# Personal Forms



## OneKickWonder (Oct 20, 2006)

I seem to be having a mental block when it comes to creating GOOD forms. I can easily create a form using the general basics but I am required to create a more complicated form for brown and black belt, plus ten self defense techniques. Any suggestions on how to break through the mental block?


----------



## PandN (Oct 20, 2006)

Your best bet is create a form based on family grouping.  Explain that your form is used to show the similarities in techniques of the same family grouping.  For example the Hanging Hand Family (Thundering Hammer, Dance of Death, Sleeper, etc)  Good Luck


----------



## Flying Crane (Oct 20, 2006)

Try taking a bunch of techs, even just choose some completely randomly.  Put them in some order, even random order just to have something to start with.  See if you can figure out how to flow from one to another, in a logical manner.  Think about being attacked by a group, one after the other, in ways that correspond to the techs, but also in a way that makes logical sense.  Put yourself in the middle of a fight.  Maybe you do the techs on one side only, or maybe on two sides.  You might do both sides immediatley, or do a series of say, 5 techs, all on one side, then repeat the series on the other side.  Then the next group of 5.   Play with it, reorganize it, see what you come up with.  It doesn't have to be that difficult.  Sounds like you may be thinking too hard...


----------



## Brian Jones (Oct 20, 2006)

Forms should be more than techniques strewn together. They should be about something. Consider beginnig with a theme and se where that takes you.

Good Luck,

Brian Jones


----------



## Flying Crane (Oct 20, 2006)

Brian Jones said:


> Forms should be more than techniques strewn together. They should be about something. Consider beginnig with a theme and se where that takes you.
> 
> Good Luck,
> 
> Brian Jones


 
Forms can be created for many reasons.  They can be used to teach a theme, or they can be used to catalog techniques, for example.  Either reason, and many others, are appropriate.


----------



## Jimi (Oct 21, 2006)

I don't think that to create a form you should grab techs randomly. I have seen too much stuff like like in open tourneys with people copying movements from movies or anything that looks like it could get them the next Sharkboy movie contract (LOL), and if it helps to gain a trophy, so be it. Creating a form for testing requirements, I believe is a different situation. When representing yourself to a board of testing Black Belts, represent your art based in as much sound principle as possible. Grab any tech randomly and you may inadvertantly undermine some base principle of the art. Forms can tell a story so to speak (And I like that) but I believe a form is more than a catalog of techs, right side tech left side tech etc... That is what learning skill drills are for. This is my suggestion, take a base sequence of a form and address it to say for example rear defenses. After each sequence, consider the next attack to be coming from behind, angle off, or spin step out and follow with a good sequence that the testing instructors will recognise. Also as a suggestion, set sequences to follow with a takedown and finish, or alternate finishes from sequence to sequence like, striking finish standing, striking finish opponent on the ground, choking or breaking finish standing, or on the ground, once a takedown is done with you on the ground, follow up with ground defense like kicking from the ground, striking as you rise to a knee and achieve a standing position again. Use all the directions of the compass, not just turn left=sequence, turn right=sequence, up the middle kick=sequence. This is my opinion, that form should follow function, meaning the form should be sequenced based on function of technique, not just randomy sequence and come up with how it may be translated. I have seen forms where people will throw a block in one direction and then follow another direction of sequence never addressing that opponent/direction again as if that one block finished him, or that the opponent was forgotten. All of this is just my opinion and not meant as an attack on someone elses advice. If I see spinning backknuckle, jump spin cresent, jump spin cresent, drop spin sweep  and drop into the splits with a loud Kiai, I will not be impressed as if that persons understands. On the other hand, if I see evasion step, block and counter strike takedown and a finish followed by awareness to a rear attack and the next sequence responds with a side kick from the ground, rising ridge hand to the groin while rising to kneeing, then pivoting with punches and kicks to ward off surrounding attackers and achieving a standing posotion to finish yet another opponent standing, that would get my attention. End Rant. LOL. Again, JMHO. PEACE


----------



## Flying Crane (Oct 21, 2006)

Jimi said:


> I don't think that to create a form you should grab techs randomly. I have seen too much stuff like like in open tourneys with people copying movements from movies or anything that looks like it could get them the next Sharkboy movie contract (LOL), and if it helps to gain a trophy, so be it.


 
I didn't mean just ANYTHING randomly.  I meant things that are established components of your art.  I agree, what you put together, and how it flows, must make sense.  Not just any random junk can be tossed together to make a good form.  It takes a lot of thought and tinkering, but you need to start with something.  So grab some pieces of your art and start putting them together and see what you get.  You may make a lot of changes along the way, but it gets the ball rolling.


----------



## michaeledward (Oct 21, 2006)

I am currently working on a personal form for my black belt test. 

In a recent private lesson with Mr. Planas, I asked for some input from him, for things to consider when assembling a personal form. His response was to be sure that I don't show him something that he has already shown me. He knows how to execute Five Swords. If I add this technique into my form, as written, it will not show him that I have learned anything, except how to parrot back information given to me. The purpose, he said, was to demonstrate what I have learned.

So, as you have worked through your most recent techniques ... What new things have you learned? Not just the movement, but the underlying principle. How can you demonstrate that principle in a new way? 

I say, start off by picking an attack from your imaginary attacker. What weapon? What direction? And how are you going to react to that? And, then what? 

Good luck


----------

