{"id":16395,"date":"2016-03-06T13:26:40","date_gmt":"2016-03-06T21:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.plumpub.com\/kaimen\/?p=16395"},"modified":"2016-03-09T22:47:57","modified_gmt":"2016-03-10T06:47:57","slug":"another-modest-proposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.plumpub.com\/kaimen\/2016\/another-modest-proposal\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Modest Proposal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"art_formsproposal2\"Through my entire martial career I have been listening to everyone\u2019s questions and problems with traditional forms. For most people, it all centers on practicality. For some people, the answer lies in detailed analysis of the forms and what self defense and fighting treasures<\/strong> are hidden therein. For still others, it\u2019s a lost cause and the forms are considered great performances for the tournament circuit, little more. Whether traditional or contemporary, they are pretty much show items and therefore as variable as whim commands.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a long stretch of twilight zone between<\/strong> these two outposts.<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, some instructors say that forms do contain practical information, but only at the most basic level\u2013punch and kick and such. Others say that the contents of forms are the secret stuff that will only burst into fire when you\u2019ve spent enough time blowing<\/strong> on the embers.<\/span><\/p>\n

And, of course, let us not forget those who would like to leave forms outside to be picked up<\/strong> on trash Thursday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"art_formsproposal4\"<\/span>I\u2019ve listened to this endless debate for years<\/strong> and I think I have a unique point of view. But I must clear one point before we go on.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m addressing this puzzle, none other. That forms are a cultural treasure, that they allow anyone in the village to participate in the art of the marital, that they record thoughts and triumphs of centuries pass, that they even help with a sense of beauty and continuity<\/strong>; I will offer these as already decided for the positive.<\/span><\/p>\n

As far as the question at hand, I feel none of these reservations about forms and never have. Let me see if I can reprogram you a little. The application of your fighting movements is never going to be standardized, never. They are always going to vary with the situation. That means, and this is important, that a reliance on a formal execution EXCEPT AS A GENERIC PATTERN OF MOVEMENT is completely improper. Forms DO help groove in the most efficient, most fluid and, consequently, least workable version of each action. Forms concentrate on linkage<\/strong>, the ability to transform from one move to another. Perfectly executed trade offs of this move with that, this angle of adjustment, this trick of timing are the core value of the forms. They improve all elements of the art.<\/span>\"art_formsproposal3\"<\/span><\/p>\n

And, as far as transitions being easy or unimportant, ask a few of your top students to \u201cmake up a little form\u201d and watch the stumbling begin. Efficient and functional transitions link the movements in an essential way and, as a bonus, introduce angular execution and defense. Played either slowly or very rapidly, they allow you to concentrate<\/strong> on immediate and explosive action.<\/span><\/p>\n

But even with all these features I have always\u2013as far as usage goes\u2013considered forms to NOT be practical in the sense of direct application. Considering anything but<\/strong> generic asks for a rude surprise. Forms teach the general shapes with no deformations. They contribute variation without varying themselves.\u00a0 It is not uncommon that the\u00a0 universality of forms suggests all sorts of real-life solutions you would never get by always trying to acquire that killer punch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"art_formsproposal1\"<\/span>Forms are a part of the warrior\u2019s experience. Many cultures Arab, Norse, African and more all perform dances or rituals much like forms before battle<\/strong>. For centuries they have \u201ccalled up the spirit\u201d by practicing forms that raise the mind while reiterating the strokes.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is far better to assume forms are for forms’ sake, than rely on their being incredibly functional. They aren’t strictly functional, that’s the way it is. By agreeing to that, we relieve<\/strong> them of a mis-assigned burden, and allow them to teach us what they are good at: defining the space where martial movement occurs.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Through my entire martial career I have been listening to everyone\u2019s questions and problems with traditional forms. For most people, it all centers on practicality. For some people, the answer lies in detailed analysis of the forms and what self defense and fighting treasures are hidden therein. For still others, it\u2019s a lost cause and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"People in the #martialarts are obsessed with forms practice, but most of them don't understand it. #kungfu,#taichi","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19,37],"tags":[1285,8,1162,2357,940,482,2358,1616,6,2359,216],"class_list":["post-16395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","category-training","tag-kata","tag-kung-fu","tag-kung-fu-forms","tag-kung-fu-forms-practice","tag-kung-fu-usage","tag-martial-arts","tag-martial-spirit","tag-martial-training","tag-tai-chi","tag-tao-lu","tag-wushu"],"yoast_head":"\nAnother Modest Proposal - KaiMen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.plumpub.com\/kaimen\/2016\/another-modest-proposal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Another Modest Proposal - KaiMen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Through my entire martial career I have been listening to everyone\u2019s questions and problems with traditional forms. 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