The Basics

Hips at 45 degrees towards your opponent 

Feet in line with your knees

“Weaker” side forward  (if your right handed left etc)

Feet shoulder width apart

Knees nice and soft

Sit into your stance

Weight 60% on the back leg

Bit more depth

The stance is simultaneously one of the easiest things, but also the hardest to keep correct. Under pressure if your stance goes you can expose your lead leg to be kicked, your head may come forward and get kicked, you can fall over your own feet which I have seen more than once. Like with most things it’s a case of drilling the exercises and sparing until its part of your Motor memory and instinctive. 

In Tri-Style like Mauy Thai and K1 the stance is quite square on to your opponent, we want to make the most of being able to kick with both legs, without telegraphing the rear kick when it come from to far away as it may do in a more side on stance. This will also help you work the angles to get good position on your opponent, and help stop them from getting a good position on you. 

Some traditional Wing Chun styles like the feet to be turned in as they feel it will protect the groin, I am not in favour of this school of thought and favour the more Mauy Thai way of turning your feet out slightly, your feet are in better position for getting more torque into your kicks, and its helps to protect your lead Hamstring from leg kicks, if you have to take a leg kick you want it on the Quads about 3 inches from centre where the muscle is nice and thick. I will go into where to aim leg kicks in a different article but my students will know this as its often in lesson 1. 

Weight has to be more on your rear leg, not only does this lighten up your lead legs for faster kicking and blocking, but it keeps your head back, out of range of those fast whipping head kicks. If your weights on your front leg your head will be forward (like some boxers) you wont be able to block leg kicks effectively and you expose your self to head kicks. 

You often will lead with your weaker side, this is your Jab, Teep kick, Lead leg kick, these set up combinations and set up the big shots from your strong side. That said like in Wing Chun we do train to be ambidextrous and fight from either stance, this has the advantage of being able to cut off angles, or when if a self defence situation it can be helpful if your up against more than one opponent.