Something I've found from training in taekwon-do is that I can't even use any of the stances in sparring, if you take that to mean in the exact form we meticulously do them in linework. Thus I end up with a bit more of a vague, not-really-any-of-them stance that changes slightly depending on what technique I'm doing.

If you've got a situation anything like that (and especially if you're ever in a stance and think "this would get me killed" ) in your martial art, I'd suppose you should train in the stances just as you're taught them in order to drill in that muscle memory for the best way to do your techniques for speed and power and whatnot, then just do what seems best in a more dynamic situation based on what your body is good at doing. You may well be practicing something whose practice just makes your "general" stance (the in between one I mentioned) better for something.

I went to a seminar by Master Willie (sp?) Lim a few years ago and the general idea I left with was that a lot of techniques and stances have applications that aren't immediately obvious, and, of course "If it works, it is correct."

So what I'm saying is, when all your techniques are committed to muscle memory well, they should also be natural reactions to stuff from what you've been practicing. Don't bust out a stance that doesn't seem like a good way to do the job.

Then again, I've never done kung fu, so don't take anything I say over anything said by anyone who does. Also I am tired and taking a break from writing a huge essay so I might just be waffling.