Heals together Feet on a 45° angle Attention Stance

Musuba-dachi: (Moo-sue-bah daw-chee) 

Musuba-dachi is the beginning of the formal Isshin-Ryu bow. All things have a beginning. This is a non-threatening stance, yet it allows movement on a 45° angle either right or left. Musuba-dachi is a non-threatening stance, and it gives you a tactical advantage. This stance is a strategic or deceptive position.  Chotoku Kyan was a small man even by Okinawan standards, so he was forced to fight smarter. Fighting using angles, and staying outside his opponent, gave him an advantage. You cannot or should not engage a larger opponent head-on because you play into their strength. One issue with the stance is to make it more effective you must wait until the opponent has begun their attack. Once they move you can step outside their attacker and deliver your own counterattack. As the old karate saying goes, “The best way not to get hit is to not be in font of the punch.”

Foundation:

• Keep the back is straight.
• Keep the chin up, head straight, and eyes forward.
• The feet are forty-five degrees apart with heels touching.
• The hands are at the side in a shuto position with the thumbs tucked.
• The knees are slightly bent.

Weakness:

• This is a formal starting position and deceptive position. It is not a formal fighting stance.
• Its’ balance is broken by pushing forward.
• The Groin and centerline vital striking points are exposed.
• The knees and legs are exposed to attack. [Example: Heel Kick]
• If the knees are locked for a long period of time, the student can pass out.
• If used as a deceptive tactic, you must wait for the opponent to initiate an attack.

Strengths:

• This is a non-threatening stance that allows the karateka angular movement, either left or right, without creating a threatening stance, or giving the karateka’s style of fighting away.
• Balance is good side-to-side.
• This stance in not susceptible to low shin kicks, because the leg can be brought up to block a low kick using your shin.

The close proximity of the feet impedes hip rotation in kicking and reduces power, but forward snap kicks can easily be thrown