Thoughts on Learning Forms
Hello Students! Forms training seems to be one of those things that people either love or hate. I personally love training with forms and believe that there is a certain mindset that you have to be in to enjoy working on them. If you just go through the motions over and over again, of course it will get boring. You have to set a goal; you have to have something to work on in order to improve yourself. Repetition will only allow you to memorize the movements in the form, and that is not the only thing that they are meant to teach. With forms, you continually are able to judge yourself on how well your technique is improving and learn to focus better, hand-foot timing, power, speed, accuracy, rhythm, among other things. When you work with forms outside of class, take the time to clear the area so you do not have to adjust as much. You will be able to focus better on your goal when doing so. Also, work on one line at a time and take a break every now and then; working with forms not only trains your body but your mind as well. Your goal could be something technical, such as to get that front kick to snap better, jump higher on a jump round kick, strong low stances, correct foot position, correct hand position, tight fingers on a knifehand strike or block, etc. You can also set a long term goal with your form to be able to achieve a state or world champion title at tournaments (for instructor students only). It doesn’t matter what your goal is, just make sure you are always working to improve yourself. If you just go through the motions without working towards a higher level of training, then you will not get any better and form training will become boring to you. It is just like getting in a car and driving down the road with no destination. Plan ahead, set some goals, and lets have some fun with our Forms!