Before you check out what Sifu Phu has to say on the subject of kung fu forms. I remember years back when I was learning how to do Tai Chi, I asked Sifu If he had a short tai chi form I could learn.
I only asked because I was asked by several people if I knew any short forms for Tai Chi Chuan. What I didn’t realize back than is that the short forms where just bits and pieces from the long form.
Sifu told me it was better to just learn the whole form. Better for your health as well as for learning fighting techniques.
Mostly forms are practiced out of respect for those who came before. Learning forms is important in as much as it gives you a way to learn parries, attacks, stepping etc… More important than learning forms though is understanding how to flow with the energy.
I have for years free flowed on the Muk Jong, my Tai Chi form even some of my Wing Chun forms. My advice is you learn a form the way it is taught. Then after you feel that you are doing the form competently you can free yourself from the confines of the form and just let it all flow out of you.
Much like jamming on an instrument. Feel the music if you will.
Ultimately there aren’t any hard rules when it comes to doing forms other than obey the energy 🙂 . The main reason for this is because none of us are really shaped the same. So we will always do them a little bit different from everyone else. I guess you can copy cat other people, but I am and have always been about being your original self.
My favorite form is of course our NDN version of the Tai Chi form.
…Your Turn
What are you favorite kung fu forms to do?
Excellent article. The most fortunate are those who can master a form AND move naturally to what is beyond the form. Both taught and untaught.
Thanks! 🙂
I like forms with low and/or slow stepping to build balance and strength in the legs. No legs…no POWAA!
True That!
I have enjoyed all forms. My style had both linear (pinans) and circular forms. I have since moved over to your tai chi. Unfortunately I have years of bad bad habbits to undo. Fortunately you all point out my bad habbits!
Good stuff Ed! I feel your pain, when I first started training with Sifu Phu I came from a karate background. I had to relearn body mechanics…
Yup, I’m on the same page with you on forms. I was taught the Ti Chi Yang style short form, ( first & second paragraphs ) which I practice daily, before doing 2 sets of my Tae kwon do forms, which are heavily influenced by my Ti Chi. The challenge comes, when I’m teaching the Tae Kwon Do forms to a class, is not to teach them the way I do them, but the way my instructor taught them. The separation between blocks and counter attacks, makes little sense to me, as taught in the Korean and Japanese styles I have experienced. What are your thoughts?
I believe it’s important to pass along the knowledge that your teacher gave you. My thought is, if you are teaching at your teachers school don’t confuse his
other students. If you are teaching in your own school then teach from your experience and truth.
Very good advice!
Sifu Larry, my favorite forms to practice are the Enter Shaolin Tai Chi and the Wing Chun Muk Jong. I have yet to complete the forms or even master the sections that I have completed. However I feel both of those forms help me strengthen my foundation, teach me how to transition, and develop my flow or “feeling the music” as you say.
Hi Russell, it’s really good to hear from you. I hope you and the family are doing well. Those are great forms for developing flow 🙂
I like the Wing Chun, Tai Chi and Qigong forms, refined by using the NDN System, because it’s all about how you move and control the energy. I always say, if I can feel it, I can express it. For example, when I dance, I dance with the music, and not to the music. Music is a FORM of expression, just like Martial Arts. Once you master a form or a set sequence of movements, and as long as you are not actually teaching it to someone, the ideal thing is to adapt it to the way YOU naturally move, based on your body’s natural anatomical structure, because no two people move the same way, even though you might be performing the same type of movements. Our movements are limited somewhat by things like height, mass, bone structure etc. I like to experiment with the energy and develop that free style/flow of movement which allows me to express myself through my Martial Arts. You can only move like you, so why try to move like somebody else. Every movement you make or generate is a form.
Yep! The only caution I have is if your energy is off and you don’t realize it it off. You can create a situation where your energy is off and it will feel right to you. The issue arises if you train that way long enough it will become habit forming. I had that problem early on when I switched from training in karate to kung fu. I developed a lot of habits that where counter productive to flowing via what sifu phu was teaching me. So in essence I had to re learn basic body mechanics from a different point of view.
Personally my favorite is the ndn tai chi form. Its fun to do and very challenging. Recently ive been trying to just free flow but im so use to doing specific solo drills and forms such as ndn wing chun tai chi and 5 animals that im still trying to learn free flow trying to just flow is some what challenging cause im so use to doing certain things you guys teach. Im trying to do my own movements and still learning but i will say the last month or so i have been able to feel my energy better closing my eyes putting music on and trying to just go with it. Also i try mixing the styles such as wing chun mixed with the 5 animals mixed with tai chi. Im at the point where im trying to become my own version of ndn. Easier said than done but i love the challenge. God bless.
Thanks for sharing some of your journey John. The reality is, as long as your energy placement is correct everything else falls in place…