Form Versus Application

Form is an integral part of the martial arts, in fact form is the one thing that makes a martial art an art. There are the forms we learn, Kempo, Lao Gar, Da Mu Hsing — their practice give us the base upon which our style is built. But form is also found in the way we teach applications. The subtle movements of an application, along with the theory and thought process that supports the movement, make up the form of the application. This form is the base upon which every variation of the applied application is based.

Ego is a major interfering factor when it comes to approaching a martial art as an art. It is our ego that limits our understanding and limits our receptiveness to higher level learning. Ego-based practitioners focus on application first and form second.

An application is only an application for a very specific list of parameters. Opponent grabs me here, I shift my weight, turn their arm, and take them down. Voila, it works. Now if my opponent grabs me over there then I learn another application to respond. I keep learning new applications to address specific scenarios. If someone attacks me outside my learned defences, I am on my own.

Form is the idea and logic behind the application. Motions are exaggerated to reinforce the subtleties of the application so that it is technique and not brute strength that addresses the situation. A person who learns form is actually learning an infinite number of applications where they just have to adapt their core knowledge to the specific situation. Their defence is not based upon a set number of memorized responses but rather a single fundamental idea. Their response is a continually in flux as the parameters of the attack change.  A person who only learns application is very limited in their response because the natural flow from one application to another is not supported by a cohesive base.

Form versus application? The ego decides.

"A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at." - Bruce Lee (1940 - 1973)