Standing Poses

• The most important factor is deciding which of the legs is bearing the body's weight in the pose. Standing poses in anime never show both legs bearing the same weight because it rarely happens in real life. The leg that is bearing the weight will be drawn straight and locked at the knee. As a result, the hip on that same side will be higher. The hip on the other side will not only be lower, but the leg on the other side will be bent at the knee or shifted away from the body. The asymmetry of this pose helps generate viewer interest.
  
  

Sitting Poses

• Decide if the character is leaning forward or backward; sitting at attention is boring. The upper body is doing the leaning while the lower half is static. In a seated position, the far side arm and leg will appear to be positioned higher than the near side limbs; this is due to perspective and because the limbs are separated by the hips and torso. Always draw the chair before the person to help you properly "seat" the person within the chair.
  
  

Resting Poses

• If a person is lying flat on the back or stomach, the body will flatten and widen out. The body isn't flat when lying on the side due to the height of the hips and rib cage. Also, the hips and rib cage are almost never positioned at the same angle. The hips are usually tilted away from the rib cage.
  
  

Action Poses

• This is where the "rule of cool" applies above all else. Action poses should be all out and as extreme as possible. Someone aiming a pistol would turn to "shoot behind himself," with his torso turned to the side. Someone avoiding a shot would dive out of the way with their whole body leaning and pointing in one direction. For hand-to-hand combat, the arms and legs will be fully extended when hitting.