[@Fruttmaster]

Really really great insight and advise. Aside from having tendencies and favourite ways to fight, watching footage of me sparring helped me alot. Seeing what works and what not and needs to be "polished"

[@hard2hurt]

Yeah watching video of yourself is humbling

[@reasonable_person9874]

I think the "BEST" stance is something you discover through time. And you also adjust it during a fight or training session. There are definantly WRONG stances you need to avoid. But the best one is so individual in my opininoin!

[@mark11145]

Hallelujah!!!! Listen to this man. He is absolutely right! Adjust be in the moment. I also love a what if question that is a genuine attempt to learn. What if questions to prove yourself right or another wrong is worthless. Great video!

[@BlackMaskq]

Indeed a dumb question. Fighting is alway changing so there is no one way solves all. Even your hand work requires foot work for power.

[@hard2hurt]

Well said

[@jonathanfrushour3928]

Love your videos man, being a practitioner of multiple martial arts my whole life, I love that you don't tell people what they think they want to hear. You gotta be able to adapt. Keep keeping it real brother. ✌🏽❤

[@spaceisalie5451]

Ive changed my stance so many times, it really just depends on you and your style. Do you, their will never be another you. Edit: Also, this video got me to subscribe, its nice to see a rational trainer

[@hard2hurt]

Welcome to the squad homie

[@dollartreeees]

I hate the snobbery in martial arts you are one of the few unbiased no bullshit guys on KZbin

[@caelebmaiden5757]

When you switched southpaw for the wrestling stance I started laughing i did a year of boxing and then joined the wrestling team and I was so confused when coach said dominant side forward Edit "hard check the shit out of it" made me laugh so hard I just love how you said that

[@ThousandTimesNo]

6:32 Wisest thing i heard about fighting even if it sounds so obvious. Sooooo many coaches do not understand it and don't pass it to students...

[@nigelbess5168]

Hey mike I've been watching your videos and I appreciate your no-bullshit approach to teaching. I have a video suggestion that I would like to see from you: fighting strategy against someone with a pure wrestling background. I train Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu, but never wrestled in school, and I don't get to grapple with wrestlers very often or ever spar with them in an MMA context. So if I were to get in a fight with a wrestler Im not sure what strategy I would go for. Seeing as your channel is mostly self defense focused, and that a lot of Average Joes wrestled in school, it might be a good thing for you to talk about. Thanks

[@tyeades975]

Nigel Bess I wrestled for my highschool and it helped a lot in a fight but if I were to get you to your back I wouldn’t know what to do besides try and ground and pound so you’d probably want to fight off your back, watch the fist ufc fight with Royce Gracie and ken shamrock, Royce won against a much larger opponent who didn’t know how to fight a full guard

[@VB-bb8vw]

I discovered this channel only recently, and I am trying to watch all the videos, every time I discover at least 5 things I do wrong... for each minute of each video :-D Amazing job and I love the very practical approach in the explanations, which allows everyone to implement immediately some of the great tips and techniques here. Keep it up!

[@HomieFFM]

04:50 damn I was so scared for a second, I was dodging those punches xD

[@thebodykeepsthescore2828]

No you weren't

[@hard2hurt]

@@thebodykeepsthescore2828 is no fun at parties

[@thebodykeepsthescore2828]

@@hard2hurt I am a bit of a party pooper

[@grant640]

Awesome video I wish every coach would watch this. It's so limiting when they teach us the wrong way like you've described here, counters growth and limits development of personal style. "I cant teach you how to fight, but I can teach you how I fight"

[@lachlanbell8390]

5:15 "If he's leg kicking a lot, maybe don't stand like this, close enough to leg kick you" This killed me, haven't laughed so hard in a while. Sometimes the answer is so obvious, just hearing someone have to say it out loud is hilarious in itself.

[@hard2hurt]

People want things to be complicated

[@lachlanbell8390]

@@hard2hurt Maybe... Or could it be that people want _other people to think_ it's complicated, so their knowledge seems more impressive than it actually is? Just a hunch hahaha

[@riskit4reels462]

Bro this video was a big help, was trying to figure out a stance that would be perfect for me. Answer was basically in my face just to stuck on trying to copy what I was seeing. Adjust and adapt is so true. Thanks .

