Michael Jackson and martial arts

I have blogged in the past about the similarity between Michael Jackson’s dance moves and the best martial arts moves. There is a great similarity, because in both cases, they are done only by those who have mastered their own body’s mechanics for maximum balance, agility and energy efficiency.

I’ve discussed how the Shaolin used to practice the Moonwalk as a way of moving most smoothly when fighting.

And on another topic, I’ve discussed the similarity between the classic karate stance (weight on front leg) and classic kung fu stance (weight on back leg).

Now let’s take a look the similarity between the common martial arts stances of Shiko Dachi vs Neko Ashi Dachi.

Shiko Dachi

Shiko Dachi

Knees are heavily bent in this low stance, with weight evenly split between both legs.

Owing to its symmetry, strength and stability, it’s a very common move in many kinds of martial arts and it’s a very common dance move.

Neko Ashi Dachi

Bruce Lee doing Niko Ashi Dachi on the wooden dummy

Most or all of the weight is on the back leg.

Here’s Bruce Lee doing it on the Wing Chun wooden dummy (Mook Yan Jong).

In Japanese Karate it’s known as Neko Ashi Dachi, although they tend to do it slightly differently it’s essentially the same stance.

In Wing Chun Kung Fu it’s known as Jeen/Cheen (Chor) Ma or Jing (Chor) Ma or Biu Ma which means arrow stance / front stance / pointing stance in Cantonese Chinese.

A smooth transition between both stances, by Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson doing Shiko Dachi to Niko Ashi Dachi

If you’re a fan of Michael Jackson this may seem like just another dance move.

But if you’re a martial artist this dance move should be special to you.

Michael Jackson does a smooth transition from Shiko Dachi into Niko Ashi Dachi, like no martial artist has ever done before.

Why don’t we do it? It’s surely an example of excellent martial art, and it looks like great fun! See if you can do it.