What is base and how is it achieved?

• A. Base is the stability of your feet and hips; achieved by hands on hips and eyes down.
• B. Base is hand position and head posture.
• C. Base is the stability of your feet and hips; achieved by feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, weight distributed evenly, and hips aligned with the opponent.
• D. Base is the ability to move quickly without shifting weight.

Answer: (C)

Base in basic combatives is your grounded stability—the way you position your feet, hips, and overall body to stay balanced and ready to react. The best description defines base as the stability of your feet and hips and specifies the setup: feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, weight distributed evenly, and hips aligned with the opponent. This stance creates a solid platform, keeps your center of gravity over that base, and provides both stability and mobility to move or strike without getting pulled off balance.

Hands on hips with eyes down undermines balance and awareness and isn’t how you establish a stable platform. Base isn’t just about hand position or head posture, and it isn’t about moving quickly without shifting weight—that’s more about speed and weight transfer than foundational stability.