There are plenty of benefits of practicing forms for training, but recently a new camp of practitioners has become more vocal about the negative aspects that form may have. This article will attempt to cover the contemporary look at these dynamic patterns of movement.
Pros
Movements within a martial art take precedence. The cleaner, quicker, more fluid, and more natural the movements are, the less technique is an issue for the martial artist. Forms allow continuous practice of technique without the horrors of standing still and running drills.
Upper level forms almost always are vigorous enough to act as specialized endurance workouts.
Some schools boast that forms help students understand the body’s place within their style. It is assumed that lower-level forms allow students to understand technique, and each successive form asks that a student go through more and more complex movements in order to continue.
Many schools, often times featured by schools specific to weapons, will have forms be performed with partners. The form becomes a complex dance, moving back and forth, each movement serving as a block, an attack, or a change in position. This exercise is meant to make the techniques of the form become more real for the student.
Cons
Many artists, especially those becoming involved in cross-training, dual-styles, or MMA have found the continuous movements to be too restricting on their training. Meshing styles often leads to muddling of technique. MMA asks practitioners to constantly adapt to their opponent, which can be difficult to do if the same forms are being practiced over and over.
Another issue for MMA fighters is timing. While timing in forms focuses on the length of time a movement is meant to take, timing within confrontation concerns itself with windows of opportunity. Mechanized movement once again presents itself as an issue if when an opening is missed because kicks and punches can only move one speed.
Students from schools that practice partnered forms voice the largest complaints. Even though they’re working with other students, long-time Kendo swordsman Jack Hindel says “…it is difficult to know other options available outside the form when working with other people. We’re used to working with others, just incorrectly…”
Solving the Problem
To get around the issue of fluidity in competitive martial artists, it is becoming increasingly common for schools to offer students an option of taking MMA lessons, which may exempt them from certain, typical class work. Other schools may cut out traditional lessons altogether, allowing students to work entirely from experience after a certain belt rank.
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