The stag moves swiftly and gracefully but never loses its contact with the ground. It is light on its feet, but in battle with a rival can dig its feet in so that it can thrust against its opponent. It signals command of territory and its group of hinds with its bellow. Its sense of scent is very keen and so is its vision.

The stag fights with its antlers, so in combat it is always head-on. This is reflected in the stag posture, where the warrior faces forwards in line with the front foot (not turning the chest to an angle in line with the rear foot).

In the stag posture, the rear foot is turned out at an angle of 60 degrees. The feet are not in line; there is a gap of about half a yard, and this width of stance is what gives the stag its ability to absorb pressure from any direction.

The basic sequence is performed in the stag posture. The weight drops into the front foot at the same time as the blow is delivered; the weight drops into the back foot as the blow is received.

stag | boar | cat | fox | bear | hawk

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