Task: Question Answering
Input (English): It would have been easy to close the distance , control the center , and stack the deck heavily in my favor , but I played soft . Sparring time is too precious to waste on that old dilettante bullshit - fight or don't fight . Nothing in between . On the up side , I learned that putting all that weight on my shield foot was limiting my offensive options , so I'm going to a more balanced stance . Also , I figured out the mechanics of a funky off - side shot that was used against me at Pennsic , and even managed to score with it once or twice . 
Question: What may have caused you to switch to a balanced stance ?
Output (English): I had trouble going on offense .