Stances & footwork — ITF Taekwon-Do

Stances · Sogi (서기)

A stable, correct stance is the foundation of power and balance. These are the core ITF stances; the weight distribution is the key to telling them apart.

Stance	Korean	한글	Weight	Description & use
Attention stance	Charyot sogi	차렷 서기	50 / 50	Heels together, feet at 45°. Used for courtesy and the bow.
Parallel ready stance	Narani junbi sogi	나란히 준비 서기	50 / 50	Feet one shoulder-width apart, parallel. The default “ready” posture.
Walking stance	Gunnun sogi	걷는 서기	50 / 50	Long, stable front stance for attacking and front-facing blocks.
L-stance	Niunja sogi	니은자 서기	70 back / 30 front	Back-weighted defensive stance shaped like the Korean letter ㄴ.
Sitting stance	Annun sogi	앉은 서기	50 / 50	Horse-riding stance, weight low and even; builds leg strength and side techniques.
Fixed stance	Gojung sogi	고정 서기	50 / 50	Similar in shape to L-stance, but with even weight; do not lock the knees.
Rear-foot stance	Dwitbal sogi	뒷발 서기	~90 back / 10 front	Almost all weight on the back leg; the front foot is light for quick kicks.
Low stance	Nachuo sogi	낮추어 서기	50 / 50	A longer walking stance used to extend reach.
X-stance	Kyocha sogi	교차 서기	Supporting leg bears weight; other foot touches lightly	Support the body on the stationary foot; the crossing foot touches lightly on its ball.
Closed / Close stance	Moa sogi	모아 서기	50 / 50	Feet together; a compact ready or transitional posture.
Bending ready stance	Guburyo junbi sogi	굽혀 준비 서기	~100 on one leg	One knee raised, ready to deliver a side or back kick.
Vertical stance	Soojik sogi	수직 서기	60 back / 40 front	A narrow, upright stance between L-stance and walking stance.
Diagonal stance	Sasun sogi	사선 서기	50 / 50	Like sitting stance with one foot advanced; weight remains even.
Crouched stance	Oguryo sogi	오그려 서기	50 / 50	A lowered stance with the knees directed inward; learn the alignment with an instructor.
One-leg stance	Waebal sogi	외발 서기	100 on supporting leg	Stand on one leg with the other foot raised beside the supporting knee. Named for the supporting leg.
Inner open stance	An palja sogi	안 팔자 서기	50 / 50	An open stance with both toes turned inward.
Outer open stance	Bakat palja sogi	바깥 팔자 서기	50 / 50	An open stance with both toes turned outward.

Stance Diagrams

Foot positions seen from above. Percentages show the weight on each foot, a dashed outline is a raised foot, and red shading means only the ball of the foot touches the floor. The arrow points forward. The drawings are not to scale, so use the written measurements.

Weighted foot — darker = more weight % of body weight Front reference direction Distance (SW = shoulder width)

Attention

Charyot50 / 50

Parallel Ready

Narani Junbi50 / 50

Walking

Gunnun50 / 50

L-Stance

Niunja70 back / 30 front

Sitting

Annun50 / 50

Fixed

Gojung50 / 50

Rear-Foot

Dwitbal90 back / 10 front

Bending Ready

Guburyo Junbi100 on one leg

X-Stance

KyochaLeft foot supports; right crosses in front to its left, touching on the ball. Jumping entries may cross behind.

Closed

Moa50 / 50

Low

Nachuo50 / 50

Vertical

Soojik60 back / 40 front

Diagonal

Sasun50 / 50

Crouched

Oguryo50 / 50 · lowered body, knees inward

One-Leg

WaebalSupporting leg straight; raised foot beside knee

Inner Open

An Palja50 / 50 · slight inward toe angle

Outer Open

Bakat Palja50 / 50 · toes about 45° outward

Left and right versions share one card; use the leg position buttons to switch (X-stance also has stepping and jumping versions). Open “See whole-body posture” to compare knee bend and body height. The body views show the legs only, so take the hand position from the ready posture or technique. Close ready stances A–D and bending ready stances A and B are described on their cards. References: ITKD Dan handbook · HSTS · Maynooth Taekwon-Do · Ge-Baek Hosin Sool.

Stance measurements, naming & body facing

Measurements use your own shoulder width. Check whether a distance is measured from the toes, the heels or the centre of the foot.

Walking: about 1½ shoulder widths long between the toes, and one shoulder width between foot centres across the stance. Turn the rear foot outward no more than about 25°; align the front knee over the heel. Name it for the front leg.
L-stance: about 1½ shoulder widths from the rear footsword to the front toes. Put 70% of the weight on the rear leg and name it for that rear leg.
Fixed: about 1½ shoulder widths between the big toes, with even weight. Name it for the front leg.
Low: like walking stance but one foot length longer. Just bending lower does not make it a low stance.
Vertical: keep the legs straight without locking them, with 60% rear / 40% front weight. Name it for the rear leg.

Full, half and side facing mean the chest faces the target, is turned at an angle to it, or the side of the body faces it. Facing does not depend on which way you move or which hand you use. In walking stance, an obverse punch uses the hand on the front-leg side; a reverse punch uses the opposite hand.

Check length and width, foot direction, knee alignment, weight and body facing before adding the hand technique. References: ITKD New Zealand Dan handbook, stance section; HSTS stance reference.

Footwork & movement rhythm

Footwork is how you move or change your support. Motion type is the timing and breathing between techniques. A pattern instruction usually gives both.

Stepping: move a foot to establish the prescribed stance.
Sliding and shifting: adjust distance. Each movement’s instruction gives the stance and how far to move.
Jumping: includes an airborne phase; establish the prescribed stance and balance on landing.
Stamping: the foot lands with force. Ordinary steps are not stamped.

Pattern examples: Dan-Gun 13–14 uses continuous motion with full sine wave; Do-San 15–16 uses fast punches; Yul-Gok 16–17 connects two techniques with one breath and one sine wave. Consecutive kicks keep the kicking foot off the floor between kicks.

Continuous motion is about flow and fast motion is about speed; you cannot tell them apart by timing alone. See the motion page for rhythm diagrams. Reference: Paul McPhail’s motion and sine-wave study.