INPUT ARTICLE: Article: A break is how far the fold or crease at the bottom of your pants in the middle of the leg comes down on your shoe. No break means that the bottom of your pants only slightly touch the top of your shoes, if it touches at all. This look is great for a trendy, modern style, and it also works well on slim and short people. A slight break means that the front of the pants covers a small part of the top of the shoes. This is a good choice if you want to stay up-to-date, but aren’t into trends. A slight break works for pretty much everyone. A medium break comes down a little bit lower than a slight break. This type of break will cover about a ½” (1.3 cm) of your shoe. This look is ideal for someone with a conservative style. A medium break is also good for someone who wants to wear dress pants with a cuff. A full break comes down the farthest on your shoe. A full break covers about an inch (2.5 cm) of your shoe. This look is considered to be a bit out of style, but it works for someone who is going for a vintage look or is heavier set. The pants should be fairly wide in the calf or ankle for a full break to look right.

SUMMARY: Choose no break if you want to be trendy. Wear a slight break for a contemporary look. Choose a medium break for a conservative style. Wear a full break for a vintage style.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: In order to hold the stances in kung fu, your balance needs to be in tip top form. What's a good way to master this? Yoga. It may seem like it's unnecessary and keeping you from truly practicing, but what it's really doing is setting you up to be truly great at kung fu. And as for flexibility, every session should begin with a warm up and stretching session. A warm up can be a light jog, some jumping jacks, and push ups. Then, stretch out your muscles. This not only keeps you injury-free, but it also makes you more flexible, getting your kicks higher and your bends more limber. The bare bones of kung fu lies in the stances. You can't deliver the right moves if you're coming from the wrong position. These first three aren't meant for fighting, though – they're meant for traditional kung fu and use with weapons. That being said, they're an integral part of kung fu ideology. Here's a few stances you can work on:   The horse stance. Bend your knees about 30 degrees, widen your feet a bit farther apart than shoulder width, and hold clench fists in at your sides, palms up. Keep your back straight, like you're riding a horse.  The front stance. Bend your knees and draw your left leg back, like you're in a lunge. Then, snap out your right fist in front of you, holding your left fist to your chest. Switch legs, bringing your left in front. As you do so, switch fists, too.  The cat stance. Place your right leg slightly behind you, and lean back on it. Take your left leg and only touch your toes to the ground. Hold both fists as if you're in a resting boxing position, protecting your face. If someone were to come at you, your front leg should be able to automatically come up in defense.  The fighting stance. If you're looking to practice kung fu against others, you'll need the fighting stance. This is essentially the same as a boxing stance – one foot slightly in front of the other, fists up, protecting your face, knees relaxed. When it comes to punching, remember that most of the force comes from your hips. Just like in boxing, kung fu has jabs, uppercuts, and hooks. Let's discuss all three.   The jab. In fighter's stance, left foot in front of right foot, bend your knees, turn your hip toward your opponent, and throw out your left fist, immediately followed by your right. As your right comes out, rotate your right hip, too.  The hook. Contrary to intuition, you want your hook to start out small. In fighter's stance, right foot behind, take your right fist, rotate your hip back, and swing strong through to your left, forming a hook shape. Remember, the power is in your hips.  The uppercut. In fighter's stance, lower your fist and bringing it swinging up, as if you're aiming for your opponent's chin directly in front of you. With each uppercut, always twist your hips slightly as this is where your power is coming from. Your block will be different depending on what you're blocking. But whatever's coming at you, start with the fighting stance. In this position, you're fully prepared to protect your face and keep attacks from being effective.  For punches, jabs, and hooks, blocking is very similar to boxing. Whichever side is being threatened, take that arm and, keeping it bent, stop your opponent's motion. With your other arm, you can attack. For kicks and elbows, use both arms. Keep them bent and by your face, but rotate your hips to whatever side is being threatened. This prevents you from hitting your own face upon the backlash and is more painful for them. Kicking is one of the funnest aspects of kung fu and also one of the easiest ways to see improvement. Here's three basic kicks you can start with.   The step kick. Stand in front of your punching bag. Take a step forward with your left foot, and then hit the right side of the bag with the inside of your foot. Then, switch to the other side.  The stomp kick. Stand in front of your punching bag. Take a step forward with your left foot, and bring your right foot straight out in front of you, bent at the knee. Then, snap it forward, "stomping" on the bag, sending it shooting away from you.  The side kick. Stand in fighter's stance, your left foot in front of your right. Move your weight onto your left foot, swinging out your leg up into the air, hitting the punching bag at shoulder level with the side of your foot. Try to bring your leg in, but stay on your back leg to practice your balance. As you're just setting out, start with doing the motions in the air. Once you're consistent and have a grip on the move, switch to doing it with your punching bag. When you start getting worn out, take a break or switch up what you're doing. Once you get really confident, try to find a friend to spar with. That is, if you have protective gear each other can wear, or pads you can put on the recipient's hands while the other practices their punching and kicks.

SUMMARY:
Work on your balance and flexibility. Master a few stances. Work on your punch. Work on your blocks. Get your kicks strong. Practice combinations in the air and on your bag.