Static Test #1 (Horse Stance)

[qiankundanuoyi1]

hmm zhan zhuang is for training internal power. Relax your whole body, including ur legs, mentally and emotionally too. Fists at waist but relaxed. Posture must be correct. Mouth is slightly open. Concentrate on your dantien and take low and relaxed breaths. After that you must do Flowing Breeze, Swaying Willows. It's good to do "lifting the sky" 20 times before each horse stance training.

[OrangeD00D]

isnt this music from mario party?

[gimkilo57]

@OrangeD00D or fro SM64

[OrangeD00D]

@gimkilo57 thats the one! thank you!!

[CoreySpringer]

Loving the music man! :-)

[DrumChanel]

Correct me if I'm wrong but in the horse stance, shouldn't your feet be pointing 90 degrees in different directions?

[MrFlyingKicker]

Good work (y) , I tried this thing too and it's useful for kicks

[Kostas93KungFu]

Good efort ...but try to do it correctly cause u may harm ur legs...

very good try though keep it up:)

[leapingfury]

I tried this for about a week and I was able to do a 26 minute horse stance but my legs were trembling and I could feel a powerful energy in my stomach. It's very heroic and also very difficult.

[Samurailord]

@leapingfury 26 minutes in one week? Do you expect anyone to believe that?

[smokinthepot]

@Samurailord he means 26 secs then trembling @ 1 week

[mrkiky]

Holy crap I used to do karate when I was a kid (7-8 years old) and I could hold this for minutes. Just tried it now and couldn't get past a minute.

[erving25]

Your knees are over your feet, so you're doing it wrong

[BadPastGoodFuture]

lol why a soundtrack of browser of mario 64 lol

[PnutButter1986]

@bongobear43 I practice Shotokan Karate and we have the same stance only we call it Kiba Dashi (Iron Horse Stance) I tried to beat your time and only made it to halfway :( Much more training needed on my part

[mzkrevin]

@PnutButter1986 and Kiba Dachi isn't that deep...fortunately! ^^

@bongobear: i tried it and when i go that deep, my upper part of the body goes forward and my ass backward. I guess my hips are not flexible enough!?

[PnutButter1986]

@mzkrevin I tried to force myself upright but it wasn't happening too :) We only go that low in the warm-up and don't worry about keeping the torso upright. Used as more of a stretch to open the hip joints up

[RicorianGuardian]

what an inherently boring video.

[PnutButter1986]

@RicorianGuardian Well you obviously know nothing about martial arts and how hard it is to hold that stance

[backdraft1420]

This is cool i mite try this, I usually do the normal wall sit and i get a workout from the horse stance in wing chun since i do the movement for like 20 minutes. Hey thanks!

[genre926]

ah man. thats still good. i can only go for a minute and at least 40 sec after. its a killer but i can definitely see improvement

[takakonobe]

mario 64 greatest mario ever

[yukteshwar]

Seriously? Why would you waste time putting this production together?

Go train!!!

[MrTimmymontana]

@yukteshwar this is training, showing off is a big help in development

[paddotk]

good mario music!

[chongwkk]

try put ur fist to your waist. your toes pointing straight out

[MrMartialartsfan]

this music brings back memories

[sg04f]

double like

[FLpolo]

horse stand is the hardest and best thing i ever done for my legs(and i know some advanced leg exercises). my legs have never been so strong! i feel like i can root myself in the ground like a tree!i went up to 2 mins before i was barely making 30 secs. im not tryin to be a critic but i think his stance is to wide and feet not pointed inward, but am very sure its still hard.

[dallaskubano214]

looks good try to leave ur feet pointing str8 more and ur back str8

[ponytang84]

hehe has been years since ive practiced kung fu. but as an orange belt i could sit for 2 hours if need be, granted i trained in kempo. Practice, all i can say really. stance is so important!

[qiankundanuoyi1]

how long u can hold now?

[qiankundanuoyi1]

your stance is wrong.

[thexbigxgreen]

I think you could have gone longer than that, I didn't see your legs wobbling :P

Love the music, Super Mario 64 ftw

[NightmareSTD]

dont hold your arms out

[christopherhona]

That's too short. I can do that stance for 30-min. Impressive isn't it.

[bongobear43]

@christopherhona Yes, that is truly amazing. Well done.

[jamaicanveteran92]

@christopherhona make a video showing it

[MrTimmymontana]

@christopherhona your full of shit like all the other zombies, ego is what fuels you zombies.

