The fighting stance or position that you use, along with your footwork skills and mobility skills make up the base that you build the rest of your fighting methodology on. Without perfecting these basic elements, the rest of your techniques can not possibly be as effective as they could be. Unfortunately, this is another one of those areas which is usually grossly under-trained in most fighters. After all, it is not exciting to practice your stance - it's a lot more exciting to get that side kick just right. But the stance, along with the ability the be explosively mobile or rock-solid stable, is the most important technique that you will ever learn! When it is thoroughly ingrained into your fighting system, you will find that it allows you to relax in combat and respond with your own devastating assault. A well thought-out fighting position will allow you to maximize your own attributes to increase your chances of fighting effectively.
Here are some general guidelines that I use in my primary fighting positions. Nothing here is set in stone, and I have a number of different fighting positions for various circumstances. First of all, always stay relaxed and breathe. I realize that it's a difficult thing to believe that a person can stay relaxed when some behemoth is coming at you at high velocity with the intent to do some very serious damage to your tender being, but with lots of practice and training, this is not an unrealistic goal. Furthermore, you would be amazed at how many people stop breathing under duress. I have a tip for you… If you don't start breathing again soon, the fighting stuff is not going to do you much good anyway. Though I use fighting positions and stances from different martial arts such as Muay Thai, Shoot Wrestling, and the Filipino styles, I usually start off with a "base-line" fighting position that is a modified boxer's stance. The hands stay loosely open with the palms generally forward-oriented, the body is relaxed and ready to act, my arms are guarding my torso and head, and I'm up on the balls of my feet shifting constantly. From this position I can punch, kick, trap, or explode inward to grapple. The closer I get to my opponent, the more my feet separate providing me increasing stability for grappling. The farther I get from my opponent, the closer my feet come together for increased mobility and kicking options. When moving relative to your opponent, explode! Give your opponent the least reaction time possible to respond to your motions. Everything you do, whether it is a jab, a knee, a head-butt ( I love `em! ), or a step-and-slide shuffle forward, should be an explosive movement. Remember, if you start with a great base to build upon, then you can keep building great things for a long time. Practice that fighting position.