Poomsae Performance Guide
Stances

Stance measurements are a threshold guide and not meant to be exact, you should go by what feels more natural to your body – 2 steps long vs approximately 2 steps long, for example. That being said being too far outside of the described length, width or weight distribution of a stance will result in a minor or major deduction, depending on the severity of the inaccuracy.

Stances have only two possible hip heights: Upper and Lower.

Hips should be at the same height for all Lower Stances, for example, a Crane Stance / Hakdari Seogi and a Forward Stance / Ap Gubi.

Below are listed only the stances which appear in recognized poomsae.

Upper Stances include the following:

• Closed Stance / Moa Seogi

• Parallel Stance / Naranhi Seogi

• Walking Stance / Ap Seogi

• Left Side Stance / Wen Yeop Seogi

• Right Side Stance / Oreun Yeop Seogi

Lower Stances include the following:

• Riding Stance / Juchum Seogi

• Forward Stance / Ap Gubi

• Backward Stance / Dwit Gubi

• Tiger Stance / Beom Seogi

• Front Cross Stance / Ap Kkoa Seogi

• Back Cross Stance / Dwi Kkoa Seogi

• Crane Stance / Hakdari Seogi

• Reverse Crane Stance / Ogeum Seogi

• Angled Forward Stance / Mo Ap Gubi

• Assisting Stance / Gyeotdari Seogi

Common Deductions For Stances:

• Shuffling or dragging the pivot foot

• Pivoting before stepping or shifting

• Wobbling / loss of balance

• Up and down body movement between stances (sine wave type movement)

• Lifting the heel of the pivoting foot

• Small inaccuracy in length/width/height/weight

• Large inaccuracy in length/width/height/weight

• Too much time between the step/shift and the pivot

• Not taking a direct step to the next stance

• Wrong stance entirely

• Doing an extra step

• Doing an extra pivot