The Reverse Cat Stance or Gyaku Neko Ashi Dachi, like the Cat Stance, also places a heavy weight on one leg while releasing the load off the opposite leg. In the case of the Reverse Cat Stance the forward leg takes on 90% of the body weight and the back leg only supports 10% of the body weight.
With the Cat Stance the body was compressed down so that quick movements could be made. With the Reverse Cat Stance the body is elongated to a high fighting position in an attempt to intimidate a smaller adversary.
In order to form the Reverse Cat Stance, start from the normal Cat Stance and stand straight up without moving the feet. Balance most of your weight, 90%, over your front leg. Reach your hands above your head and form the knife hand technique. The heel of the back right foot is raised off the ground by approximately 1 inch (3 cm) so that the back foot is balancing on the ball of the foot. This helps to increase the height of the stance. The heel of the front foot is raised only slightly off the ground so that a piece of paper can be placed under the heel.
The diagram below shows the position of the feet from an overhead view when performing the Reverse Cat Stance. Techniques that can be used from a Reverse Cat Stance include: twist kick, twist punch, downward or overhead chop.
The photos below show the proper form for performing the Reverse Cat Stance.
