I saw this posted on another forum, but no Bak Mei people there so I thought Id bring it over here!


Ma Bo – Stance
A detailed analysis about the form and function of stances
Written by Siu Ting Fun 蕭挺勳 (Xiao Ting Xun)

The stance, this is the most important fundamental when training kung fu. Each type of hand technique, whether a block or strike, has a different requirement for and from the action of the stance that is somewhat different, and the effects are not alike.

Many martial artists today work hard to develop a strong firm stance, training it to maintain secure when delivering and receiving force. The stance however is not simply a static posture with stepping transitions; the stance should be lively, with many active functions and purposes. We thus distinguish between sei ma (dead stance) and woot ma (live stance). It is said that a novice will judge your hands, but a master will judge your stance! This is not about styles nor is it about internal vs external, but rather stages of development and ability in kung fu. It is thus the point of this discussion to explain the live characteristics, or “methods of activation” of the static postures.

The stances utilized in short striking techniques include:

• ngoi keem yeung ma – outer engaging yang stance
• loi keem yeung ma – inner engaging yang stance
• yi ji keem yeung ma – two toe engaging yang stance
• saam gok keem yeung ma – triangle engaging yang stance
• diu tai ma – hanging leg stance
• daan dip ma – single butterfly stance
• seung dip ma – double butterfly stance
• etc.

The focus of this discussion will be on the keem yeung ma which may be translated as “engaging yang stance”. Keem means “to clamp” or “to grip”, and yeung is Cantonese for yang as in yinyang. The meaning of this name and its purpose will be discussed.

A brief introduction and explanation of the 4 primary stances

外鉗陽馬 Ngoi Keem Yeung Ma - “outer engaging yang stance”
Start from the “but ding but baat” stance, which is the name of the static posture prior to activation. In this stance, the lead foot is turned slightly inward, and rear foot is open at 45 degrees, with the body’s weight distributed somewhat equally on both legs. The functional component of this stance comes from actively spiraling both knees outward pushing away from each other, which is accompanied by externally rotating, or opening the kua.

The spinal structure in this stance maintains a concave chest and convex lumbar with a sunken abdomen. This posture of the torso is known as hum hung but bui suk tou. The “outer engaging yang stance” makes it possible to use the latent force of the legs and the kua due to the active outwardly directed rotation, which triggers the muscles and tendons to engage and build potential.

內鉗陽馬 Loi Keem Yeung Ma - “inner engaging yang stance”
Both legs again open taking a proper but ding but baat stance. Here the action and potential is opposite that of the “outer engaging yang stance” as both knees clamp inward, pushing toward each other, which is accompanied by internally rotating, or closing the kua.

The spinal posture of the “inner engaging yang stance” is opposite that of the “outer engaging yang stance” as the purpose and function is different. The torso remains straight and centered with no inclination to allow the spine to move naturally on the 3 axial planes.

二趾鉗陽馬 Yi Ji Keem Yeung Ma - “two toe engaging yang stance”
This stance is formed by spreading both legs open to roughly twice shoulder width. In this posture the first and second toes of each foot grip the ground, gently pulling to activate the tendons of the leg. When the inside of the kua or hip joints activate, it establishes a point of pull, which focuses the direction and further strengthens the traction of the tendons. This stance may be referred to and related to the common “side horse stance”.

三角鉗陽馬 Saam Gok Keem Yeung Ma - “triangle engaging yang stance”
This stance is taken by placing both feet on either side of the centerline, then while maintaining the weight over one foot slide the other foot backward into the posture. Once the posture is taken, the ankle joint, knee joint and hip joint extend, straightening the rear leg activating the tendons throughout the length. The lead knee then is turned inward to engage the tendons and activate the kua. It is the tensile strength of the engaged tendons that supports the knee and hip joint that would otherwise be stressed from the torque if the stance were simply passive and relaxed. This stance places a far greater load on the kua, and the difference between this stance and the others is that left and right kua counters each other, a function called twisting the kua. This stance may be referred to and related to the common “bow stance”.

Conclusion
Put simply, the “outer engaging yang stance” is concerned with the muscles and fascia of the outer, lateral aspect of the leg. The “inner engaging yang stance” is concerned with the muscles and fascia of the inner, medial aspect of the leg. The “two-toe engaging yang stance” is concerned with the tendons. The “triangle engaging yang stance” is concerned with the bones and joints. Each type of “engaging yang stance” discussed here is activated by a different function of the kua covering all of its 3 variants (i.e., opening, closing, and twisting). Furthermore, each stance plays its role in the development of the bones and tendons of the legs and waist, actively training and transforming them into functional components that don’t simply hold the posture but dynamically activate the posture as well!

What is keem yeung? It is “the action that gives rise to yang”. Yang (or yeung) here refers to the specific yang components of the human body involved in the stance: the energy of “kidney yang”, “heart yang”, and “liver yang”, the “yang governing vessel”, “yang heel vessel”, and the “greater yang bladder channel”. The training of keem yeung directly involves all of these components. An active focus and training in such manner stimulates the yang channels, causing them to contract. This in turn causes the yin channels to dilate and become unblocked, which brings an equilibrium of yin and yang to the body. Keem, which means “to clamp” or “to grip”, includes the actions of the feet (toes), legs (knees), and hips (kua). These activate the static stance. This action activates the tendons of the posture and engages the yang components of the stance. This is why the stance is called the “engaging yang stance”!

The concepts and explanations discussed here have been carefully researched from a martial and medical standpoint, and from decades of experience and training. When the actions of the stance are free and flowing, the whole body will initiate and become involved. The fundamental training forms of inspired styles are for the explicit purpose of developing the stance and its potential, as any solid structure is built from the ground up.

In conclusion, this article merely represents the personal experience and research of a practitioner who hopes that it may be considered by others and found to be beneficial.

About the author
Siu Ting Fun was born in 1944 in Mei Zhou City of Guangdong Province. He started learning kung fu at the age of five and spent the next 50 years exploring the depths of martial arts and human physiology to reach a profound understanding. He was well trained in kung fu during his lifetime, studying under many masters and specializing in six styles: Bak Mei, Lung Ying, Lei Ga, Hung Ga, Wing Chun, and Taai Gik. He merged all this with his extensive knowledge of Chinese Medicine and his highly refined methods of “tendon changing" to found his own school of martial arts called Ging Do 勁道, meaning the “way of inner power”. The focus of this school is in developmental methods of internal martial power through the transformation of the bones and tendons. A product of many masters and his own talent Siu Ting Fun was elected by his peers as the Grandmaster of the Bak Mei clan in Guangzhou, where he has been an outstanding representative of the style locally and abroad. He has written technical literature on Bak Mei and related internal aspects, and produced highly competent teachers who continue to share his knowledge and methods today.