[kungfuheadband]

@christopherhona No.

[ravinthelightning1]

@christopherhona Well they say the monks can do it for a 30 min. not sure how true it they say you should try to as well

[tgylow]

@ravinthelightning1 I use to practice this ...not as deep... when I was with Y C Wong in San Francisco in the early 70`s In the end I could do it for an hour. Sifu wong told me I would feel my energy move...he was right one day after an hour I felt a current of energy flowing from my shoulder out my forearm and to my fingertips. never felt it again. I left Sifu Wong and joined James Lee in Oakland (Jun Fan/JKD) my coworker was James Lee`s stepson

[MsDumnut]

@christopherhona same, but..."bujutsu is a way of life. It should not be used meerley to impress someone.."

[TrueJew02]

@christopherhona yeah but then doesn't it suck when u wake up??

[Youtiao22]

your knees should be on a vertical alignment with your feet. In here your knees are much too in front of your feet. This is not to say that you didn't do a good job.

[Brutaka921]

This is a great horse stance. But your feet don't look parallel. In a horse stance, your back should be straight, your legs should be bent in a 90 degree angle, and your feet should be straight as if on railroad tracks. Your back is straight and your legs are bent correctly, but your feet are not parellel. But there are many correct ways to do a horse stance, and yours are one of them. Good job!

[qiankundanuoyi1]

I can't seem to hold for very long even though I trained this for a few months. Only able to hold for 2 mins +. Maybe it's my inconsistence in training Oo.

[KungFuChopstick]

Great! ;) using the N64 Mario Sounds! :D great video!

[zenaccident]

i've got 5 minutes for my next test. remember, the legs are strong. the mind is weak. you can manipulate your pain. find your limit and once you've crossed it, it becomes bearable.

[RafisGizatullin]

fthr

[RafisGizatullin]

I can do it for 20min

[kitsune511]

Careful! It looks like your knees are going past your toes. That can be extremely dangerous over time. I practice Kung Fu and i hold horse stance as part of my training (3 min was my max, but since I have been busy I went down to 2 min). I am a student at Duquesne University under the Physician Assistant program so I learned a lot of anatomy. The knees are highly unstable when they are exerted past the distance of the toes. Just be careful and good luck!

[iBankai145]

I can hold it for about 90 seconds and I'm working to get 120 seconds

[edthewave]

Diggin the Nintendo music bro

[Hungfist420]

not correct ...you can give yourself liver and back problems that way...

shorter stance knees never go over feet.

alot of hung gar has to be taught...or you can damage yourself.

[obitolover]

it looked good and im not bragging but im 12 and am able to do 1 for 2:30 by praticeing every day. if he keeps that form and contues to push himself he will become much stronger

[SpiralTrance]

cool video. what's the music you have playing? I recognise it from a video game.

[Dev724]

Even in this incorrect position its still pretty difficult. All you people criticizing probably couldn't hold it for 30 seconds without sweating. On your next video, see if you can give us the front and side view so the commentary you get back is a little more justified. But good job, keep it up.

[warriorfire8103]

@Dev724 What is incorrect. Thank you 

[1877wf]

This is an excellent exercise for developing leg strength and rooting of the body's chi into the ground, however it is often done incorrectly. Correct form is most important. Beginners should not try to go so low at first bcuz the tendons and small muscles of the legs and pelvis aren't so strong or flexible yet. Just a few inches from standing height is good in the beginning then gradually over months(even years) the ligaments and muscles lengthen to allow the full deep stance.Happy training!

[bongobear43]

Thanks for the comment. I do understand that this isn't a good example of a horse stance. This is probably my least favourite video but for some reason it is getting the most views. I'm not sure why..

[ironbuddha1008]

@bongobear43 you can always take it down if you want

[GOG777]

@1877wf That's great advice. Don't forget that a good warmup can mitigate many of the those problems at least for younger more athletic beginners. Have you ever considered posting a vid like this? I'd like to see your take on the stance!

[JKT6]

@1877wf lol does that mean you get taller :S

p.s this stance is hard, and that is low wow!

[MADHater01]

@JKT6 Sure, it was low but his form was not correct. His horse stance was off. His feet looked to be perfectly parallel but his stance was off. Regardless, this is tough stance and very basic stance designed to help coordinate the body. I should seriously upload correct way to do horse stance.

