Martial Arts Forms

The following post is excerpted from my article No Point: The Case Against Competition in the Martial Arts, which was published in the January 2001 issue of Taekwondo Times magazine.

“For some, they are an antiquated training method with little practical value for the contemporary martial artist. To others, they are the heart and soul of an art. What are they? Forms.” [1] The exact origins of martial arts forms is usually a topic of debate, but in the case of Okinawan Karate styles it’s believed that kata originated “when Japan occupied and controlled most of Okinawa’s territories in 1609, the samuari took away the Okinawans’ weapons. As a result, the Okinawans had to find another way to protect themselves.” [2] Since the Japanese also forbade training in the fighting arts, the Okinawans devised ways to practice self-defense that, on first glance, would resemble harmless exercise or dance.

Kata, tul, hyung, or whatever a martial art calls them according to their traditions and country of origin are the cornerstone of martial arts training. Most forms have some sort of historical or cultural significance to the name. For example, the Taekwon-Do form “Yul-Gok is the pseudonym of the great philosopher and scholar Yi I (1536-1584) nicknamed the ‘Confucius of Korea.’ The 38 movements of this pattern refer to his birthplace on the 38` latitude and the diagram [of the pattern] (~) represents scholar.” [3]

Clearly, these forms mean much more than just punches and kicks. “If you don’t learn any history, you will have no grasp of the concept of your martial art.” [4] To reinforce this point, I have heard Taekwon-Do Grandmaster Sun Duk Choi state that one cannot train in Taekwon-Do without also studying Korean history. Furthermore, forms are “the most vital method of transmitting or learning a skill in the budo.” [5] It is this type of training that is absent when students are lead to believe that their forms are “good” or “bad” based on the subjective opinions of others during one particular performance. Forms get reduced to the superficial, how they look, instead of what really matters.

Even tournament competitor Jon Valera said that “forms are supposed to be a fight scene.” [6] However, it is inconceivable that any of the carefully rehearsed flying and spinning kicks that made him successful in a tournament would be successful in a street fight, “a synonym for absolute chaos.” [7]

---------------------
[1] Nardi, Thomas J. “Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em.” Martial Arts Training. July, 1998: 20.
[2] Blumenthal, Paris. “Traditionalism is Here to Stay.” Martial Arts Training. May 1998: 37.
[3] International on-Do Federation. “The Interpretation of Patterns.” http://www.itf-taekwondo.com. 1999.
[4] Barber, Clayton. “Brain Washing, Nonsense and Impracticalities.” Martial Arts Training. November, 1998: 37.
[5] Lowry, Dave. “The Three Basic Concepts of ‘The Warrior Ways’.” Black Belt. July, 1997: 22.
[6] Wordsworth, Byron. “Unbeatable Forms.” Martial Arts Training. March, 1998: 6-12.
[7] Vargo, Keith. “The Myth of Street Fighting.” Black Belt. January, 1999: 26.