[@wacomundo9599]

Are you telling us fighting is fluid?! 😱😱😱😱

[@somatic77]

that is 7% of it. keep going.

[@profoundpro]

MY DAD COULD BEAT UP YOUR DAD

[@hard2hurt]

Be like orange juice

[@mickeymouse9426]

@@hard2hurt Give your opponent diabetes?

[@kalanimathieson8438]

Mickey Mouse lol that’s actually hilarious

[@jurv10]

The fighting to basketball comparison was very insightful coach. I don’t comment on videos often, but your content is very informative.

[@rodneygratz3239]

Watch Tyson/Ali. Also, Gus training Mike on movement. MTT: Move the target!!!

[@Docinaplane]

Very nice opinion, Mike! If I had to pick one stance, I think the classic boxer's stance with a bladed body, and the ability to shift your weight forward and back is a reasonable answer.

[@Agiranto]

- So what is your preferred stance? Boxer? Thai? Wrestler? - Yes.

[@hard2hurt]

Basically the theme of the channel

[@sentoryumartialarts4064]

This is a great video and a great answer. We always give students a couple of vague rules like, have your guard up and don't have your feet together - so have one foot back and one foot forward. But after that it's up to you. Your length, width, height etc is all up to you. Whatever is most comfortable to you. Not one way fits everyone.

[@periodic98]

1:45 every taekwondo practitioner 😰 lol

[@Fruttmaster]

Not really as it's a joke.

[@anotherpilgrim8313]

Never watched Stephen Thompson, I guess?

[@periodic98]

Fruttmaster I know and Im making another joke.

[@Fruttmaster]

@@periodic98 in that case I'm sorry. I misunderstood

[@periodic98]

Fruttmaster all good,keep kicking!

[@HandsOfSt0ned]

I really love the analogy of fighting being more like basketball than soccer .. a great mind set even for more fans to watch with. Awesome content as always!

[@SIMUL4CR4]

Hey Mike, ever heard of a man by the name of Stephen Thompson? Some call him Wonderboy... His sidekicks work.

[@alexfage5067]

"#sidekicksdontwork" is a joke. ^^

[@adrgs12]

Its a channel meme

[@ficedulamortis6434]

It's a meme

[@hard2hurt]

5!

[@alexfage5067]

@@hard2hurt Are you counting the amount of people who don't get the joke ? XD

[@elijah7796]

This is the best video I've ever seen on stance. 100% correct, Thank you!!! Everything is super subjective and situational. I think Coaches sometimes confuse people when they always take the one size fits all, shotgun approach. 🙏🏽they never say, adjust depending on what's actually happening in real time

[@creeplife2802]

I'll just go to the body

[@somatic77]

with what? kicks? punches? either way you'll be off balance and vulnerable. just making conversation, i'm sure you'd whoop my ass. fun to think about.

[@ForProfit-x100]

The general rule is if someone starts going to your body,you start going to theirs.

[@hard2hurt]

Yuck

[@staccs3mobilegaming264]

This video is gold. I’m a boxer and I stand square, I’m also going forward but I’m defensively aggressive. I love to cut the ring off and make use of my pivots and rolls. That’s why I stand square. It works for me, I’ve tried being bladed and I hate it, but it has its uses. I don’t knock any stance or style.

[@vektacular]

Nice...I know if you’re anything like me that you don’t need my approval here but ....to me, this video made you legit as hell in my eyes....good one...best video yet.

[@lshunley]

I swear mike gives the best info.

[@hard2hurt]

Thanks man

[@epsilonkleiner0]

I love how your answer so often is "It depends". You're just right. And it shows that you know your shit.

[@hard2hurt]

That's trademarked by someone else but yeah haha

[@_DearDarling_]

I'm looking at this as a girl who gets into fight quite often I manage but that doesn't mean I have much of an advantage. I don't workout at all and I and refused to be taught defense so I'm trying to self teach myself. After I found out there was a plan to jump me after school from old friends I decided I needed to learn.

