The best Stance is the one the ADAPTS

The Pen and Sword Journal - Vol 76

"The best stance is the one that adapts."

-Attributed to Hironori Ōtsuka

Hironori Ōtsuka, founder of Wado-Ryu Karate, and these words truly reflect one of the fundamental qualities needed to master something. That is Flexibility/Adaptation. Or, is it vice versa, because you master the art, that you become flexible? 🤔 Let me know your thoughts about this.

Moving on. One thing I can share from personal experience, is that the more one experiences in any art and science, including martial arts, the more they cultivate a balance between discipline and flexibility.

Surely, for many beginners, stances are solid frameworks. At first, repetition is necessary to build muscle memory, balance, and structure. You drill stances, steps, and techniques until they become second nature.

For example, when one starts kickboxing, they learn the typical tight guard, rear arm protecting the chin, lead arm up, elbows tucked in, feet a bit wider than shoulder width, and so on.

However, in the long run, martial arts are not about rigidly memorizing techniques and stance, but about understanding them. True mastery begins when you stop simply copying and start adapting.

Adapting to what? To your physiological structure (body structure), personality, which in turn affects your preferred fighter style. A stance, like a tool, is only as effective as the intent behind it.

Another example, after a while as you "install” into your muscle memory the typical kickboxing guard, perhaps you find the need to modify it a bit, because you might be tall and have longer limbs, you need to losen and open your guard a bit. This is done in order to put to use your limbs for keep your opponent at a distance, at for moving more freely.

Also, in karate, stances seves as a kind of frameworks. Like zenkutsu-dachi (front stance) for power, neko-ashi-dachi (cat stance) for agility. But, once again, mastery lies not in clinging to these forms but in transcending them.

Beyond Imitation

Therefore, at first is ok to imitate and repeat - always if it makes sense, because if someone asks you to stay of a crane pose all the time to fight someone, it’s logical that it will be ineffective, and you will get beaten up 😂- so you can build the right fundamentals.

But, like a building structure isn’t meant to be just a foundation, so is the arsenal of your style. Stagnation occurs when mimicry replaces understanding. Think about the Muay Thai stance: the squared posture and raised guard build balance and readiness. But more importantly, it teaches rooting for absorbing impact and striking back with power. Once mastered, a fighter can adapt, widening their stance for stability on a slippery surface or shifting weight to block a kick and counter with a sharp elbow.

The stance’s grounded hips and slight knee bend teach fighters to "sit" on strikes, channeling force through the legs and core. This mirrors the structural integrity of kiba-dachi but adapts dynamically to strikes, clinches, and sweeps.

On uneven terrain (like muddy outdoor rings), narrowing the stance or angling the body preserves balance. Against a grappler, blending the Muay Thai stance with sprawls or level changes bridges striking and wrestling.

A psychological analogy of the Stance that Adapts

Some instances that comes into my mind:

🔹 Anchoring Bias as the "First Impression Lever".

Anchoring Bias refers to the human tendency to rely heavily on the first piece of information offered (the "anchor") when making decisions.

In negotiations, the initial offer acts as a psychological anchor, shaping the entire dialogue. By strategically setting a strong but reasonable anchor, you frame the negotiation’s boundaries. For example, starting with a higher salary request in a job negotiation can make subsequent counteroffers gravitate toward that figure. This leverages the brain’s reliance on initial data points, as the brain tends to rely on the first number, like a ship following its initial course.

🔹 Confirmation Bias as the "Audience Lens"

Confirmation bias means favoring information that supports existing beliefs and ignoring evidence that disagrees with them.

In debates, arguments are stronger when they align with the audience's beliefs. For example, when talking to fiscally conservative groups about climate action, present it as a way to save money, like using renewable energy to cut costs, rather than focusing on moral reasons. This approach shapes your message to fit their perspective, making it more effective.

If it was for me, the environmental resons would be enough, because I’m a bit of environmenalist. And one of my dreams is investing money and resources in that direction. But that is a topic for another article.

I’ve noticed that, in many places, financial arguments are more convincing than environmental ones. To succeed in the short term, one can focus on the financial benefits while gradually encouraging a mindset of responsibility toward nature.

🔹 Emotional Intelligence as the "Team Thermostat".

Emotional intelligence (EQ) involves recognizing and managing emotions in oneself and others. A leader with high EQ acts as a thermostat, regulating the emotional climate of a team. For example, during a crisis, a leader might acknowledge stress (validating emotions) while refocusing the team on actionable goals (redirecting energy). Like a thermostat adjusting a room’s temperature, this balances morale and productivity, ensuring the environment remains conducive to collaboration and innovation.

From my personal experience, all these analogies transform abstract psychological concepts into actionable strategies, bridging theory and practice.

Adaptability and Mushin

Adaptability thrives in Mushin (無心), a state of “no-mind” where action arises intuitively. Here, stances dissolve into motion. An experienced practitioner in martial arts or in other crafts and skills, doesn’t “choose” a stance; they become it, responding to threats without hesitation. This is the pinnacle of mastery: technique and intuitive spontaneity unified.

And this is so fascinating, because it gives birth to countless techniques, movements, strategies, individual styles, which makes interactions and competitions waay more interesting. The more variety in competition, the more we are challenged to evolve.

History warns of styles that fossilize. In a dynamic society and cosmos, every art and style must constantly evolve in form -even though principles in essence remain the same- or it is destined to perish.

Essence of principle: A guard should enble you to protest vital points, stay balanced, move as it is needed, and prepare you for offense.

Form of implentation: Adapt depending on one’s body structure, the opponent’s body structure. One’s personality and fighter style, and that of the opponent’s, terrain, space, etc.

Essence is Intellect. Implementation is Form.

Both reflect different types of intelligence.

Both should be cultivated.

Both should be combined, like a yin-yang.

To conclude

In life, as in combat, adaptability is resilience. A stance that adapts is a mind that learns, a spirit that remains unbroken by change. To practice this is to not stagnate into a relic, but to become a living art and science, a living force of nature.

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For those who know me well, you’re aware that I’m currently juggling two jobs. I kindly ask for your understanding and patience. Rest assured, I haven’t abandoned this series and will do my very best to bring it to you as soon as possible. Thank you for your support!

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