[bloomac]

postions are wrong. feet arnt parallel ...ur knees are over ur feet....and ur butt probably not in

[nkosi8472]

@bloomac thats what i was thinking

[sood2590]

this is soooo painful... i had to hold it for 15 mins...

ouch.

[moyonesa]

pussy 3 minutes and the show me

[Aznhano]

You show us yours first.

[TfwcTest]

That's a horse stance?

It's lower than I thought.

5 stars, you're good!

[Aznhano]

Lower for training purposes and higher for combat purposes.

[TfwcTest]

Ah, makes sense now, thanks for the info.

[CheeseDm0n]

No man, you're doing it wrong. Thighs should be focused. It's the form that matters, not how long.

Also, you need to stay focused, don't look around. Real Kung fu tests your focus.

[Aznhano]

Idk man it seems like different forms has different horse stances.

[MrTimmymontana]

look at my video and see 2.40

keep up the great woork

[vockla]

Did you improve your flexibility with Tom Kurz method?

[bongobear43]

@vockla My flexibility did increase, but not as much as I would have liked it to. To be fair though, I didn't stick to it as long as I should have. I think I spent about 8 weeks doing it.

[RafisGizatullin]

@bongobear43

[qiankundanuoyi1]

@bongobear43 ancient people trained until they can stand for 2 hours.

[MrCarstennielsen]

@bongobear43 Your getting scattered, fragmented in your consious continious praksis, you are beeing occupied mentally about other unimportant stuff. Keep your mind at what you are dooing!

[Crybe]

I've done a bit over three minutes for my green sash test. Effin hard.

[bemmy69]

my friend did this for 3 minutes first time trying but he does a lot of weighted squats so your legs are obviously lagging behind your stronger upper body

[BuGGzFoShO]

whats the song, sounds too familiar

[bongobear43]

It's music from Mario 64. I don't remember what it's called.. It's from the bowser stage though...

[510DAZY]

@bongobear43 This is the stage just before you enter the first fight against Bowser but I unfortunately do not know the name. I do know that it is not 'Bowser in the Dark World' which is the music played during the fight . Either way good choice of music, it has the beat sounds a bit asian themed

[Mrbajan84]

idk what tyle your study, but just a offer of advice from one martial artist to another...try on spreading your legs a little wider then sholders, then squat we do tha in my style and then try to stand up slow its like you doing double the work....longest time i held it perfect form was 1 min 48 sec...and it burns in a good way not the STD way lol

[mcdonaldsfries]

instead of increasing your time increase your form if it hurts more your doing it with better form when you can hold it without it hurting for 30 mins then it is not helping you anymore so iprove your form.

[eurohim]

Only 2 hours 59 minutes and 9 seconds to go.

[dardonZ]

What ya mean?

[eurohim]

Errr to hold horse stance for 3 hours.

[dardonZ]

yea I figured but why lol.. What is that his marker or just an ideal time?

[Wolvenfire86]

HEY! That's the tune from Mario 64! :D The lava place.

[gazzyguns]

LOL AWESOME =D

[Makynash]

LMAO the soundtrack is epic =P held the stance good too ;-D

[TheVampirianPrince]

This is when you're inside Bowser;s castle going to fight him.

[DatSuKid]

Great Job. Try increasing your times ten seconds every two days.

[dskick]

Cool music, awesome tests you have, me like your style too.

[prodybabe]

the music is from mario, inside the castle, with coopa..... hehe

[Tizzlo101]

lol remix of super mario galaxy music

[chiarurie]

SUPER MARIO GALAXY HAHAHA!!!

its super Mario 64 at bowsers stage xD

[prodybabe]

i know!!!!!!!!!!

[mlk3y]

That way looks more difficult to how I was taught to do it, GJ xD You do it so much lower and it looks more like you got to focus more on balance hence the stronger concentration! I prefer fists to waist and butt stuck out. Feet facing forward an parallel bent knees. I hope I'm doing it right!!!

[Markorokr]

Who needs a chair when you can do this ? xD .. hahahaa ..

nice trainning u_u

[GingerSkate7]

my record is twenty minutes

[blacksilkblacksilk]

Twenty minutes of old school shaolin style - thighs parallel to the floor ?

If so: respect,

AND

How long did you practice for this, and what progression did you use?

Greetings

silk

;-))

[GingerSkate7]

Not shaolin style. TKD/korean style

[animalonfire100]

sweet, Do you have a video?

[DeepsongRnB111]

what is the style???

