Form vs Application

Form vs. application: An important distinction when training and when learning new things. This is something I have been thinking a lot about lately. There are often times when I think of one when trying to figure out the other. This sometimes becomes problematic, because what we do in our forms is often very different from what we do in our applications. So why do I mix them up sometimes? The answer to this came to me during my one on one a few nights ago. I had asked Sifu Rybak if my open roundhouse in Da Mu Hsing should snap like the normal roundhouse, because the following spin felt awkward if I did. In order to show me what to do, she gave the "real life" example of how and where I would be kicking someone if we were actually fighting. It helped a lot, but I found it interesting that application was used to help teach form.

Then it hit me, the bridge between these two disciplines is technique. The fundamental techniques are the starting points for both applications and forms: this is why I get confused sometimes. I try to connect form and application beyond the technique and I get stuck on questions like where should I be striking in this form or what stance should I be in for this application. Forms and applications are just different branches of technique: one uses sequences and combinations to learn and master techniques, while the other applies techniques to real life scenarios.

I know this probably won't change much about my training, but for me it was an interesting realization. If I am interpreting this wrong please let me know, but this just clicked and makes sense for me.

Harrison Whitehouse-Strong