When you stand to hit a baseball, shoot a basketball, or address a golf ball, the position of your feet and body is your stance. A good stance gives you balance and power. Basketball coaches teach players to keep their knees slightly bent and feet shoulder-width apart: that's a proper defensive stance. A batter's stance at the plate affects how well they can swing at different pitches.

The word also means the position you take on an issue or topic. When you take a stance on whether your class should have longer recess, you're choosing a side and explaining your reasoning. A politician's stance on education shows what policies they support. Your stance might be that students should help choose class field trips, while your teacher's stance might be that teachers need to make those decisions.

Notice how both meanings involve position: physical position in the first case, and your position on an idea in the second. Taking a strong stance on something means you've thought it through and can defend your viewpoint, just like a strong physical stance helps you stay balanced when things get challenging.