Fighting Stance and Footwork Playbook: Feet First, Shape Second
Mat Manual companion guide to "Copying the Olympic Stance Too Early." Print it. The article explains why the copied shape fails. This book builds the real thing: a measured beginner stance, footwork libraries by job, ch…
| Art | Taekwondo |
|---|---|
| Family | Korean Arts |
| Level | beginner |
| Format | playbook |
| Topics | sparring, fundamentals, training-plans |
Mat Manual companion guide to "Copying the Olympic Stance Too Early." Print it. The article explains why the copied shape fails. This book builds the real thing: a measured beginner stance, footwork libraries by job, checking foundations, bounce control for when it is earned, context tables for every room you train in, and eight weeks of sessions.
Name: ______________________________ School: ______________________________ Lead side: L / R Block start: ______________
SAFETY, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE ☐ All sparring application in this book runs under your school's contact rules, with full protective equipment: mouthguard, trunk protector where your system uses one, shin and instep guards, forearm guards, groin protection, headguard where required. Stance experiments never reduce equipment. ☐ Checking drills (Part 6) begin against kicks at 50 percent speed and agreed power. A check practiced against full-power kicks by a beginner is an injury with a lesson plan attached. ☐ Footwork volume is joint volume. Ladder and step drills stop when ankles or knees complain, and pain that lasts past the session reduces the next session's footwork dose and gets reported to the instructor. ☐ The bounce is a loaded spring near other people's feet. Bounce and step work in lines keeps a full stance-length of spacing until the coach closes it. ☐ Any drill in this book can be slowed down by either partner at any time. Shape first, speed when the shape survives it.
Part 1: The Beginner Fighting Stance, Measured
Build it on the floor, with tape if you have it. Your system's numbers govern; these are the common teaching measures this book's drills assume.
| Element | The standard | How to check it |
|---|---|---|
| Angle | Body turned roughly 45 degrees from square-on — half-bladed, not fully side-on | Partner facing you sees your chest at an angle, both shoulders visible |
| Length | Lead foot to rear foot: about one natural walking step, roughly shoulder-width-and-a-half | Tape marks; the same marks every session for the first month |
| Width | Feet offset sideways enough that a line from the lead heel passes beside, not through, the rear heel | Look down: two rails, not one tightrope |
| Weight | Close to even, ball of each foot alive, heels light but grounded | Partner's gentle push from any side is absorbed without a step of rescue |
| Knees | Soft bend in both; the lead knee points where the lead toes point | Mirror check; knees caved inward fail |
| Hands | Lead hand forward at chest height, able to punch without a wind-up; rear hand at the cheek or jaw | Partner holds a pad at punch range: the lead hand reaches it with a short step or none |
| Chin and eyes | Chin down, eyes on the partner's chest and shoulders, not their feet | Coach's call: name what the partner's hands just did, without looking down |
| Bounce | Optional at this stage; steps are mandatory (Part 4) | You can glide in all four directions and land in this exact shape |
The option test (the stance's report card). From the stance, on a partner's random call, produce any of: lead-leg check, lead-leg kick, rear-leg kick, lead-hand punch, step back at an angle. All five must be available within one beat, without a preliminary shuffle that rebuilds the stance first. Score /5 in Part 11's tracker weekly. A stance that scores 5 is doing its job whatever it looks like; a stance that scores 2 is a photograph.
Fighting Stance and Footwork Playbook: Feet First, Shape Second
Mat Manual companion guide to "Copying the Olympic Stance Too Early." Print it. The article explains why the copied shape fails. This book builds the real thing: a measured beginner stance, footwork libraries by job, checking foundations, bounce control for when it is earned, context tables for every room you train in, and eight weeks of sessions.
What's Inside
- Part 1: The Beginner Fighting Stance, Measured
- Part 2: Stance Faults and Their Costs
- Part 3: The Four Rooms — Stance by Context
- Part 4: Footwork Library One — Steps
- Part 5: Footwork Library Two — Direction Changes
- Part 6: Checking and the Defensive Lead Leg
- …and 23 more sections
The full guide is a paid Mat Manual product. Checkout is not connected yet — no payment is taken on this page.
Free companion article: Copying the Olympic Stance Too Early — the full article, free in full.
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