You just tried a new belt…what’s next? A new form, most likely…also known as patterns, poomses, or hyungs. Now, he’ll go through the process of perfecting his forms again before the next strap test. You may be wondering, what is the purpose of all these shapes?
As a Taekwondo practitioner for over 30 years, I have come full circle for the purpose of the elements we practice in class. In fact, I’ve done a couple of full circles on forms. During my younger days as a competitive point-style fighter, I wasn’t much into forms. I practiced them, and I did well. In fact, I did very well in all the tournaments I competed in. What really interested me was sparring. That’s what I lived for.
I found all the ways to justify that the forms had nothing to do with combat. For example, a boxer does not make forms. Kickboxers don’t do forms. Fighters don’t make forms. Other sports do not make forms. Why should I pay close attention to forms. I’m about as logical of a thinker as you can get. I will justify and calculate almost everything. That’s probably why he graduated with an engineering degree. By the way, I retired after a year.
I have heard others argue that boxers, kickboxers and wrestlers have forms. They are just made in a different way. Oh, what a sad attempt to create a similarity. Here’s my answer: Those other sports have combinations and drills, just like we do in Taekwondo, but they still don’t memorize sequences of techniques, which consist of 15 to 30 steps in length.
Ok, this is where I finally did my first full circle. Taekwondo is not a sport. Therefore, it should not be compared to other sports. I first started in the ITF, and now I’m in the WTF, and still… I think of our practice as an art form about the sport, regardless of how many competitions I’ve done and our academy still does. Taekwondo has a sports component, in fact most martial arts have a sports component. Tai Chi even has competition.
At this point, I understood that it is not fair to compare what we do as Taekwondo practitioners with boxers. Taekwondo, and most martial arts, focus on building yourself from the inside out. Become a person of great character. A person who lives by certain principles: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit. Martial arts were created thousands of years ago to defend lands and emperors, as well as for personal protection when traveling great distances.
Ancient history shows the training of warriors with memorized sequences of techniques-forms. These forms were probably used to keep warriors mentally sharp and fit when training alone. Making shapes allows you to visualize the attacks of multiple opponents. Imagine, you are a monk, 3000 years ago, traveling for several weeks… alone. You need a means to develop physically and mentally. The forms will allow you to visualize attackers, while defending yourself with explosive techniques. Every time you execute a technique in your form, you execute it with power, focus, and precision. The training develops your technique from cutting repetition, as well as your mental focus and discipline.
Now it’s easy to fall off the ancient warrior bandwagon when you’re competing. I have training partners and equipment to practice. I don’t need to train with just forms to develop my combat skills. Once again, I have justified why my Taekwondo forms can take a backseat to my training.
oh haha!!! It has finally touched me. He was staring at me during my first full circle with the importance of shapes. First, let me explain that forms have many benefits:
1. Taekwondo forms help you build strength in specific techniques by regularly executing them in powerful ways.
2. Taekwondo forms discipline your body to control your breathing by exhaling while executing techniques and inhaling in between.
3. Taekwondo forms teach your body good balance by executing kicks, blocks and punches with power, but then maintain proper posture and position of feet and hands without understanding your posture. Good technique is of the utmost importance in forms because it challenges us more with coordination and balance.
4. Taekwondo forms offer us a means to “empty your cup”. Emptying your cup is a symbol of life. There is so much stress and so many tasks that you can allow your mind and body to handle. Forms is an activity that allows you to release some of those tensions that are consuming you mentally. Practice forms for 30 minutes after a long stressful day and you’ll understand the true meaning of “emptying your glass.”
Now that’s not the great benefit that forms have. The great benefit dates back to ancient warriors. It’s funny how the biggest benefits are time-tested from a long time ago. The benefit is visualization. 90% of all Olympic athletes are visualizers. 90% of successful entrepreneurs in this country imagined their success.
So how to take advantage of this invaluable quality? Practices! Visualization is an art that can be mastered. If you perform your Taekwondo forms in a mundane way focusing only on technique, balance, and breathing, you are missing out on a huge component. To develop your skills as a powerful visualizer, you must visualize every attack you’re blocking and every target you’re attacking. This mental exercise is so powerful that it should continue for the rest of your life.
There are many books on the law of attraction, so I won’t write about it, but the premise of this law is visualization. If entrepreneurs do it, entrepreneurs do it, Olympians do it, ancient warriors do it and it made them successful, I’d say it’s worth doing.
“Wait a minute… I’m in martial arts for self-defense, not some business success course.” So be it. Each step in his form is a defense or counter to an aggressor. The more you visualize those attacks and your defense and counter them, the more proficient and natural it will be, should you come across a similar attack. This is the reason why you learn various forms in Taekwondo. Each form gives you a familiar perspective on a particular attack. The more shapes you know, the more tools you have mentally and physically to use.
Second full circle, now complete. I’m sure I’ll probably do another full circle soon. In fact, I am looking for a reason to do these circles, because it allows me to continue growing as a taekwondo player. As many great people before me have said, “When you’re not growing, you’re rotting.” It is the natural law of nature.
Good luck with your training!