[@richarde1355]

My takeaway fro this, and repeated often throughout the video, is adopt the stance that is right for you. Someone 5-7 and 170 will likely adopt a different stance than someone 6-2 and 170. Someone might have different altitudes - one might like to strike, one wrestles, one prefers kicking, etc. Their stance should fit their aptitude’s. Thanks so much for your video!

[@user-ns4zm8qe9p]

I feel like I should have to be paying for all this fantastic advice

[@fron3107]

Probably the most useful martial arts video I've seen.

[@damodharan6118]

You opened my eyes bro, I will try it on the bag thanks

[@somatic77]

honestly I come in more with a slight left leg forward boxerish stance, trying to stay balanced. Thanks to you. not overextending, unless

[@iankelley9704]

One of my favourite videos so far

[@drigzmo9419]

This is one hell of a video. Great editing, great energy.

[@shiro5811]

Brother you are like the Ryan Humiston of combat sports!! Subbed!! PS: Many of you probably don't know Ryan but long story short, a relatively small fitness KZbin channel that's been growing bigger and bigger in size in the past few months thanks to his no bs approach in his video format.

[@hard2hurt]

Hmm I'm gonna check him out. I've started lifting again and need some ideas.

[@shiro5811]

@@hard2hurt I suppose at your level of fitness, ATHLEAN-X is all you need, especially if you're looking for creative training ideas. But hey sure, wouldn't hurt to check his stuff out :)

[@10moonj]

Great video Icy Mike. One of my favorite that you've done. This video really gives me a lot to consider.

[@hard2hurt]

Let me know what you come up with

[@Arman-jx7hu]

Everything is this video is so true! I have thought this way for a long time, but not many ever seemed to agree. It always annoyed me when a sensei, coach, or whoever told me that I needed to do something their way so this or that bad thing wouldn't happen to me. Taekwondo for example, where they teach the blade stance, which I was never comfortable with. I would always find myself subconsciously squaring up and using both of my fists against my opponent's lead hand mostly since he was in a blade stance as well. There are pros and cons to everything, including stances. I use what I feel comfortable with. I mostly stand flat footed as well, but I can still move around very quickly. I like a flat footed wide stance because I like the stable base.

[@georgenikodemou3022]

I saw a match with iron mike zambides that was defending body kicks the way you showed and it was really effective but his arm turned blue. I don't remember his opponent but it was brutal!! Good stuff here i like your channel!! Keep it up

[@mixck]

I really liked the Basketball and Soccer comparison. Right on point.

[@skullium5920]

When I started boxing they told to do side stance and always keep foot behind my other, but I never could get use to it so I would change to front with wide stance with one foot turn and bit back with my head forward but I learned that the stance worked best for me and I think that’s important for fighting

[@Mittsthetfordyall]

This is the only fighting video that has ever actually made me laugh. "Oh, but then you're less of a target". Amazing. I guarantee everyone watching this has heard nearly all of the things you mention. Fuck yeah

[@josephwilbik4561]

I just want to add that the type of person your fighting also dictates your stance. I don't mean a wrestler facing a striker, which is also important, what I mean is the size and skill level of the person. What will work with one guy might not work with another. Everybody fights differently and you should have a good base defense against all the basics. I'm much older and have been doing martial arts for 40 years now, and the shit I could do in my 20's is long gone now in my 50's. Love your videos, keep em coming! You teach a lot of the same principles that I do. You should look up evolve martial arts and soldier fit. Those are my present schools I train out of. Oss!

[@DMalenfant1]

Everything has a weakness and there is always a counter. Just depends on what feels natural to you and what you are best at.

[@unknowninfinium4353]

I'd like to bring a different angle here coach. What if it is what you started with? - Bas Rutten started with Kyokushin and that was all about delivering powerful attacks. He also later incorporated Muay Thai and always mentioned he wanted great power in every attack, like his inspirations Mike Tyson and Roman Dekkers. - Lyoto's coach always emphasized wide stance and Lyoto himself stated Shotokan. - GSP started Kyokushin but incorporated a different stance when he wanted to add more wrestling to his game. - McGregor started out in Goju Ryu hence that explains his wide stance. - Cowboy Cerrone has a more square stance owing to his striking from Muay Thai. - D lC having a more wrestling stance since he started with that. Great points coach. Could what you start with also have an effect to your stance? Take care coach.

