The Mysterious 45 degree stance!

Every now and then - nahhh, actually once in a blue-with-pink & green-polka-dot moon will you meet a karate student who truly tests your teaching skills. Not with their attitude or effort, but with geometry. I’ve got one who simply cannot grasp the concept of a 45-degree angle. No matter how many times I demonstrate, adjust their stance, or place masking tape on the floor, they still end up somewhere between “almost straight” and “completely lost.” Sometimes it’s 20 degrees, sometimes 70, and every so often they bless me with a full 90 or 180 - like they’ve had ten too many drinks stumbling their way home.

For most people, it’s hard to understand why. You think, come on now it's just 45 degrees - halfway between straight and sideways, right? Easy as! But watching this student, I can’t help but marvel at the human brain. How does it decide where an angle begins and ends? How does it measure space without a protractor, relying purely on vibes and madness? It’s one of those moments that makes you pause, partly in fascination but mostly in despair. Because when someone can’t see or feel a 45-degree angle, you’re reminded just how differently our minds are wired. You think, ‘are you serioussss??'

And yet, there’s supposed to be beauty in it. Teaching them forces you to break down something you’ve long taken for granted. You start to appreciate that what seems simple to one person can be a total enigma to another… Who am I kidding?! The human brain is a wild, unpredictable organ, and at times a full-on circus… alright, fine, I’ll say it - totally f*ed up.

I think I’ve now offered all I can. I’ve demonstrated, diagrammed, and philosophised under waterfalls while doing Sanchin. Heck, I’ve practically earned a PhD in giving advice and the definitive how-to on shiko dachi. Time to hand off the chaos to the next in line. Ahhh, thank Guanyin and Shiva the divine tag team for a few seniors who will continue this noble quest of transferring the sacred knowledge of the mystical 45-degree horse stance onto this poor soul. I always knew there was a reason I don’t charge money…🤭Ossssssssssssssssssu power baby!