Lead Teep and Stance Theory (Patreon)

• LMA Curriculum 

[For the full experience, look at all units through a web browser, not the Patreon app.]

Now that we've covered the fundamental mechanics of the teep and the front kick, we can move on to the lead teep.

The lead teep is the primary offensive weapon for LMA striking. The jab is the boxer's primary weapon because the lead hand is closest to the opponent. But when kicks are allowed, the lead foot is closest.

Before we go any further, let's discuss the concept of lanes again, which we covered in both the Rear Hand Position and Position Zero units. There's two-way traffic, traffic that leads to their inside lane, and traffic that leads to your inside lane. Protect and cover your inside lane, attack their inside lane.

The inside lane leads to your centerline, where all your vitals are. So we hide the centerline by standing asymmetrically in the L-stance. Instead of putting it up front by standing symmetrically, we hide it in the back by standing bladed. As long as you're facing your opponent, you're mostly protected. They get to your side, then your open. Getting to the side is both the game of inches and angles.

Instead of parallel with the outside lane, the centerline is behind the outside lane. This doesn't mean our centerline never gets hit, but the idea is to avoid getting hit flush. So standing in the L-stance makes the centerline harder to get to, with more obstacles. The front of your stance is your first line of offense and defense.

When facing an opponent with the same stance as you, orthodox vs. orthodox or southpaw vs. southpaw, you'll mostly teep with the lead leg. Your lead side aims at their inside lane, your rear side aims at their outside lane. You attack from the front, and you'll likely hit their centerline while protecting your rear. You attack from the back, and you'll likely miss and leave your rear open. It's like attacking with your goalie, they have the longest distance to your opponent's goal, and now your goal is open. The back of your stance is your last line of offense and defense. When you attack with your front, you still have your rear to protect you. If you attack from the back, you have nothing left to defend you.

Hit to their rear while using movement to make them hit your front. Put simply, move to their inside to hit them, move to their outside to avoid being hit. Since your stances are identical, there is symmetry. You'll both be protected at the same time and open at the same time. Those who understand this symmetry have an advantage over those who don't.

For instance, if you move to their outside, both your leads will nullify each other. But if they adjust to stand parallel with you again, they'll expose their centerline to your lead. Since you moved first and they're catching up, you'll have the initiative.

If they don't acknowledge the symmetry and teep with their rear, it'll be easier to catch and counter than your lead teep.

When you are symmetrical, your lead leg is closer to your opponent and lined up with their centerline. Same as your jab. Your rear leg is aimed at the outside of their body, likely to glance off your opponent, be parried, or get caught. This is why rear straights without a setup miss, why rear roundhouse kicks get caught, and why jabs from the opposite stance are less effective. They're all coming from the outside. They can work, of course, but that needs more craft. For instance, the jab in the 1-2 is bait to move the opponent's head to the outside, in the path of your rear straight.

In opposite stances, the jabs often miss, the lead legs tangle and can't get to the inside, but the rear kicks and punches have direct lines to the inside lane.

Whereas same stances are parallel, opposite stances are perpendicular. Your leads run into each other, and so do your rears. In the same stance, your outside lane is their inside lane, and your inside lane is their outside lane. It's balanced and reciprocal. Throw and catch.

With opposite stances, your inside lane is also their inside lane, and your outside lane is also their outside lane. Throw and throw. Nonreciprocal, imbalanced, and disorganized. Rather than two-way traffic in two different lanes, it's two-way traffic in the same lane. Crashing energy, not circulating energy.

Put another way, in the same stance, your front can touch their rear, and their front can touch your rear. With opposites, the front touch the front, and the rear touch the rear. This is why fighting the opposite stance is tricky because the rules change. There's asymmetry. It's hard to attack and protect at the same time, and you're also likely to crash into each other and even bump heads and step on each other's toes. You'll both be leading, or you'll both be countering. Rather than offensive and defensive, you're offensive or defensive. Nullified and vulnerable, not open or protected.

In opposite stances, the lead sides are natural barriers to each other. The lead hands and feet become the outside hands and feet. They aim at each other's outside lane, effectively creating a wall. The inside lane is on the inside of this wall. The rear hands and feet have no obstacles to the centerline. This is why rear teeps make sense when fighting an opposite stance rather than the same stance.

In the same stance, you don't have to attack with your goalie. With opposite stances, you both have to attack with your goalies, leaving your goals open. It's all or nothing. It's hard to attack and defend, you attack or defend. This is why with opposite stances, you either get a bloody war or an uneventful slow fight. It's important to be aware of this and modify your defense and stance. I'll expand on this further as we get more advanced in the curriculum, but for now the basic idea is, don't have your head sitting in the path of their rear strikes and don't lean into the inside lane.

When it's two people in the same stance, the lead hands and feet have open access to the inside lanes. So you can keep your rear protected.

The general mechanics is to lift your lead leg and thrust with the ball of your foot (forward, not up). Exhale as you thrust with an explosive breath. Make sure to squeeze your abs and glutes.

Don't lean too far back, as you want your weight driving into your opponent rather than falling backward. If you lean too far back or lean away as you kick, you can end up pushing yourself backward rather than your opponent. The rocking chair and hip drive movements are the scaffolding for this move. You want to drive your weight and momentum forward like you're taking a forward step, but you also want to be able to rock your leg back so you don't fall forward into their counter.

Since this is a straight kick, I like to line up against the wall to ensure my kick is straight and true. This works better than any instruction.

You don't necessarily need to swing your arm for straight kicks, but if you do, make sure your chin stays covered.

Notice how the leg chambers then thrusts from the hip. There's a natural sway but don't lean too far back. Hit with the ball of your foot. You'll mainly be aiming for the solar plexus or the stomach, but you can really hit anywhere. It's a versatile tool.

A successful teep creates space and hesitation from the opponent. It's also quicker than their rear attacks. Think about what you want to do with the time and space you create. Martial arts is push-pull. What can you do with these opportunities? With space and time, you can escape. You can also eliminate space and time by coming forward. You can also use that time to attack first. You can even allow them to come to you and counter. The teep and the jab create the push-pull for both defense and offense. This is why everything is built off of thrusting (push-pull). The teep and jab lead from the lead. Knowing that will keep you from getting lost.

– Sam