[@user-tf8mb6cp5w]

"The stance that is right for you in THAT situation" ❤❤❤❤

[@VitalityGracieGarage]

This is good advice. choose what feels right and natural for you. I use a stance that is simple, easy to maintain, keeps my body and legs in a natural position, allows me to move around the ring in a natural and flowing way, isn't complicated or funny looking or otherwise hard to stay in, and allows me to attack with the legs and the hands with equal ease, and let's me shoot in for take downs without having to make adjustments. It's a hybrid between a traditional almost sideways boxing stance and a completely forward facing American kickboxing stance. It works for me and is easy for the kids in my Gracie Garage to work with too, and we don't need to spend hundreds of hours getting used to it.

[@hard2hurt]

I did not say at any point to choose what feels natural. That is terrible advice.

[@VitalityGracieGarage]

@@hard2hurt It would be terrible advice if taken out of context like that! It has to be more than just "natural"!! You said to "choose what's right for you under the circumstances", depending on what your goal is, and that no proper stance is "right" or "wrong". I agree with this. In street self defense and MMA, because I want to kick, punch, move fluidly AND do take downs, I choose a compromise stance that allows all those things, and just happens to feel quite natural as well. I don't think, though, that telling someone to use a stance that feels natural and allows you to move and attack fluidly, is "terrible advice", unless the resulting stance has some feature to it that would obstruct your combat goals, like leaving the chin open, feet too close together, leaning too far forward or backwards, etc. Cheers

[@borisdelic3379]

Man, your videos are just GREAT !

[@huranku98]

Truth. I prefer a square stance, just how I was initially taught from kyokushin and what I now use in muay thai.

[@jamesours4422]

Finally someone with intelligence. Their is NO WRONG ANSWER. It always irritates me when people insist that one way is the right way.

[@frotakulightborn5]

Whatever the fight brings have the tools to be able to adapt to it and come out with the "W".

[@hard2hurt]

Well there are wrong answers haha

[@sprk11]

hey hey, me again, lol. watching the vid, love it. As far as stances go, most side stance karate until I find out how my opponent wants to stand, then I can counter from a Judo mainframe of defence or if I want to strike them. main style if I must pick my foundation is kempo ,very bastardised but kempo just the same. As for side kicks trained with guys that would fold you in half if you were not careful . They used their side kicks like a boxer uses a jab but also quick adapt to punches depending on the distance. Anyway, what I wanted to say is we were taught all the stances and taught that most of these stances are actually transitional stances. foundation that can used while moving while setting up your next strike of defence. But as you say we can if this and but I'd do that to death and solve nothing . A fight is fluid, the situation is ever changing, and out come goes to fighter who is best prepared and most versatile,,, ya that's a load of bullshit too but it usually sounds good. Keep those vids coming.

[@michaeljanes5820]

I really enjoyed this as In my opinion I had an odd stance using a tilted v shape lead foot straight back foot turned a little twisted hips in direction of back foot and upper body straight hands up in front and away from face and chin tucked in. I also used both springy and flat foot. When I wanted to kick hard I would load up the kick by slamming my heels down right before the throw. But stayed springy when ever moving around or throwing light kicks and all punches.

[@salil7174]

I like to stand with lead foot over my opposite shoulder...lead arm usually behind my rear foot knee. Then...and this is important...left elbow under right foot, head tucked neatly between the knees, left hand pinky to right foot middle toe, left lung to right side of kidney, with your lips slightly below the eye brow. Have never lost a fight so far. 0-0 record. Find what feels comfortable.

[@christophervelez1561]

I like this explanation. Everything is a trade off.

[@Shorikid]

Stances are just a snap shot in time. They adjust and change with the circumstances you are in. Good video here.

