How to practice horse squat

Nowadays, more and more people pay attention to their own health and like to do some exercise to strengthen their bodies. Then horse stance is a good choice. Most people have heard of the horse stance. When they were in school, teachers often asked students to do the horse stance as a punishment, but many people do not know the correct posture of the horse stance. Some martial arts enthusiasts may be more familiar with the horse stance, because it is considered a basic skill. So we need to fully understand how to practice horse stance, the basic essentials to master in horse stance, and what to pay attention to in horse stance.

Horse stance is an important basic skill in martial arts, and is mainly used to practice lower body skills. There is an ancient saying that "you must squat for three years before practicing boxing", which refers to the horse stance. The key points of horse stance: toes are parallel, the distance between the two feet is about three times the length of your feet, thighs are slightly flat {adjustable height for beginners}, knees are slightly bent, and hands are clasped at the waist or stretched out in a push-up position.

Time for horse stance: wait until your legs feel sore, then gradually increase the time, step by step. Horse stance is the most basic stance in practicing martial arts, hence the sayings “You must stand in a horse stance for three years before you get started” and “You must first learn how to fight before you can start with horse stance”. In the horse stance, the feet are separated slightly wider than the shoulders, and the person is in a half-squatting position. The horse stance gets its name because the posture is like riding a horse and as stable as a pillar. If you do the horse stance well, you can strengthen your kidneys and waist, strengthen your tendons and replenish your qi, regulate your essence, energy and spirit. It will also make your lower body stable, give you good balance, make you less likely to be knocked down, and improve your body's reaction ability. Horse stance is one of the basic skills before practicing martial arts. As the saying goes, "Practicing boxing without practicing skills is a waste of time when you get old", it means that if you only learn the moves in the boxing routines without actually training the gravity and endurance of the muscles of the whole body, it will eventually become a waste of time.

Horse stance is the basic stance training adopted by most Chinese martial arts schools. Some of the very few boxing styles, such as Xingyiquan, also have stance training, such as Santi Shi, but there are some differences in appearance between the stance training of internal and external boxing styles, and both are based on horse stance.

Stand with your legs parallel and open, with a distance of three soles between your feet, then squat down with your toes pointing parallel and forward, not outward. Push your knees outward, but your knees should not go beyond your toes, and your thighs should be parallel to the ground. At the same time, pull your hips forward and inward, without protruding your buttocks. This can make the crotch into an arc shape, commonly known as a round crotch. Keep your chest in and your back straight, don't stick your chest out. Keep your chest flat and your back round. You can put your hands around your chest like you are holding a ball. The head should be pushed upwards with empty and light energy, as if it is suspended by a string.

Generally, you don't need to focus your mind on your Dantian when doing horse stance. With time, the Qi will naturally gather in your Dantian. The single-leg horse stance is a stage of kung fu that can be achieved naturally after mastering the double-leg horse stance, and it is the result of practice. On the other hand, if you don't stand in a horse stance with both feet properly, it is impossible to do a horse stance with one foot. This is the stage of horse stance, which is also the level of kung fu.

There are three stages in horse stance kung fu: standing firmly, standing firmly, and standing in the air. The single-legged horse stance is the stage of standing in the air. What it means is to stand in the standard horse stance, without moving your body but shifting your center of gravity to one foot, while the other foot can be lifted freely.

So it is better to keep your feet on the ground and stand firmly on your feet. You will naturally be able to do it when you improve your skills.

Supplement: You can either stand with your feet shoulder width apart or with your feet three and a half inches apart. The Northern Shaolin's square horse requires four feet apart, while some schools of Southern boxing require a narrow horse (feet as wide as shoulders). The wide horse and narrow horse exercise different parts of the body. In addition, the movements of the narrow horse are relatively difficult, especially the low and narrow horse stance. It is easy to develop problems such as a protruding buttocks and a protruding chest, and it is difficult to perform standard movements. If the movements are wrong, you will certainly not be able to improve your skills, and you may even get hurt. When you first start practicing, you should take big steps, three steps or three and a half steps are more suitable.

Above we mainly explained how to practice the horse stance. If you want to practice it well instead of half-heartedly, then practice the horse stance according to the more standard movements we mentioned. Horse stance is a slow skill, a gradual process that cannot be achieved in a hurry, so you need to have patience and determination. In addition, you must master the timing of horse stance so as not to have a counterproductive effect, otherwise your effort will be wasted.