wide stance
Broad foot placement
A wide stance is a standing position with feet spread apart for stability or power—used in weightlifting, martial arts, and batting.
The phrase gained political notoriety in 2007 when Senator Larry Craig, arrested for soliciting sex in an airport restroom, claimed his foot touching the neighboring stall was simply due to his "wide stance." The explanation became shorthand for implausible excuses, particularly involving closeted behavior: That's quite a wide stance you've got there.
Crouching on bent legs
- sumoJapanese heavyweight wrestling
- deadliftGround-to-hip barbell raise
- lungesSudden forward movements
- powerliftingMaximal barbell competition sport
plyometrics · straddle · plié · spread-eagle · footwork · agility · mobility · flexibility
To distribute widely
extended · outstretched · straddling · legs apart · expansive · gaping · splayed · separated
squat
Crouching on bent legs
powerlifting · plyometrics · straddle · plié · spread-eagle · footwork · agility · mobility · flexibility · strength training
spread
To distribute widely
broad · extended · outstretched · straddling · legs apart · expansive · gaping · splayed · separated · spanning
grounded
Stable and realistic
steady · stable · rooted · planted · braced · secure · equilibrium · footing · weight distribution · firmness
guarded
Wary and restrained
- protectiveServing to guard
- ready positionPreparatory athletic posture
- bracedSteadied against force
alert · prepared · vigilant · resistant · fortified · shielded · blocking · watchful · cautious · sparring
- Bulldogsbulldog, English Bulldog, French Bulldog, American Bulldog, wrinkles
- exercise variationssingle leg, overhand grip, underhand grip, full range, box squat
- fighting stancesorthodox, southpaw, on guard, en garde, peek-a-boo
- batting stancecrouch, ready position
- boxing stancesorthodox, southpaw, peek-a-boo, crouch, high guard
- swaggerswagger, strut, strutting, peacocking, cockiness
wide stancenarrow stance
Feet placed close together
feet together · closed stance · legs together · standing at attention · parallel stance
wide, width, stance, widen, widespread, widely, widened, wider, widening