[@HittokiriBatosai]

Started out with a sideways karate-style stance from my TKD days back in high school. Went to a Muay Thai gym for a bit and they showed me a stance that was straight on. Hips square, shoulders square, both feet pointing at the opponent. It was too drastic of a change for me, never got comfortable. Started training boxing and the boxing stance was a lot more natural to me. Toe of the front foot in line with the heel of the back foot. Doesn't really matter which way the back foot points but the front foot must always be 45-degrees on to help maintain balance, particularly when throwing big shots. I just added kickboxing and the coach trains Dutch-style so it's basically the same boxing stance but a little wider, back foot not hiding behind the front foot, obviously for kicking and checking kicks. Pressure always on the balls of my feet, hands what Shane Fazen calls "Mexican style;" rear hand right on the chin, front hand out longer to take advantage of my reach, circling, always threatening the jab. Bring it in closer sometimes if I wanna confuse him with varying lengths of my jab.

[@foxlawrence7139]

I always tell my guys, use whatever stance you work in best, it's just your job to learn the pros and cons of that stance. Nothing is ever 100%

[@cuzz63]

You have to adjust your stance to what the threat is....this is true esp at the beginning if your being attacked...you nailed it.

[@danielc.5724]

This is a great video, helped me a lot, thanks. Also, liking that sweater!

[@MarioSanchez-wh1bp]

I learned something new today. Thanks big Dog

[@tobyclain9467]

