Who Likes Forms?

[bushido_man96]

This is one way that I look at forms. They are a set of moves and stances strung together to help build coordination and skill.

Sure, some of the techniques will never be used, like and x-block, but doing these techniques causes you to coordinate different parts of your body in different ways, helping with skill development.

As for the x-block, it could be used if you are using both hands to redirect a punch to your face, and then turning your hands to grab and wrap the opponent up. It is just not used in the complete technical application that is used in the form.

[Sohan]

There's a lot of truth to what DokterVet is saying, and he makes some great points that I completely agree with. Pretty insightful for a 21 year old.

However, everyone does martial arts for different reasons. Obviously we all want to know how to fight, but even if you never master the bunkei in a kata it still trains the muscles to respond in a certain pattern, which can certainly manifest itself in real fighting.

Case in point. I have had periods where all I trained was kata and I did no sparring, no two person work, nothing. When I came back to working with a partner, my movements were quick, strong, and precise. I've trained in boxing, MT, etc, and no doubt these offer a quick solution to winning a fistfight. But I think I've actually made my footwork better by doing Okinawan kata. My MT teacher has commented on my mobility improvement and balance since taking up karate-do.

I think that everyone who does karate exclusively should spend some time learning MT, boxing, grappling, etc. And conversely I feel boxers and grapplers should do the same with karate, TKD, and kung fu. We all have so much to gain from each other. It may be time consuming to study many arts, but I am a more complete martial artist and more effective for doing so. Besides, what else am I going to do with my time? Watch American Idol?

Respectfully,

Sohan

[DokterVet]

Case in point. I have had periods where all I trained was kata and I did no sparring, no two person work, nothing. When I came back to working with a partner, my movements were quick, strong, and precise. I've trained in boxing, MT, etc, and no doubt these offer a quick solution to winning a fistfight. But I think I've actually made my footwork better by doing Okinawan kata. My MT teacher has commented on my mobility improvement and balance since taking up karate-do.

Cool. Do you have any specific examples of using kata footwork in your MT, or is it more of a general sense of mobility and balance?

[elbows_and_knees]

MT by it's very nature isn't very mobile anyway, so yeah I can understand that. Most western MT is mobile because it uses boxing footwork.

[Holland]

The truth is, the more you are exposed to, whether it be fighting or kata, the better a martial artist you will become.

Sadly among many isshinryuists, there is belief that everything that you need to know about karate comes from our 8 open hand katas. To anyone who has trained in multiple styles, or a style that teaches many katas and techniques, this seems somewhat ludicrous.

About the origin of this thread...I love kata and I think that it is the heart of what we are doing. I would not train in a dojo that did nothing but fight as I think the spiritual nature of such a class would be lacking.

Just my opinion of course.

[Anbu Alex]

at first i loved sparrining and thought forms were useless but for me if see forms as a way to work techniques into your body so you wont have to think about performong the techniques and it conditions your body to aactually do the techniques and teaches u to stay mentally fudo (immovable) so now i like forms a bit more than sparring especially when i proved my friend wrong in a hypothesis he had

[ShoreiSmurf]

I think that everyone who does karate exclusively should spend some time learning MT, boxing, grappling, etc. And conversely I feel boxers and grapplers should do the same with karate, TKD, and kung fu. We all have so much to gain from each other. It may be time consuming to study many arts, but I am a more complete martial artist and more effective for doing so. Besides, what else am I going to do with my time? Watch American Idol?

I too think that there needs to be a lot more cross training. My kajukenbo instructor had a funny little saying, that I found to be very true once I started to teach full time: "A white belt is the greatest teacher" I think this is true, because after training for so long, I find students just do as they are told. Where as a white belt will ask: "Why?" I think this can be applied to cross training when you tell someone I am going to do this technique this way, and they look at you and go: "Why?" It makes you think. This is what I find so important about kata work. It makes you think. However, to be well a rounded MA's you need all the stuff that DokterVet was saying too.

[Aodhan]

Hrm. I love kata and kumite both. When I was younger, I gravitated more towards the sparring side, and as I've gotten older I like the forms more. (Still love the sparring, though!)

I had a thought, but I think I will do a poll in another thread. There is a comparison that I'd like to see.

Aodhan

[ShoreiSmurf]

Which thread are you going to do it so we can partake in your poll