Weight distribution!

[Jamoke]

Lets hear it from you pro's! lets hear what your weight distribution should be in any fighting situation.

percentages on front & rear legs, what types of stances have what weight distributions.

empty stance aka cat stance, forward leaning, bow stance, reverse bow stance, horse, sidewards horse, t-stance..fighting stances.

what factor does your hand play?

[BigRod]

Your weight distrution will change numerous times during the fight, depending on your position, and the immediate circumstance. The key thing is to always maintain your balance.

But to play along, it will depend on your fighting style. Are you a kicker? If so, do you deliver kicks from the front or back leg? A boxer? Then you probably want a 50/50 ratio.

I could go on, but I wont.

[Jamoke]

go on rod, it sounds good so far.

[Dr_Santo]

In my experience:

Wheight should be equal in both feet, that means 50% 50%.
In wing chun for example they use 80% in the back leg and 20% in the front leg to lift the front leg faster and kick low.
I use 50%, 50% because i think that if you're rooted to the ground, you wont be able to move.

Stance; the best is using your shoulders as mesure. Although it also has to do with your wheight and height. Less wheight means you have to stretch your legs more and viceversa. That is to avoid falling and to use full strenght in every kick and punch. But don't "overstretch".
The front leg should be a little outside of your "Central Line" and so should be the back leg. (If you use a straight line to put your feet on, you'll fall on either side).

Hand; always keep it up. Using the "hand-feet" (Left foot in front-Left hand in front) its better. Mantain a hand farther from your body to intercept and keep the distance (like a boxers jab) and the other hand closer to you to defend whatever you miss with the far hand.
Never leave the guard down, unless you are really good and experienced.

DONT JUMP. Jumping uses a lot of effort. Also don't dance when you're going to start a fight. You must have a rythm insed of you to fight with, but if you show it you'll loose. Great fighters first start with "feetdance" and then you wont see them move much, unless they're kicking Azz.

There's more but i got tired of writing hah, i hope that helps.

[BigRod]

To be more detailed, if you like to kick with the lead leg, you need abut 75-80% of the weight on the back leg.

A back leg kicker is probably going to want 50/50.

I imagine a striker/boxer would almost always want a 50/50 distribution.
Ocassionally I lean forward (head past my feet) to create the illusion of being closer to my opponent than I really am. In those cases I have probably 75-80% of my weight on the frontleg. When my opponent lashes out, I sway back to counter with a kick (front leg), in which case my weight distribution immediately changes to about 90% on my back leg. Other times I sway back just enough to avoid the blow, and then move in to counter. In that scenario my weight distribution goes to about 50/50.

[BigRod]

"Also don't dance when you're going to start a fight. "

I agree with the concept of not "dancing", but it's good to be in motion because of 2 things: speed and explosiveness. Not to mention it's much easier to disguise your movements when you're not standing still. Being flat-footed and still is generally bad.

[Xuanlong Xian]

I dunno about western boxing, but 50-50 weighting is considered inefficient in IMA. Before you can move in any direction, you have to weight one leg to push off of.

[BigRod]

What's IMA? And why would 50/50 be considered inefficient?

And yes, you do push off from one leg, but when motion is involved the change in weight distribution is transitional and temporary. In a fight you should almost never be standing still, so your weight distribution will be constantly changing.

[Punisher]

IMA- Indonesian Martial Arts

The common thing I have heard against 50/50 is in order to do anything you must shift your weight first.

I agree, but it allows you the most options. It may take more time but if your weight distribution is anything else you better hope whatever it is works for whatever your opponent is about to do.

BigRod has the best answer, your weight distribution should be whatever is best for any given situtation. Transfering between different weight distributions necessiates going through the middle so I spend most of my time is a balanced 50/50 fighting stance, shifting when needed.

<marquee>Dragon , Snake , Tiger , Leopard , Crane. R.M.F.A.F.T.A.T.! </marquee>

Edited by - Punisher on July 11 2003 17:38:38

[mikus]

No, IMA = Internal Martial Arts (at least what XX is referring to).

"Winona Ryder? Going inside her." - MC Paul Barman

[Deadpan Scientist]

All the weight is where deus ex machina is standing!

[BlackBeltNow]

ur cneter of gravity hsould be in ur hips. If its not then u must be doing a retarded BS stance.

if you wanna pick someone up, you lower ur COG under theirs, and lift, so theres as little torque as possible.

if you wanna push kick, lean w/ ur hips.

When you turn attack, like a punch or round kick, just don't fall...keep ur COG still or moving steadily (like if ur charging at him)

Do Be Open-minded
Don't Be Gullible
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Aromatic Mornings, by BBN

Every morning I dream of Benzenes...
Those wonderful
planar
conjugated
1-3-5-cyclohexatrienes.

[gong sau]

This is crap. If you commit yourself to one weighting during a fight, you will lose. I find the whole idea of fixed weighting laughable. For instance, BigRod mentions that if you want to kick with the front leg, most of your weight should be on the back leg. Bullshit. This is highly dependant on what type of kick you are throwing. Weighting is totally and completely dynamic, and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot. Trying to define a specific weighting in which one should fight is moronic. Defining weighting according to the desired result, taking into account the technique being performed is the only thing that makes sense, and it is generally more complex than anything that can be defined in a single post.

Flame on.

[Punisher]

No, IMA = Internal Martial Arts (at least what XX is referring to).

I guess XX should answer since I've seen both acronyms, although give his background I think you're right.

I don't even really know what the hell an "internal" martial art is.

<marquee>Dragon , Snake , Tiger , Leopard , Crane. R.M.F.A.F.T.A.T.! </marquee>

[deus ex machina]

All the weight is where deus ex machina is standing!

You son of a bitch, it's on!

~
danny

"That baby better watch his mouth. I rape kids like him as part of my warm-up for raping teenagers, grown men, and eventually charging rhinos." - Boyd

[Nihilanthic]

Sorry dude, but men have a center of gravity in their chest. Its physical anatomical fact, not something you can change. Women have theirs in their hips...

<Me> John, what do you know about Zen Buddhism? <John> *smacks me*
<John> I'd have to smack you sometime...