You will often hear your seniors saying that your forms are the most important part of your training, but how do you translate that into your solo training? Engagement with your forms requires that you derive more from them than simply repeating moves someone else has taught you. You need to make the moves your own which can be challenging, especially at junior level, since you don’t have much context in which to place your forms. As you become more experienced, and learn more forms, you’ll find that there are certain repeated moves, themes or styles of energy usage that you’ll recognize. You’ll be able to compare and contrast the similarities, and differences, of the moves in your new form with your previous forms, and a deeper and wider understanding will slowly crystallise. Deriving meaning from forms at senior level is, therefore, an easier task than doing the same at junior level.

How then to derive meaning, and find useful insights, from your forms at junior level, or even for seniors who may be lacking inspiration? Since your forms are pre-defined, and you may not have many forms to compare to, you need to see the moves you know differently to provide a decent context. Here are some ideas for you to try:

IDEA 1: Different energies
a. Do your form once in the normal way.
b. Repeat the form 1, 2 or 3 times at “combat speed” with power, aggression and focus. Don’t worry about missing moves or sloppiness. Just go for full aggression to raise your energy level and switch your body and your “lizard mind” on.
c. Now repeat the form 1, 2 or 3 times in a mindful manner, with full focus on posture, awareness of breath, feeling the ground beneath your feet, trying to feel how intention translates into movement. If you lose your way, hold the position, breath normally, then continue when ready.
d. Now do your form once more in the normal way again.
QUESTIONS:
– Does it feel like the same form?
– Since you’ve done the same moves, why does it feel different for you?

IDEA 2: Re-re-wind
(This is one for UK Garage fans) Do your form in the usual way, but regularly “rewind” your moves by doing them backwards to a key point, then repeating them forwards again. At its most extreme this could involve moving into, back, then into again each move in your form. By doing your moves in reverse you will gain understanding of the point at which you must “commit” to a move, making it difficult to back off, which will bring valuable insights into your interactions with others in drills and sparring.

QUESTIONS:
– Does being aware of the point of “commitment” to a move change the way you do your move?
– Do you have some idea now why we step in such an indirect way in Sah Poh Poo No 1, tentatively feeling the floor before committing?
– Are there some moves than simply can’t be done backwards? Why?

IDEA 3: Mirror image
Do part, if not all, of your form off the “wrong side” of your body.

QUESTIONS:
– Do some moves just feel “wrong” done with the opposite side? Why?
– Should we be able to reflect any form, in principle, or do some reflections simply not work?
– What does this exercise reveal about our own asymmetries?
– What does this exercise reveal about intrinsic asymmetries in our System?

IDEA 4: Imaginary opponents
Extract part of your form and imagine that you are using the moves against imaginary opponents. The moves don’t have to be “street” realistic – imagine you’re making a kungfu movie, or that you have the level of conditioning of Sigung Quek, able to break marble slabs with your bare hands.

QUESTIONS:
– Can you think of a use or interpretation of each and every move? If you can’t think of some, ask your seniors!
– Do some moves have multiple interpretations?
– Do some moves need to be modified before they could be used? What if you had better conditioning?
– What if e.g. an advancing movement were replaced with a retreating or off-the-line movement, or the other way round – would it be more realistic then?
– Do the forms encode a realistic way of fighting, an idealised way of fighting, or something else?
– What kind of opponent are you imagining? Can you imagine using the moves against a boxer who favours hands, a taekwondo master who favours legs, or a BJJ master who would look to take you to the ground?

IDEA 5: Replace moves
Replace moves in your form with equivalent moves of another type. For example:
– Replace punches with palm strikes
– Replace kicks with hand equivalents (e.g. snapping side kick with a knife hand), and hands with leg equivalents (e.g. swing punch with turning kick)
– Do the weapon equivalent of an empty hand form, or the empty hand equivalent of a weapon form
QUESTIONS:
– Can you still make a form work after replacing moves?
– What does the ease or difficulty of replacing moves tell you about the character of the form?
– After replacing moves what other modifications would be needed to make the form flow?

IDEA 6: Different character
This exercise is most appropriate to more senior students: do one form in the character or energy of another, changing hand formations as necessary. Examples are:
– Doing Peh Hok in the character of Cheet Chieh
– Doing Jee Kee Boay in monkey style (don’t worry, you’re at home, no-one from class will see you)
– Doing a more external form in internal style
QUESTIONS:
– Can any form be done in any other style, or does it change into another form?
– What makes a form a form?

Please remember to keep track of your impressions in your training diary, and be sure to share any other ideas you have for engaging with your forms.

Good luck, keep training and stay safe!
— Sifu Leppard