At The Martialist I have written more than once about the utility of hands-up ready stances for maintaining space.  These are as much a modification of the double wu sao guard of Wing Chun as they are the legacy of various Reality Based Self Defense and combatives instructors.  The point of any "fence" or "de-escalation stance," as of any other hands-up guard or warding posture, is to place the arms between you and a potential threat.  This creates a physical barrier while asserting personal space boundaries.

Since I started advocating this method for dealing with being accosted, I've seen three major criticisms of hands-up ready stances.  These criticisms raise issues worth addressing.

Hands-Up Stances Are Too Hostile

Many critics see placing your hands up in front of your body to be very aggressive – body language that can escalate an altercation because it appears threatening.  While it's true that assuming a double wu sao or flaring your fingers in tiger claws might look like the prelude to a duel, the appropriate posture for maintaining space is much less hostile.  With the hands up, palms out, combined with appropriate verbalization ("Whoa, there, friend, nobody wants any trouble, let's not crowd each other...") the combative nature of the stance is mitigated.

Of course, any time you put your hands up, you are being combative to a point.  You're asserting your personal space and you're essentially demanding that this be respected.  Getting your hands up will always be more aggressive than passively allowing someone to encroach on your space.  Yes, when you do this you run the risk of escalating an encounter, but that is the risk you run whenever you resist the will, the demands, or the approach of another person.  That is what we train to do – to resist the use of force or the threat of force against us.

There will be those critics who say you should be ready to defend yourself from any position and with appropriate maneuvering of your body.  Well, of course you should do this.  Given the luxury of preparing for a potential threat you have identified, however, why would you not get your hands up?  If action beats reaction, the man in a hands-up ready stance will always have a slight edge over the man whose arms hang by his sides.  Given the option, getting your hands up provides a better shield than does waiting to put those hands up after an attack is initiated.  Hands-up stances also provide an important visual cue for maintaining personal space – a cue that just isn't as forceful when trying to maintain space with your hands down or through body movement alone.

Hands-Up Stances Constrict Your Focus

Some critics complain that a "fence" stance inappropriately focuses you on one person, prompting you to ignore or neglect potential threats from elsewhere in your environment.  While this is always a possibility if one is not mentally aware, it need not be a byproduct of such a stance.  You don't need to turn your brain off or stop scanning the area with your peripheral vision simply because your arms are raised.

Even when dealing with a multiple attacker scenario, the greatest threat is presented by the person closest to you.  Of course you should focus on that person, at least initially.  Just how many ninja are hiding in the neighboring shrubbery is not your foremost concern.  You must deal with the more immediate threat.

Let's be clear about this, however.  We're not talking about focusing on the immediate threat to exclusion.  You must remain aware at all times, even when dealing with someone physically.  (That's one of the reasons you must deal with a physical attack quickly and ruthlessly – because the person attacking you might not be alone.  "He may have friends" is one of those phrases my Wing Chun instructor uses a lot.  His point is obvious.  This does not, however, invalidate the utility of the hands-up ready stance.)

Hands-Up Stances Are Vulnerable to Grabs and Breaks

This is the complaint that always kind of irritates me because it speaks to mild ignorance on the part of the critics.  I don't mean, though, that they must be "ignorant" if they worry about having a finger broken or a hand grabbed, because these are valid concerns.  Rather, they're ignorant of the way such hands-up stances are used.

Hands-up stances are dynamic, not static.  If you're standing there like a potted plant with your arms extended and unmoving, you deserve to have your fingers broken.  The whole point of placing your arms in front of your body is to facilitate action and reaction.  The second your would-be attacker gets close enough to grab you, you should be doing something (in my Wing Chun school, the catch phrase is, "He's too close, get him!").  If he reaches for your hand or arm, that hand or arm should be moving, countering, hitting, or whatever you're inclined to do.  It shouldn't be just hanging there.

When I first started Wing Chun and applied the double wu sao guard in a sparring session with another teacher (who is not a Wing Chun practitioner), he grabbed my wrists and applied a crossing joint lock.  I was ignorant of how to apply what I'd just learned at that early stage.  I let him get too close and I left my arms there rigidly in position without shifting my stance.

Get Your Hands Up

A hands-up ready stance is a dynamic, fluid means of maintaining personal space while creating a physical barrier that improves your chances of defending against an assault.  It is assertive, though it can be assertive without appearing actively hostile.  It is not the magic solution to all self-defense scenarios.

Such postures are useful tools that, when applied with proper awareness and mobility, increase the odds in your favor.