Footwork in martial arts is key. It’s the root of strength and stability for technique. This is not news; anyone who takes martial arts for a while is acutely aware of this. Yet, when beginning a martial art, it’s so often secondary, as hand techniques or kicking always seem much more useful. Everyone thinks about how to execute this punch, that block, or the proper form for a kick, but people rarely think about where to stand or how to move around their opponent.

It’s so hard to take seriously. Doing drills in how to step seems a bit silly, when what you want to do is fight and learn how to defend. Learning how to step forward and backward in odd postures seems a bit droll to the uneducated.

Yet when you put it together in, say, chi sao (the sticking hands drill in Wing Chun) or sparring, it quickly becomes apparent how important it really is. When someone doesn’t maintain a proper stance, it’s very easy to push them over. Without the right method of stepping, you’ll find vulnerabilities in their stance popping up when they try to move. Also, without proper stepping, your opponent will have a hard time trying to get around your strength.

On the other hand, with proper footwork, you will find yourself able to deal with an opponent’s strength. You can absorb a lot of strength downwards through your body, as well as be able to maintain a stable stance. What’s more, proper movement will give you advantageous placement on your opponent. It’s all about keeping a good defense, while moving to a position of advantage.

In class, I’ve found that doing drills of footwork with technique taking on a different feel. Whereas before technique and footwork seemed very disjointed, I felt multistep routines becoming almost like one movement. The more I practice them, the more natural they become. Drill on something that feels unnatural for long enough, and eventually it will become natural.

Sadly, my footwork does need a lot of work. Here’s hoping that one day, it’ll be natural!