[Belzebugulao]

Mario's music !!!

[Supercucu123]

Horse stance.... how nostalgic

[rexxarx888]

if you watch the video Avatar Creating the Legend of Earthbending, you can see the presenter, Sifu Kisu, doing a short moment of a horse stance that I presume has to be correct or proper in practicality as he was trained since a child by chinese monks. His feet aren't parallel, so now I'm really confused between the right way or the practical way.

[SeijiiNakamaru]

The first way, a LONG time ago, wasn't parallel. It was close, though. It was probably about 10 degrees from parallel.

[rexxarx888]

i don't know, i've seen many shaolin monks and masters do their horse stances with NOT parallel feet. Whenever I get my thighs parallel with the floor, I can't seem to get my feet parallel to each other. Otherwise, my knees get twisted a bit and hurts a lot, considering that I'm doing a wide and low stance.

[rippabomb]

@rexxarx888 yea and i had to hold that for almost 5 min in my class with my feet parallel it doesn't feel good but yea if your sensei says hold it you stay there

[rexxarx888]

i'm not sure about something...when i do my horse stance, do i try to open my legs as wide as possible or do i just relax into the sitting position?

[bongobear43]

Hey man,

My technique isn't very good so I don't want to point you in the wrong direction.

This video is not a good example. It was just an isometric test I did earlier this year.

But, I think focusing on having your knees directly over your feet (which I'm NOT doing here) would help, and as you lower yourself down try to maintain that alignment.

And maybe be look around for some better examples hahaha. Sorry I'm not much help!

[gamrage]

This is very true.. Your legs should be slightly wider than shoulders width, and your thighs should be parallel enough to the ground that you can balance objects on them without them falling.. Your back and your head should be straight enough to touch the wall, without leaning.

[fantasya98]

your knees shouldnt buckle or point it, try to flex them outwards, not stressing them but keeping them that way to prevent them from coming it.

[sjamaru]

pretty weak, sorry

[CERBERUS1322]

NICE MAN I DID IT TOO WE LASTED THE SAME BUT MY LEGS WERE SHAKING LIK HELL

IF ANYONE INTO Amvs CHEK MINE OUT

[ChadKosterz]

Your horse stance seems odd. But you can last longer than I, so yeah.

[mkadiri05]

ive read tom's book as well, and it said you need to keep your feet straight facing forward and your buttocks down to the level of your knees

[Ziniho0608]

is your back actually against the wall or not?

[bongobear43]

Nah, it's not against the wall.

[valleroth]

where's this from? zelda? some game i know it!

[bongobear43]

It's from Mario 64. It's the bowser music.

[boomer00000]

bowser? seriously? i dont know how this counts as workout music.

[dodgeballhero]

Great soundtrack choice!!

[bongobear43]

Haha, I get the feeling people are more interested in the bowser music than the exercise!

[zapuhorny]

im feeling the super mario 64 music lol

[ypud]

Can't put my finger on it, but there's something about it that reminds me of defeating the evil Bowser on Mario 64.... Hhhnnnn

[bongobear43]

Yes, that is a bit of mystery. It couldn't possibly be the bowser music in the background now could it.. :D

[big1shoota]

also your feet are maybe a few inches too far apart.

If you're trying to reach the side splits, doing a low horse stance isn't the best way to train it as the two don't really go hand-in-hand. The best way to train your side splits is to warm up well, (light cardio and a proper horse stance for a few minutes is excellent warm-up,) and then to simply relax into a side split.

To properly train a side split, simply relax into the position as best you can. Also, practice your butterfly stretch.

[big1shoota]

you're too far forward in your stance. your knees are out too far; they shouldn't be past your toes. your left knee should be out wider, and your butt's too far back. it doesn't look like you can do it properly this low yet, you should practice a little bit higher at first to get the correct position.

[bongobear43]

K, thanks for the feedback. I'll have a look at some examples...

[big1shoota]

there aren't really that many good examples, because to be perfectly honest most people do it incorrectly. If I can get my webcam working I'll try to post a video response, because it's a lot easier to show than to tell. (my stance is far from perfect, but I think I can show you some things that would help.)

[Nobodytus]

That's a good horse stance to start out with....it will keep you out of the lava. Hahaha. Maaarriiooo!

[Jaza120]

You have amazing feet strength. 5/5

[bongobear43]

Haha, thanks man. But I think I've got a long way to go yet. I'm trying to get low enough to reach the side splits.