squatting

[Gints Klimanis]

Hello,

How much time do you spend or instruct your students to  spend in the horse stance or "squat"?  This is a traditional and popular training stance employed to apparently strengthen legs.  I've endured/enjoyed countless Basics sessions of hand techniques practiced from the Squat.  Most of these sessions last in the 15-20 minute range, so that basic punches and kicks fit into a 45 minute time slot.

So, I'd like to poll for your opinion:

How long do you ask your students to hold a squat?

Is this your primary method to build leg strength?
 
Does the squat produce the results you expect?


I'm hoping this will lead to a discussion on martial arts-specific training methods for building leg strength.  I've been experimenting with a number
of training methods in this area, mostly inspired by reading about athletic
training.

Regards,

Gints

[D-Man]

From my experience this builds more spirit and resiliency than leg strength, but leg strength is acquired through the stance.  I think alot of the strength delevoped in the stance is from learning correct structure and gaining more indurance in the legs.

One of the drills that we practice sometimes is simply free standing squats with a "twist."  Start with feet shoulder width apart, then squat down, letting the heels come off of the ground and keeping the knees behind the toes.  Just go down as far as you can.  On the way up, swing arms from ground up and foreward to reach the cealing.  When you come up (explosively) come to your tippy toes.  Repeat.  In summary, this is jumping (almost) all the way up from a crouching position.  A more advanced modification would be: instead of coming straight up, step out with one leg (kind of like a lunge) and then step back to origional position.  Be careful of the knees!

We also start from the ground with feet shoulderwidth apart, heels off the ground, then step up in a guard stance and front kick.  This is basically a one-legged-squat with a front kick.

Jumping rope is always nice too.

[guarded]

A great exersize we do is the stance set. Start in a low right foot forward stance(most of the weight is on the right leg.  Then slide up into right foot T-stance.  Then slide R. foot back into a twisted horse.  Then rotate into horse stance.  Then drop horse with left leg forward.  Then shift into Left foot forward stance and do it again with the left side.  Doing these slowly with a good low stance and straight upper body really strengthens those muscles and tendons as well.  

[envisiontj]

D-Man -

My Students and I do a similar exercise to what you explained.

We start by standing with the feet shoulderwidth apart.  Then do one of two things - either squat down as far as possible (preferably in the "bucket") or "free fall" down as far as possible - in these exercises the whole foot stays on the floor, not heels up.  While doing this, you are holding a 8 or 16 pound medicine ball (8 pound for those just beginning or having too much trouble with the 16).  When Standing you are holding the medicine ball against your stomach - while going down you "shoot" the medicine ball forward so that when in squatted position the ball is directly extending in front of you.

Then you "shoot" back up as explosively as possibly while bringing the medicine ball back in.  The time down varies - I call it out and we vary from down-up to holding while down then explode when I call "up".

Before we begin this exercise, we stand in a good low horse stance while holding the medicine ball in various positions - above head, straight in front, or overhead presses with the ball.

For stronger students we also do horse stances while holding a large heavy bag over head and doing presses - might as well work the arms and legs at once

Those are just a few of the things we do.

Kajukenbo Forever!!

[Sifu Sin Bin]

I came up throgh the years squatting. I think it is one of the most fundamental excercises that is overlooked in today's training. I am so glad to hear that other people still believe in it. I have no doubt that it creates leg strength and discipline. We do  nothing fanct with the horse position, I require my students to get in the correct stance and hold it there until I say so. It is amazing how many people are sweating and out of breath just from standing still

[Sifu Terry McBride]

We also spend a lot of time in a horse stance for the reasons mentioned below.  To work the legs another one I really like is the rope.  We hang a rope across the mat, about 50 feet in length at about 4 or 4 1/2 feet up.
Then we put together combinations, strikes, kicks, blocks, cross under the rope, using your legs, not your back, keeping your hands up to protect your face, come up on the other side do the same combination but with opposite hands and feet.

Go up the length of the mat 10 or 12 times and you've got a sweat going.  You can use your imagination on the combinations.

[Sifu Sin Bin]

Very nice to hear from you Sifu Mcbride. For those of you who havn't met Terry, she is an original kaju bad girl

[Mell]

We run the same type of stance drill as "Guarded" does though in a slightly different order.  I find it especially useful when the kids start to goof off in class.  Nothing like a little quite time doing stances.