Back stance

Kōkutsu dachi (literally: “rear-bend stance”), or a back stance, is the complement to front stance. Unlike other karate styles, Goshin-Jutsu does not use “one-line” back stances; the foot positioning is exactly the same as a front stance; only the weight distribution changes.

[photo of back stance from the front and side.]

In a back stance, 70% of your bodyweight is on your rear leg. The front leg is straight, but the front knee is not locked. Locking the knee makes you automatically slower, by adding the extra step of unlocking your knee prior to movement. Also, a locked front knee renders you vulnerable to leg sweeps.

[photo of locked knee in back stance from the front and side. with a red X, and a proper knee. from the front and side with a green checkmark.]

The rear leg is compressed, like a spring. This feels wildly uncomfortable at first; the quadriceps will burn -- and if not, then sink lower. This tension is critical, because this is what gives karate techniques their power. Shifting from a back stance into a front stance adds the power of your legs to all of your hand techniques. You punch with your legs -- which might sound weird -- but the video below will make this clear:

[video of punching a pad from a front stance with just arm strength, and again with proper shifting (viewed from the side).]

Shifting into a back stance also has defensive applications. By shifting from a front stance to a back stance, a normally-proportioned person can move their upper body one hip-width (~18”, ~45 cm) without moving their feet. An experienced karateka can use this to move to safer positions (like a boxer’s slip), or to force a committed opponent to compromise their balance by overextending themselves.

[video (side view) of shifting back to avoid a punch. Follow with a video of a second punch, where the defender shifts back as the opponent punches, and the opponent keeps driving forward, into a crappy stance, where he gets destroyed.]

Finally, please note that the Goshin-Jutsu stance naming convention differs from other karate styles. In Goshin-Jutsu, the term “right stance” and “left stance” indicates where the majority of the body weight resides, and not which leg is forward. So, if you were in a left front stance, then your left leg is forward; shifting your hips back ends in a right back stance, since the weight now bears down on the right leg.

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