Shotokan Karate is one of the most significant karate styles in the world; so many styles are derived from this system, and thus are tainted with some very incorrect concepts. Thus, whether you study Shito ryu, Isshin Ryu, Kyokushinkai, or any style that utilizes the Heian kata, you probably are making the errors I am detailing in this article. It doesn't mean your karate stance is a disaster, it just means if you make a couple of adjustments you can improve it.
A proper karate stance should be a perfect mix between mobility and solidity. Mobiity is when one can launch their body quickly. Solidity is when one can grip the ground with their feet and not be moved.
In the Shotokan kokutsu dachi stance, however, the ability to be mobile or solid has been compromised. If you study the feet you will see that they are pointing in directions that are more than ninety degrees apart. This means the stance can't make up its mind whether it is supposed to be mobile or solid.
If the rear foot is pointing away from the target the major muscles are pointing away from the target. The foot being in the wrong position means that there is not going to be enough traction for the push. The leg being pointed away from the target means that the major thrusting muscles of the leg can't be properly employed.
in addition, the hips won't be facing the right way, and when one pushes with the leg there will be an 'energy leak,' in the body. That is to say that the hips will not be strong enough to maintain the energy of the push. This can be severe enough to weaken the back, and even (in rare cases) lead to damage to the lower back.
To fix this the footwork all one needs to do is turn the rear foot to about 45 degrees or less towards the direction of the push. This will position the foot for proper traction, and set up the major muscles for the launch of the body. Of course, this is going to alter the essential nature of the stance.
Thus, when you turn the foot correctly, you are going to have to figure out the proper angle of the hips, and set the weight more on the rear leg. Doing this will prepare the body for maximum push, but shotokan instructors will resist this alignment of the body for a simple reason: it lacks the feel of shotokan power. But this merely proves that the system has been corrupted for the feeling and sake of power, and not for the balance between sinking the weight and launching the body.
To deal with this, Shotokan masters have made the style specific to rely on overly aggressive front stances. What they have done is okay, but only in special situations, and the proof is in the fact that the back stance is more for holding the ground than for launching the body. Thus, there is a decision to be made, do what you are told in Shotokan Karate classes, or other classical martial arts styles, or estimate the validity of the physics I have presented here and change your stance to match these physics.
The difference between art and slop in shotokan karate is in the physics. If you want to learn The Correct Physics of shotokan karate drop by Monster Martial Arts.
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