the forms of karate

by Steve Blowers

I have been studying Karate on and off for nearly 40 years. I’ve been in tournaments where I’ve won and lost. I’ve worked on sparring and self-defense. I’ve experienced a variety of styles and teaching methods. Yet there has been one constant driving force that has kept me interested, motivated, and continuing to practice. That is the study of forms.

Forms, known as kata in Japanese and Okinawan styles and as hyung in Korean styles, represent the building blocks upon which Karate is based. Gichin Funakoshi, founder of the Shotokan style of Karate and author of Karate-Do, My Way Of Life, says “one of the most striking features of Karate is that it may be engaged in by anybody, young or old, strong or weak, male or female. Further, one need not even have an opponent for practice purposes… a person can practice Karate in his own yard… someone whose desire is merely to stay healthy and to train his mind and spirit may do so by practicing Karate by himself.” And the way to do this is by practicing forms.

Forms in Karate consist of many of the individual Karate movements. These kicks, blocks, punches, and stances are arranged to represent specific responses to imagined attacks, one at a time, from multiple attackers. Since forms are self-defensive in nature, they provide the opportunity to learn some basic self-defense movements. In practicing the forms, one tenses and relaxes various muscle groups through the movements, providing isometric benefits. The forms are continuous from start to finish, providing aerobic benefits. It is necessary to concentrate on the moves to insure that their order is maintained and no part is omitted or altered. This creates a type of meditative state where everything else is blocked out, providing an opportunity to mentally escape and recharge. When doing forms, through concentration one becomes immersed in the theme of the form, and for a few minutes the concerns of the day are forgotten.

Prior to beginning this form of exercise, one should check with his/her physician to make sure that there are no hindrances to practicing. When starting a workout, several minutes of stretching should precede any forms practice. Then practice should be done on the basic patterns, which will provide an opportunity not only to strengthen the knowledge of the patterns but to warm up the body prior to practicing the complete forms.

Through the rank of 4th degree black belt, I have learned 18 different forms which I practice during the week. I have found that much of the intrigue in practicing Karate forms is in doing a sequence of movements in exactly the same way as those who came before me did them. In addition, I want to do them the same way I did them previously, while striving to improve the techniques of the individual movements. It is the belief of many traditional martial artists that the forms are the heart and soul of the study of Karate. Good luck!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Steve Blowers is a 4th degree Black Belt in Phung Hwa Do, a karate style of Korean derivation based on Tang Soo Do. He still practices karate a couple of times a week to stay in touch with the forms he has learned. He can be reached at sblowers1@frontiernet.net.