Hey Mike, I gotta say thanks so much for the video request. Sorry I didn’t comment any sooner when you uploaded this video. The reason for that is that I’ve been watching this video over and over in hopes of trying to understand where you’re getting at while coming up with a couple of new ideas as to what a proper fighting stance should be. Ever since I’ve been doing that, it encouraged me to go on a final journey of online researching to put an end to the doubts that swim in my head about fighting stances much like how a protagonist did his by climbing up several mountains, treading through forests, travelling through cities while encountering life-threatening obstacles on the way to his path in search of enlightenment from some senior asian ultra-virgin Jesus-like hermit with a white beard so long it touches the ground... Okay fine, it didn’t go that far but you understand what I mean lol. Please read on if you’re interested for it is very, very long. Before I talk about my final journey, I like to mention that I used to have a square stance because of a bit of research I did before I first met the Shihan in a Japanese Jiujitsu who taught me how to stand the first time. He asked me to stay bladed (both striking and clinch range) just because it reduces the targets while protecting the groin. His other MA background is boxing which explains why he preaches the stance. Soon, I ended up taking Muay Thai classes on the side where I had to go back to the square stance. I asked the coach there what his answer was if people criticize the square stance for ‘presenting too many targets’ and he says he’ll take the punishment only to return the pain two times fold which is a MT mentality. I later asked him another question if there was a defense to kicks to the groin and he simply told me to take Wing Chun classes for that. A few months later, I got to train with the Shihan once again only to ask how to defend leg kicks and takedowns. For leg kicks, he showed me that a jab to the head or a lead side kick to the non-kicking knee is a viable counter. For takedowns, he didn’t get to teach me this one but he was able to counter my single leg by pulling back his lead leg and pushing me down which is hard to get the takedown. Even then, it’s hard for me to use this stance since it’s hard for me to block/slip attacks on my lead side although I assume boxers can do this much better than me. Since then, I’ve been looking through forums as to the best stance which lead to nowhere except bullshit since nobody there could come up with any decent ideas in covering the flaws in each stance and save everyone else the trouble. Back then, I wanted a perfect stance I’d never have to question. Now I want a reliable stance I could use as my bread and butter since I later realized that no stance is perfect. So yeah, it’s been this way with me until I came across your channel, watched a couple of your recommended videos until I felt it was time for me to request this video to be made. This is when the final journey began after watching it. First, I had to go back to searching countless forums of bullshit to find answers I may have overlooked both new and old. Second, I had to watch some videos based on groin strike defenses as well as fighting stances for striking, MMA and self-defense in general. And by the way, Kwonkicker had a nice analysis on square vs bladed in one of his videos. What marked the end of my final journey is when I looked up, “Why does Kickboxing never allow kicks to the legs?”. People there answered that Kickboxing does allow one and that the original poster mistaken that for Taekwondo and its ruleset of never hitting below the belt. So he asks that instead. The final answer was given by a dude who said he once got kicked out of TKD class for throwing low kicks to the sensei during a sparring match after the latter claimed they’re ineffective when asked why those type of kicks aren’t allowed. The dude was just saying how the TKD folks there are too butthurt to admit leg kicks works on them and that their fighting stance sucks for defending leg kicks compared to the fighting stance of Kickboxing which is designed to defend against those. So I looked up that fighting stance and that was the end of it. My conclusion now is that all the fighting stances work depending on what kind of combat you’re engaging in and if it has rules in it or not in terms of fighting techniques. If you were to specifically ask me for my opinion in self-defense, I’d say the neutral stance (how you stand normally with hands up), the MMA stance and even the wrestling stance (with hands up) are most viable in this context. Why the neutral stance? Well that’s the stance we all start out with during the initial moments of a self-defense altercation which is something Krav Maga teaches from. Why the MMA stance? It’s to give you your striking base when you need to attack or defend. Also, how the hell are you going to use a bladed/side-on stance if you’re exposed to multiple attacker situations and that your back is facing one of them for them to exploit? Even if you could argue/justify using the lead side to attack them or protecting your vital targets, think of it as this way. If you’re facing two attackers in front of you and you had to pick between a square or bladed fighting stance, which one do you think is more safer? That’s for you to think about. Why the wrestling stance? Imagine fighting on solid ice or on a floor spilled with any form of liquid. Can you throw even a single kick without slipping on the ground giving your opponent an advantage? The only strikes available to you in that stance are punches and nothing else. The targets are either the head, solar plexus or the groin depending on how they stand. If you were to ask me which stance I personally prefer, it would be the square stance since I feel better attacking and defending with both sides. What? I’m ‘presenting too many targets’? Sorry chum, but boards don’t hit back. You’d think you have an advantage when you fail to realize the offensive potential behind square stances vs. your bladed stances. Sure my groin and upper body is exposed but so is your back and leg. Another reason I prefer it is because I find that nearly any art that involves low-kicks to the body always teaches the square stance as the default fighting stance for throwing and defending leg kicks. While I advocate for this, does this mean the bladed/side-on stance sucks for fighting in general? No! Absolutely not. There are fighters who successfully made use of those such as Stephen Thompson, Conor McGregor etc. However, I feel that in order for one to make good use of that type of stance, it requires a good amount of training and an elite level of fighting skill to pull it off while being aware of leg kicks and takedowns. I also feel that such a stance is made for one-on-one combat. Speaking of takedowns, I recently saw a video of Wonderboy teaching how to defend a takedown from his bladed stance by framing during my final journey. So I guess that covers the last hole in this stance. Based on this video, if I were to run my own classes and teach whatever I want, I’d make sure to teach them all the fighting stances especially the bladed/side-on one so that their game is lacking as few flaws as possible. So now that this has been put to rest at least for me, does this mean that I don’t have to look anymore for fighting stances? Maybe. The only thing I’m curious now is the potential of the bladed/side-on stance so that I may have an excuse to use it in one situation besides the emphasis on the lead side, protection of the groin and other targets, and the itchy tendency to pull off bullshit spinning kicks that are of Muay Taekwondo ninja-like nature. Finally, if you have read this far, I hope you enjoyed it and that one of you learned something out of it whether or not any of you were like me when I had to undergo this perilous journey of getting past the ignorance martial artists have left behind as well as the Indiana Jones-like ancient booby traps before meeting this old sage virgin master who meditated in the summit for 100 years by levitating in the sky. Okay, those two last parts aren’t true lol. If anyone has anything to say about this especially the bladed/side-on stance, I’d like to hear about it in the comment section. And again, thanks a lot for this video Mike. You have obtained my eternal respect as I said before. This very long comment here is my way of repaying you. If you like this comment, you may pin it if you want so other people can see it.

[@ghs5216]

🏆 for the longest reply in youtube history

[@joeofdoom]

Yeah having a good mix is important def helps keep things from being too predictable.