Martial Arts Forms their true purpose?

[Dsimon3387]

Forms also serve as mnemonic tools in largely illiterate or partially literate cultures/communities, especially those that really venerate "ancestral wisdom". They also have a cultural and historical value that has very little to do with how well they teach practical fighting skills, though IMO a good teacher/practitioner can interpret forms so that they do teach valid practical lessons.

Indeed.

What is not so obvious is that they are in fact a very efficient way of transmitting a lot of information through our social nature. For example on older times when conditioning nutrition and other such things had to be a part of training forms had a way to address that: namely when you could complete you were strong enough to go on.

Please see my example about the Vedas.... reason being that while there is more egalitarian type impulses when we discuss martial training, this type of social learning that involves the body can be used by the literate class as well. However it would be a mistake to not note, as you have noted properly, that learning through movements is an inherently egalitarian process, despite how people may hide forms from each other.

[crappler]

Our Asian predecessors invented forms because they erroneously believed they were the best form of training techniques along with proper posture and body positioning. Our Western predecessors did not invent forms because they believed, correctly, that the best form of training was practicing the actual techniques while using proper posture and body positioning. They are a relic of an era past, more historical curiosity than useful tool.

That being said, it's a fairly safe way for old fuckers like me to still pretend they are doing Krotty without suffering debilitating injuries due to cruel, medieval training methods.

And class filler.

[It is Fake]

I like learning forms because it is historical record of my art that has been handed down intact through a long, unbroken lineage. It is cool to be doing a form that was done similarly a hundred years ago.

Hate to break it to you but, it is doubtful you are doing the actual 100 year old form

[Dsimon3387]

Our Asian predecessors invented forms because they erroneously believed they were the best form of training techniques along with proper posture and body positioning. Our Western predecessors did not invent forms because they believed, correctly, that the best form of training was practicing the actual techniques while using proper posture and body positioning. They are a relic of an era past, more historical curiosity than useful tool.

That being said, it's a fairly safe way for old fuckers like me to still pretend they are doing Krotty without suffering debilitating injuries due to cruel, medieval training methods.

And class filler.

and so the screed goes.

Guys look.... Look at the issue for a moment from the perspective of the teacher and before we go there... can you name any Japanese are with no forms? I don't think that Aikido or AIkijutsu has forms. But even Kano, quite the Western nfluenced one, quite the intellectual giant, quite th innovator, thought it prudent to incorporate forms into Judo... WHY?

First off you have your Ryu ha, and in your ryuha you have your fighters your teachers your heredity people etc and you need some form of consistancy.... you realize that even before the telephone is invented... that if you try to teach every individual the art, or even some individuals so they can teach others that 3 generations from now (the game of telephone) what you want your **** to look like will probably look very different... No you need a way to transmit the art in a base way that gives everybody certain defining info and characteristics about your art...

Forms are a way to do that. from the most literate to the most ill literate you can vertually guarantee that everyone understands the base principles that make your art transmitable as your art.

Everybody here so far is only thinking from a studen's perspective. You can have 3 generations of gifted teachers working on vastly different approaches but all referring to the same kata. You can have change and immutabilty.

The problem is not the guy who needs to practice the punch it is the stylistic qualities of the way you want the punch to be and how to guarantee that those characteristics will be understood, critiqued, applied.

[tkd panda]

This thread =:beatdead:.

[Larus marinus]

I was under the impression that forms were something that striking-based TMAs hid their top-secret, high-level grappling techniques within.

[helmutlvx]

I was under the impression that forms were something that striking-based TMAs hid their top-secret, high-level grappling techniques within.

Certainly! And it's all ready to be yours for 6,583 payments of JUST $19.95!

Call RIGHT NOW and you'll also receive psychological validation for your insane claims with no historical backing!

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P.S. Dsimon3387, you suck big wet donkey cocks. I hope you get raped repeatedly by a group of bears.

[tkd panda]

I was under the impression that forms were something that striking-based TMAs hid their top-secret, high-level grappling techniques within.

Thats what we want you to think.

[Alucard619]

I was under the impression that forms were something that striking-based TMAs hid their top-secret, high-level grappling techniques within.

Ssshhh!!

I'm of the notion that forms, when trained properly are beneficial sure. To learn how to actually apply your techniques (kicks, punches etc.) you need to spar.

[Dsimon3387]

Certainly! And it's all ready to be yours for 6,583 payments of JUST $19.95!

Call RIGHT NOW and you'll also receive psychological validation for your insane claims with no historical backing!

CALL NOW.

P.S. Dsimon3387, you suck big wet donkey cocks. I hope you get raped repeatedly by a group of bears.

So sorry that someone has forced you to engage in this thread.... Hope they let you off the hook for the sake of us both as I could live without your ignorance and hostility

edit by the way you study goju yes? would you care to elaborate on where one can see the differnce between Goju and Sho ran Ryu? Might it be in the katas?