IRAS
Tue, Dec 7 2010 12:09
| martial arts, 8 basic steps, Wing Tsun Kung fu, IRAS, martial arts Altrincham
| Permalink
One of the biggest causes for concern and confusion amongst students is the IRAS stance. Unique to Wing Tsun this stance is something that causes everyone at least a little trouble. It's awkward to perform, makes you feel immobile, can put stress on the joints if done badly and makes you look like you've pooed yourself a bit.
So what exactly is it? IRAS stands for Internally Rotated Adduction Stance. "Adduction" relates to the adductor muscles on the inside of the thighs. The stance tightens and strengthens these muscles and creates a tension between the legs. The stored energy from the stance helps give WT it's explosiveness helping us evade or attack and assailant as is necessary.
By angling the feet in the stance towards the inside it helps protect the groin and maintain equal distance and weighting between the legs. This avoids people over committing their balance or misplacing a step.
You may have noticed that most of this relates to standing and moving correctly. This is the crux of the IRAS stance. It conditions the body not only through correct posture and alignment but also teaches us how to move and use the full potential of each specific step; whether in terms of power or strategy. It also teaches how to carry our weight and manage our centre of gravity whilst also being able to move quickly. This is massively advantageous in a fight.
When practising IRAS - don't look down! Moving your head over your centre of gravity pulls your whole body out of alignment. Try and feel with your feet how your stance and steps are working. Whilst much harder, this process will yield much greater results. It is also crucial to be patient. Learn to relax into the stance. Often forcing your muscles into any position will cause injury, discomfort and inhibit the effectiveness of what you are trying to achieve. Be careful not to do more harm than good when first learning IRAS. Be prepared to get the stance wrong and allow it to take time before the stance "settles" into being comfortable.
Always remember that IRAS is for training purposes only. It's not a natural fighting stance of any kind. It's purely for training and conditioning purposes only.
If you have any questions about IRAS or anything WT related please feel free to comment or send me an email.
So what exactly is it? IRAS stands for Internally Rotated Adduction Stance. "Adduction" relates to the adductor muscles on the inside of the thighs. The stance tightens and strengthens these muscles and creates a tension between the legs. The stored energy from the stance helps give WT it's explosiveness helping us evade or attack and assailant as is necessary.
By angling the feet in the stance towards the inside it helps protect the groin and maintain equal distance and weighting between the legs. This avoids people over committing their balance or misplacing a step.
You may have noticed that most of this relates to standing and moving correctly. This is the crux of the IRAS stance. It conditions the body not only through correct posture and alignment but also teaches us how to move and use the full potential of each specific step; whether in terms of power or strategy. It also teaches how to carry our weight and manage our centre of gravity whilst also being able to move quickly. This is massively advantageous in a fight.
When practising IRAS - don't look down! Moving your head over your centre of gravity pulls your whole body out of alignment. Try and feel with your feet how your stance and steps are working. Whilst much harder, this process will yield much greater results. It is also crucial to be patient. Learn to relax into the stance. Often forcing your muscles into any position will cause injury, discomfort and inhibit the effectiveness of what you are trying to achieve. Be careful not to do more harm than good when first learning IRAS. Be prepared to get the stance wrong and allow it to take time before the stance "settles" into being comfortable.
Always remember that IRAS is for training purposes only. It's not a natural fighting stance of any kind. It's purely for training and conditioning purposes only.
If you have any questions about IRAS or anything WT related please feel free to comment or send me an email.