Kohoasento

Kohoasento is a Finnish term that refers to an upright, ready standing posture. In everyday and instructional use, it describes a position intended to optimize balance, alignment, and readiness for movement. The posture is typically characterized by a neutral spine, shoulders relaxed and drawn slightly back, chest open, and the weight distributed evenly over both feet. The feet are usually placed about hip-width apart, with a slight knee bend to allow stability and ease of movement. The head remains aligned with the spine, and the gaze is forward.

Etymology and usage in Finnish language sources point to kohoasento as a compound of kohoa, meaning “to rise,” and asento, meaning “posture” or “position.” The term may appear with a hyphen as koho-asento in some texts. It is commonly used in physical education, sports coaching, ergonomics, and fitness materials in Finnish, serving as a preparatory or baseline posture before performing movements, lifts, or technical actions.

In practice, kohoasento can be adapted to different activities. For example, in training contexts it may be described as an alert, stable stance that supports balance and controlled breathing, with adjustments to leg and hip alignment depending on the movement to follow. While widely encountered in Finnish-language materials, the exact conventions and terminology of kohoasento may vary between disciplines and instructors.

See also: posture, standing posture, ergonomics, biomechanics.