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Forms are a continuous sequence of moves that can range from just a few moves to hundreds of moves. Forms, also known as Kata in Japanese, represent a means for a martial arts student to perfect, practice, and develop his martial art technique and understanding. Forms are similar to combinations, but much harder to do because the student has to perform a long series of moves in combination with each other and maintain the proper basic technique elements. Each Chinese form also contributes specific developments to the student’s overall abilities. Some forms develop stances, while other forms develop kicks or breathing. Forms represent the essence of Chinese Kung Fu for in them are found all the elements and secrets of the Chinese arts. Students learn mental and physical control, patience, and discipline along with discovering the secrets of self-defense, conditioning and flexibility. Forms represent an encyclopedic history of a particular style. By understanding the forms, students can begin to learn the history of the style they study and even the conditions that brought about the changes in one particular style over another. The students can begin to think along the same lines, perhaps, as the ancient developers and masters of the forms. |
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When performing Kung Fu, the stance work is very important. Without a good stance, you won’t have a good foundation on the floor for balance and power. You must remember to always move from stance to stance swiftly and to plant solidly in a stance before blocking or striking. One area that many students ignore is keeping their head level when moving from stance to stance. You must keep one knee bent as you move a foot and only after it is planted do you shift the weight to the other leg. If you straighten up before or during a transition for a stance, you will lose your root to the floor, move slower, and have trouble maintaining your balance while moving from stance to stance. When stepping, always place the heel lightly on the floor. Then slowly lower the foot. As you lower the foot, you must keep all the weight on the opposite leg to maintain balance and a root to the floor. Only after the foot is planted should you begin to shift the weight to the other leg. Always remember, touch the heel, lower the foot, and then shift the weight. |
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Tension moves in forms are for development of specific muscles group and for the strength development for grabbing and pulling or pushing. One of the main objectives of forms was to exercise the body. These tension moves were designed using dynamic tension to exercise specific muscle groups that the masters thought necessary for specific fighting purposes. Some are designed to increase the shoulder strength, biceps, forearms, wrists, and even the hands. These all play necessary rules in self-defense situations. The other main reason for these moves necessitates fighting situations one might encounter. For instance when in a fighting situation you might try to pull the other person off balance and encounter resistance. In order to match that person’s resistance requires extreme amounts of strength. These tension movements help you develop that strength. Almost all the tension moves in the form exercise the arms. It is because your arms are your main blocking and striking tools. These exercises mainly develop a person’s blocking and striking power |
 
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