In martial arts, stances are the distribution, foot orientation and body positions (particularly the legs and torso) adopted when attacking, defending, advancing, or retreating. In many Asian martial arts, the most widely used stance is a shallow standing squat. This position is generally employed as it is a neutral and agile position from which both attacks and defences may be launched. It provides for the delivery of force when attacking and stability when defending.

Stances vary greatly in their application and form. In general, stances may be described in a number of ways:

This refers to the lateral distance between the lead and rear foot. In general, wide, also known as square, stances are more stable than narrow stances. However, narrow, also known as bladed, stances leave one less vulnerable to groin attacks and expose a smaller portion of the body to an opponent.

This refers to the distance from the lead foot to the rear foot. Short stances make the user very agile, but can be unstable. Long stances are very stable, but this is at the expense of agility. Most stances are approximately as wide as the shoulders, though there is significant variation between styles.

This refers to the bend in the knees and height relative to a normal standing position. Low stances are very powerful and assist delivery of power through the body to either the arms or the legs. High stances are more mobile and allow one to reposition rapidly.

Unweighted stances are those where half of one's bodyweight is on each foot. Forward-weighted or backward-weighted stances place most of body weight on either the rear or the lead foot, respectively. Forward-weighted stances are more aggressive, allowing stronger punches and kicks because one's weight is already forward. Alternatively, backward-weighted stances are more defensive, allowing one to fall back more easily.

Most disciplines have one major stance that they regularly employ (generally from a standard guard position), and many variations of this standard stance which incorporate various combinations of open/closed, long/short, high/low or weighted/unweighted. Typically, martial arts do not teach fighting stances until students have developed other basic skills.

Orthodox stance refers to a stance where the left leg, and usually the left arm, is forward. Southpaw stance refers to a stance where the right leg, and usually the right arm, is forward.