| FORMS, PATTERNS, HYUNGS ARE YOU SWIMMING IN SAND? |
| By Earl Weiss Published in the Taekwon-Do Times July 1989 |
| Whether you call them patterns, forms or hyungs, they are a part of your martial art. But do they play an integral role in developing your skills – or are they only a perfunctory tradition? |
| Many instructors and martial arts experts have espoused the importance of traditional forms. They reason that forms not only develop skill levels and techniques, but stamina, muscular development, proper technique from, balance, breathing and power as well. Some experts, most notably Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, have repeatedly stated that traditional patterns do more harm than good since the classical form techniques are not useful in sparring. Bruce Lee has referred to what he believed was an antiquated activity as “swimming in sand.” However, this philosophy over looks a fundamental aspect of the martial arts, there is more to a martial art than sparring. For instance, the patterns in the martial arts have a certain aesthetic beauty, which can best be exhibited through performance of a pattern. Further, these patterns serve as a standard against which to measure a person’s performance of a given technique along with their transition from one technique to another. A comparison might be made to the “school figures” used in figure skating. Further, at any given time, a person may be prevented from sparring due to a temporary or permanent physical disability. These persons should not be denied active participation in the martial arts merely because of this disability. In fact, I have seen martial artists without legs, in wheelchairs, and a martial artist without arms, perform patterns, or forms, which they adapted to their unique physical characteristics. While these persons could be at a real disadvantage with regard to sparring they were able to express artistic movement and individuality through the patterns. Indeed, every person can express an individuality through performance of a pattern. It is also true that a martial artist may be confronted with a situation that does not involve traditional sparring. For instance, if a person was to be attacked with a pole or a pipe, the defensive tactic might be very similar to the traditional rising block. Certainly there would be some damage to the body, but it would probably be much less than if a slipping or parrying technique, which is usually used in fighting, is used. In addition to sparring and self-defense, it has long been the tradition of many martial arts to use “breaking techniques” to exhibit the force and or speed of a particular technique. In viewing methods of a kicking, punching or other attacking techniques along a continuous spectrum, one might see a variety of action. At one end of the spectrum would be the techniques used in sparring in which maintaining a defensive posture and mobile stance is of primary concern while performing fast movements. This however, might not necessarily generate an individual’s maximum force. |
| At the other end of the spectrum are techniques used in breaking which are designed to generate maximum force and speed with little or no concern given to maintaining a mobile stance and defensive posture. These techniques might also be used in a street confrontation. For instance, the defender may begin with an optimal fighting stance, but once an opening presents itself, the technique generating maximum force may be utilized when there is no longer a concern to defend against a counterattack. In the middle of the spectrum, we have the techniques as performed in the pattern or form. If the martial artist was to practice only techniques as performed in sparring, it would be difficult to develop the maximum force required in breaking techniques. On the other hand, if martial artists were only to perform techniques generating maximum force, it would be a long way down the spectrum to develop proper mobile stances and defensive posture. By teaching through the use of forms, the student is provided with a midpoint from which to vary his techniques for use in sparring, or use in generation of maximum force. So while some experts believe that the traditional forms serve no useful purpose, I believe that by not practicing them, the teacher and the student will be missing out on a tremendously beneficial and enlightening aspect of their martial art. |
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