TAE KWON DO STANCES
Stances are the foundations or basic building blocks of Tae Kwon Do. All the kicks, blocks and strikes are launched from a stance. The stance will depend on the situation, defence, counter technique, direction of motion etc. If the stance is not correct and strong then the technique will become weak and pointless.


Attention Stance Attention Stance - Charyot Seogi
Feet should be touching, hands down by your sides.
All Taekwondo begins and finishes with the attention (Charyot) postion and corresponding bow (Kyungye). These two words are probably the first Korean terminology you will hear in any Taekwondo Class.


Ready Stance Junbi Stance - Ready Seogi
Feet should be aboutshoulder width apart, arms bent in front of body with hands around belt height.
"Junbi" means ready and is usually used before any practice, including patterns, begins or when the teacher requires your attention. It is often used to stop a practice when required. "Junbi" is possibly the frequently used word in Taekwondo.


Horseriding Stance Horse Riding Stance - Joochom Seogi
Feet should be wider apart than shoulders, knees bent slightly inwards with feet pointing forward.
This is the strongest stance in Taekwondo and a good platform to practice basic hand techniques from. Often the first basic practice in every class uses this stance.


Walking Stance Walking Stance - Ap Seogi
Feet should be shoulder width apart, distance like normal walking step distance. Weight distribution is 50-50. Body is face on.
Walking stance is the most basic moving stance in Taekwondo. All techniques including kicks can be performed from this stance and it is also used extensively inside the Taekwondo patterns.


Front Stance Front Stance - Ap Kubi Seogi
Feet should be shoulder width apart. This stance is a long stance with the front leg bent and back leg locked straight with the weight distribution of 60% on the front and 40% on the back. Body is face on.
Front Stance is a confident, attacking stance often used to launch striking techniques.


Back Stance Back Stance - Dwit Kubi Seogi
Feet are "L" shaped on the same line, sitting on the back bent leg to give a weight distribution of 30% at the front and 70% at the back. Body is side on
This is the fundamental defensive stance of Taekwondo. Most blocks are made from this stance and it is also easy to move backwards while in this stance.


Fighting Stance Fighting Stance - Kyerugi Seogi
Feet should be on same line about 1.5 shoulderwidths in length, toes forward facing at around 45 degrees. Body is side on and weight distribution is usually 50-50.
This is the fighting / sport / kicking stance of Taekwondo. It is relaxed, light of foot and manoeuvrable.


Cat Stance Cat Stance - Beom Seogi
Sit on the back leg with front leg pulled close to rear leg and on tiptoe. Body is face on and weight distribution is around 90% on the rear and only 10% on the front enabling fast lifting of the front leg.
Cat Stance is an extreme close quarter defensive stance where almost all weight is on the back leg leaveing the front leg light and fast.


Cross Stance Cross Stance - Goa Seogi
Sometimes called X-stance, feet are crossed with the back leg coming behind the front leg.
This is a transient stance often used to move between stances. It can also be used for striking and to gain momentum for kicking.


TOP