How long a form should be?

[SPJ]

how long a form/routine should be?

if you are to practice combo or set up

the moves may be 3 to 5

even thou the variations may be many

so for all practical purposes

how many moves and counter moves, you would string together and practice?

this is inspired by another thread.

[SPJ]

so in the other thread

there is a discussion of practicing long forms with pause points or transition points.

if we learn a few forms, we may be able to remember all the sequences.

however, as we learn more and more forms.

sometimes, we may forget the order of the sequences or mixing them up.

so instead of a->b->c->d

we may forget at pause points what the next sequence would be.

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so for practice purpose

what would be an ideal number of postures placed together in one block?

[SPJ]

1. for performance purpose, we may place as many moves as the show time dictates.

2. for collection of representative moves of a style, we may string as many postures as needed.

3. however, how many moves/postures you may recall at one time?

what are your tricks or how do you remember 108 moves?

of course we all practice several moves in a block and then practice all the blocks together in one shot.

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[uki]

a form should be as long as you are willing to practice... sometimes my freeforms last like an hour - especially if i eat the mushrooms first.

[Mr Punch]

The same length as a piece of string?

[uki]

if its a bagua form it just goes around and around and around... it has no end...

[Yao Sing]

Twice as long as the halfway point?

I've always liked the idea of one long form with all your moves in it, then broken up into smaller sections for learning.

What I don't like are forms that have the sames moves with just a few new ones added.

Does that help?

[AdrianK]

Forms are human expression and as such, like any form of human expression (music, painting, etc.) it is limitless. There is no length of time it should be, or can be.

[uki]

Forms are human expression and as such, like any form of human expression (music, painting, etc.) it is limitless. There is no length of time it should be, or can be.

uh-oh... don't let the master/sifu/sensei/students see this truth...

i can hear the martial arts business(i hope i spelled that right) owners laments already!

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYoBp...eature=related

tai chi 13 postures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGjav...eature=related

tai chi 24 postures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5iT-jDFEPk&feature=fvw

tai chi 36 postures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQytj...eature=related

tai chi 56 postures.

we all learn one posture at a time.

yes. we may break down long forms into segments and practice.

yes. you may design many and many moves and place them in a long form/routine for well over 100 moves.

personally, I think that 24 is a good arbitray number for me.

and of course, people may make 6 hours movies with intermission at 3 hours interval

so theoretically, you may string 1000 moves in your form.

I mean good luck in remembering all of your moves.

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[SPJ]

so when I first learned chen tai ji lao jia yi lu.

it was like consisting of 72 postures

so when I ran into

1. chen xiao wan compiled 36 postures.

2. cheng man ching's yang 37 postures

3. Professor K's 36 postures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5iT-jDFEPk&feature=fvw

I know all the moves.

but I think 36 postures would be "easier" for a new learner/student.

and that was the main reason for the 3 people above to abstract and reduce the number by 50% to make them more popular.

and that was the main reason to have

standardized yang 24 postures.

to make them easier for people to pick up and practice.

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[David Jamieson]

Forms are a method. They are a learning tool.
In a system, they are used in a logical and progressive way.

So, in order to learn a given system, the forms are broken down into digestable sizes for the minds of the average practitioner.

Forms can be adapted for people who have trouble learning larger chunks of information or those who have difficulty with more demanding techniques.

Over time, the system is taught and learned and then it is about practice in order to understand what it is the system contains for you as an individual.

creation of forms is merely a practice of demonstrating understanding of the system and how to progressively instruct the material of the system.

a single posture can contain a lot of information to be used.
a single movement can contain a few applications.

movements and postures are used in form to help the student understand and use the style.

made up forms without purpose of methodical transmission aren't very useful to anyone but the person doing it, and even then, there's a lot of ways to break a sweat. Not really what forms are for.

so, 1 move or 1 posture is the minimum. the maximum is dependent on the persons ability to understand. In the case of a system, the forms are already worked out. If the student can't comprehend the pattern, they need to put more effort into understanding and practice. If after that, they still don't get it or won't get it, then they should move on to something they can grasp more readily.

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj1zk...e=channel_page

in the beginning of the clip

you see 3 single move drills

and then 2 placed together in a routine.

yes we all practice one posture over and over

then put 3 to 5 together and over and over again.

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[brothernumber9]

At least 10 characters.

[Shaolinlueb]

i think they should be 108. the longer the better right?