The guard stances in 6DKF

In 6DKF there are no single / fixed guard stance. Positions are several (moving, standing, on the ground, etc.) and change depending on:

• The practitioner (aptitudes, defects, etc.)
• The Environment (soil, freedom in movement, etc.)
• The situation (danger level, type of aggression, etc.)
• The opponents (the difference in height, style, etc.)

To help of the practitioner, there are some general concepts (to be adapted / customized) to manage the choose of our stances; before getting into the specifics of each of the positions we have to focus on some important ideas to think about:

• More our guard protects delicate parts (face, genitals, neck. etc.) the better it is
• More our guard allows us to choose whether to grab or hit the better it is
• More our guard allows us to use feints, favorite techniques, and / or the more effective ones the better it is
• More our guard allows us to provide a target-bait to our opponents the better it is
• More our guard allows us to avoid direct confrontation force against force the better it is
• More our guard gives us stability, grounding and balance the better it is
• More our guard gives us possibility of omnidirectional movement the better it is
• More our guard gives us ability to connect contemporaries / in sequence shots the better it is
• More our guard prevents us from being closed / blocked / seized the better it is
• More our guard is charging (or illudes of charging) one or more shots the better it is
• More our guard makes us feel at ease (mentally and physically) the better it is

About guards we must understand that:

• We’re not all the same, every body has its own peculiarities (flaws, strengths, temporary limitations, etc.)
• There is no guard stance who is always good and in every occasion, each has pros and cons to assess instinctively during the clash; the best thing to do is to continue to change in relation to the dynamics of the struggle in a spontaneous / natural way
• In a given situation the “perfect” guard is not the one that allows us (potentially) to do anything, but the one that allows us to do what we really need, to do what is effective against opponents we face and, above all, to do what we can do better

To summarize: the more the guard we choose is convenient for us and answers to our basic needs, the better it is. Potentially we can have infinite different guards because each basic stance has to be accustomed in relation to the multitude of possible combat situations.

In future articles we will see what are the variables that bind to the specific choice of the guard and the basic 6DKF’s guards.

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

Twitter Facebook

How to master 6 Dragons Kung Fu?

Are you searching for:

• Daily training exercises?
• Synthetic theory and concepts?
• A step by step path from white to black belt?
• A path (clear, consequential and gradual) designed to build real martial skills?
• A direct contact with Master Kongling?

Go to our Patreon page and choose a training plan: starting from the Practitioner level, you will gain access to all this and much more.

Inside each Premium Lesson, you will receive the same teaching (practices, tips, concepts, small secrets and corrections) reserved to the live students of Master Kongling.

Important - Once a certain number of registrations are reached, no other participants can be accepted. For more information write to: [email protected].

You may also like:

Learn Kung Fu online: beginner to expert course

How to do sparring

Self-defense: how to defend against knife attack

Drastically improve striking: 15 simple tips

Life and martial arts: a relentless pursuit

Martial arts, combat range: control time & space

How to kick (simple explanation)

Follow the White-to-Black Belt Course (25$ / month):