How much value do you place on practicing forms?

Question

Me?

Personally, when I started practicing forms more my skills benefited greatly.

It has helped my sparring tremendously.

My teacher is all about combat and he makes us continually refine our forms. No improvement in our forms, no sparring. Improvement with forms and he'll let us practice applications.

I really didn't like this at first, but his students always shine at competitions.

Your thoughts?

Answer 1

Allot. Many people miss that the structure for kicks and strike are in the stances of the forms. To deliver great power in all your strikes you must practice (and to be good, you should practice delivering those strikes from odd stances). Now you can either walk through all your strikes and come up with some pattern or try to shadow box. But you ever start to shadow box and decide to quit just because your bored or whatever. Forms allow you to practice in this manner while having a definite starting and ending point. You can run through your forms like reps. they allow great versatility. And even if you don't have a punching bag so to say, you can still practice your forms. See the applications!!

Answer 2

Forms are the bible of all techniques and should be practiced accordingly

Answer 3

a punch is a punch, but when your bladed against your opponent, elbows tucked in for cover, and you step in with your weight while being balanced.

you've got good form, a solid punch, and a good chance you won't get clocked while doing it

form are the basics, and the basics are everything

Answer 4

How many forms do they learn in Muay Thai?  Hmmm...

Answer 5

I always practice my kata, that way i never have to think about what I'm doing it just simply happens. I've have learned in my school that when one performs greatly while doing their kata they do even better while fighting.

Answer 6

I totally agree.  Unfortunately many schools and instructors don't have very high standards and/or don't teach the essence and application of the form and some of the principles behind some of those techniques.  Instead they just teach the form and if it looks good the student has fulfilled their promotion requirement for that aspect.  Along with that I have always said that the same speed, reflexes, power, balance, along with the muscles you use to perform a kata well are the same tools it takes to be a good fighter.  That coupled with an attention for detail, the discipline required to develop and hone your kata to a high level also aids you in training to be a better fighter.  I know more martial artists that are good in kata as well as good fighters than martial artists that are just good fighters.

Answer 7

Contact me if you are serious about knowing why kata are so important.  It would take to long to explain here.

EDIT:  I have video that will answer your questions of you want to see for yourself.

Answer 8

Your instructor may seem a little old school. The old school got to be old school because for about 2000 years of trial and error it works the best. Forms were not created in a vacuum. Many are more than 100 years old. They are the distillation of the knowledge of several masters. They are a way to build muscle memory so that moves become instinctive and flow from one to the other without hesitation as the need arises.

Forms for the sake of forms alone are not the whole picture. You need contact with training partners and full contact from time to time as well.

Answer 9

Kata are everything... They have many uses, so think outside the box.

Answer 10

Forms help retain the tradition and history of martial arts. I enjoy the beauty and precision of doing kata. Without forms, you are just fighting. A lot of our best fighters in our school stem from being good at kata. The training is different for sparring and kata, but together, it completes your martial training.

Answer 11

Forms are very valuable, because they help commit teqniques to muscle memory, but then again, if you throw a jab/cross combo thousands of times, you get the same result. Forms are also a way of passing on tradition from one generation to the next... If you are a serious martial artist, forms practice is a must; they train you to strive for perfection.

Answer 12

Forms are good for forms competition and shouldn't be taught to the competitive fighter.  I prefer spending my valuable time on drills and  two men-prearranged applications and of cause sparring.  

Forms are a glorified version of the boxers Shadow boxing routine.  You need to make contact in real time (which is constantly changing as well as opponents techniques) in order to perfect technique. forms are not in real time or or against a real opponent, I rest my case.

Answer 13

High value.  Forms make you practice moves you don't like so that you improve weaknesses.  The lack of forms is the only fault I have with MMA and other formless systems.