JAMA
VOLUME 14 ~ NUMBER 1 ~ 2005 -- Niiler, T. and Gong, H. "The theory of lower spinal rotation - How it serves as a style-independent description of waist power"
also check out:
1994 — Volume 3 • Number 3
Yokoyama, K. “The sources of power in karate”
http://www.goviamedia.com/journal/issues.htmlthis may spur some thoughts, or bring back memories:
http://www.fightingarts.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/15816578/page/0/fpart/1/vc/1sorry to perpetuate the drift in topic, so I'll try to put it back a little. I see 'cat stance' used in a few ways, all of which have something in common:
* as a split-second transitional placement right before a low kick. (usu. w/ tai sabaki). Think of it as a change in momentum. if you slide to one side or angle, the thing that slows your momentum is your front leg. you are using the front leg as a sortof counterbalance to change momentum direction quicker.
* as a transitioning surface to smash someones face on. (imagine muay thai, bringing the persons face to your knee).
http://69.94.112.159/downloads/images/knee_img_0003.jpgpretty simple but good idea. it spans styles, so that says something. what people are calling 'cat stance' in TMA would be the split second position the guy in the picture was in right before lifting his knee.
* also, as a sort of jujitsu either throw or neck crank transition like deal.
http://www.terra.es/personal/fjmoreno/taijitsu/serie24.JPGalso, a really good one. the pic doesn't do it as much justice, but thats the best I could find.
* another one I refer to as 'the workbench'. dropping the person's back down on your knee while moving. no, not this:
http://ppc.warhawkenterprises.com/brucelee/brucegodbackbreak2.jpg lol
more like a takedown onto your knee, where you can 'work on them like a workbench' for a second before they fall. (probably one of the takedowns they removed from judo)
* then of course the submission-like natural movement:
http://www.zendojujitsu.com/ju_jitsu_images/jujitsu.gifin each one of those, the common jist is continuous movement...there is no cat 'stance'. the 'position' only works when centers of gravity (of both people) are in motion.
so why is static 'cat stance' even taught? my theory anyway: In order not to loose this important principle when karate went en-masse, it was catagorized and taught as a stance - but in doing so, it's like trying to watch a movie by studying each individual frame. misses the story.
p.s. and I'll mention just to tick people off, that those applications can be worked from kata interpretation. (I suppose even the BL one)