7 Arnis Stances 1. Ready Stance This is the most common used stance when you are standing at ease. You can use this stance in tournaments and fights before you start engaging with the opponent. In this stance you need to stand with your toes pointing forward and your feet parallel to your shoulders. Standing with your feet apart gives you balance so that you can move to the next position and attack your opponent. You need to keep your knees straight and your whole body facing forward. Your hands should be on the waist level either you are holding two batons or one with another weapon. 2. Attention Stance This stance is different from the ready stance, since you stand with your feet forming a 45 degrees angle. Your torso and the legs should be facing forward while keeping the knees straight. In this stance, you will stand with the heels close to each other and the shoulders dropped to the sides. Both hands should be kept at the waist level. This attention stance is usually used for courtesy in preparation for a fight at the beginning before sparring. 3. Forward Stance As you start from the ready stance, you will have to move one foot to the front. You will have to do this until your toes and your knee are in line with each other. Your toes, torso and waist will be facing forward, hence the name of the stance. Make sure that your foot is not too much extended or the body is too low, otherwise it will be hard to maneuver or attack from this position. You should be able to distribute the weight of the body equally on both legs. There are two types of forward stances. The right foot stance or the left foot one, depending on the foot you are extending to the front. It is usually used in striking or blocking techniques . 4. Oblique Stance This stance starts again from the ready stance. In this stance, you will start moving one foot in 45 degrees angle until the toes and the knees are in line with each other. The foot is moved forward away from the body to reach the right position. Your moving foot is called the lead foot. You will have to move your body in the same direction of the lead foot. The waist and the torso are kept moving to the front along with the toes. It is essential not to extend your feet too much to the front or lower your body too much otherwise it will be hard to move and maneuver. And it is critical to keep your body weight equally distributed on both legs. Again the oblique stance can be right or left foot led depending on the foot you choose to move. This stance is used in blocking and evasion.