basically
i have a theory as to why forms are useless
basically i see it as
if your shadow boxing your thinking of where your placing hits on an opponent and moving according to that, your free flowing and fighting an imaginary opponent this enables you to react accordingly should it happen in real life
now with forms the way i learnt them tho i would try and think where they would go
the emphasis was on it looking right, with the right move coming after the previous one etc
now if your only thinking about what to put after another move arent you basically a dancer? your mind is so preoccupied on getting the form right that you miss out on what the techniques you are practising actually do.
a punch is a punch but who punches with the intention of the one coming after it looking right ? or in the correct order ?
Well, first off it’s not that you have “a theory as to why forms are useless” but rather an opinion that forms are useless.
You then go on to explain the problem you have encountered with forms training. Don’t assume everyone else has the same problem.
Now, the reason you have that problem with forms training is because you haven’t learned the forms let alone master them. It sounds to me like you barely learned the sequence and decided that was all there was to it and gave up.
That seems to be the pattern with the anti-forms people, at least that’s my opinion. They never get very far past the sequence memorization. Not everyone learns the same way and for some this way of learning doesn’t work for them (whether it’s poor instruction or they just aren’t geared towards this style of learning).
If you’re still concentrating on what move comes next then you have quite a way to go before acquiring any benefits from the practice.
That’s a very typical response. We’ve all seen the student who thinks he’s done when he’s shown the last move of the set and can get through it from beginning to end. What he doesn’t realize is that’s just the beginning of learning the form.
if you are moving your hands and feet in the air by yourself.
repetition of single move or forms.
you are only learning to understand the balance of your movement.
to develop certain power, such as grabbing, hooking, sweeping or hitting (fist or kicks), we have to use props such as punching bags, pads or flour/sand bags etc.
to learn interaction, yes we have to have a good training partner to “work” with.
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my point is that forms are not useless, they help you some what.
Don’t like forms, don’t do 'em.
Like forms, do 'em.
If memory serves me correctly, you do modern wushu, right?
That is probably why you feel this way, because wushu forms are useless aside from a bit of athleticism.
If the correct execution of the form doesn’t come out on it’s own, you don’t know it, you only memorized it. If it comes out right the first time after months, or even years, of not practicing it, you know the form and now it’s time to actually train it. It’s at this point that the form goes from being a goofy list of body movements to true fighting art.
[QUOTE=golden arhat;857278]basically
i have a theory as to why forms are useless
basically i see it as
if your shadow boxing your thinking of where your placing hits on an opponent and moving according to that, your free flowing and fighting an imaginary opponent this enables you to react accordingly should it happen in real life
now with forms the way i learnt them tho i would try and think where they would go
the emphasis was on it looking right, with the right move coming after the previous one etc
now if your only thinking about what to put after another move arent you basically a dancer? your mind is so preoccupied on getting the form right that you miss out on what the techniques you are practising actually do.
a punch is a punch but who punches with the intention of the one coming after it looking right ? or in the correct order ?
thoughts ?[/QUOTE]
It sounds like you are looking at forms wrong. As we all know, I am not the biggest proponent of forms, but they have their uses. Memorizing them is really only the beginning, if that is all you are doing with your forms, there is more work to do.
Forms serve a purpose, some of them are pretty obvious others more hard to find.
Fact is, if you just wanna fight, you don’t need forms.
Forms can be the keepers of history and tradition, they can hold the missing piece to your MA, or they can be a total waste of time.
Forms, like everything else, must be accepted for what they are and disregarded for what they are not.
Rarely do you find Boxers, Kickboxers, etc. who stay in shape in their 60’s and up.
[QUOTE=sanjuro_ronin;857345]Forms serve a purpose, some of them are pretty obvious others more hard to find.
Fact is, if you just wanna fight, you don’t need forms.
Forms can be the keepers of history and tradition, they can hold the missing piece to your MA, or they can be a total waste of time.
Forms, like everything else, must be accepted for what they are and disregarded for what they are not.
[QUOTE=David Jamieson;857288]yes, the musings of a single individual will always trump a couple fo hundred years of concentrated efforts by thousands. :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]
Ah, but the educated concensus is that forms as we know them today are less than TWO hundreds years old as opposed to a martial culture in CHina that is THOUSANDS of years old
IE, for most of TCMA’s history, it was done more like, gasp!, mixed martial arts :eek:
