Keystone Principles

No matter what school you attend or which martial art you study, there will always be a set of base movements you will need to learn and master throughout your martial arts career. 

During your initial classes you learn the fundamental kicks, blocks, stances and strikes. Although these are taught to beginners, they are skills that will take years to develop, and as such they are grouped together under the umbrella of the red stripe, or Keystone Principles. 

a student will need to demonstrate an evolving understanding

As a student progresses through the ranks, two things need to happen regarding the Keystone Principles. First, the original skills need to be developed and refined. The requirements for a white belt stop at the basic ideas behind a bow stance; one foot forward, one behind, feet about shoulder width apart, front knee bent. However, a student will need to demonstrate an evolving understanding behind that stance as they get closer to black. NOT an immediate understanding, but an evolving understanding. Concepts such as centring, weight distribution, transitioning and connection. Continuing improvement of those movements from your initial classes is the first thing an instructor will look at when assessing if a student has earned the red stripe.

expansion of a students arsenal

Second is the expansion of a students arsenal. Front thrust, side heel, roundhouse and spinning back kick are the big cheeses of kicks. However, there are many other kicks for a student to learn, all of which share the basic concepts behind each of those four key kicks. Flying, crescent, cyclone, spinning are all families of kicks that rely on a solid base found in the basic kicks for success. But, you have to learn your ABC’s before you can write a novel. Practicing and refining your basics is fundamental to the success of everything else you will learn.

Instructors devote a lot of class time to Keystone Principles. In fact, each and every class will contain components from the Keystone Principles. Not because we plan it that way, but because that is what Kung Fu is made up of. Want to work on forms? Lots of stances and strikes in those. Like sparring? I see blocks and kicks in there. Weapons, grappling, Tai Chi, lion dance. Everything is built upon the Keystone Principles.

Khona Rybak