Forms

[Mig]

I was wondering what's the principle or the hidden secret of every form in Hung Ka. Looking at Laoka form I see that it is a square and GGFFK is an I shape form. I think I understand that some forms have the flavor of theatre choreography as they had to attract students during presentations and some of the patterns have a philosophical and fighting backgrounds. Any input on this.

Best,

Mig

[Asmo]

Take a look how GGFFK is divided up in sections. Each section is trying to teach you soemthing. It starts basic, goes to the legs, using the hips, etc. etc.

I think it will do you most benefit if you discover it yourself rather then just being told. Practice enough and it will reveal itself

[I am]

Likely not what you were looking for, if not I apologize:

From my perspective, the hidden in plain sight secret is to practice the sets with mindfulness, clear concentration and intention. Take a movement from the set, explore it with a partner, and then over time change that exploration into forging and evolving via drills, pressure testing, and the like. As you do this, continue to do the sets as well, and integrate the evolution of the movements back into the sets. In this way they become alive and one can "own their art" to some degree. Always remember the set as you were first taught it, this can serve as a skeleton/core that can be passed on to the next generation, which they in turn can flesh out again.

[PM]

Midg: no secrets, although the explanation of this or that by good teacher might seem to you like "revealing a secret".

the only "secret" of gungfu is everyday hard work, ie. practicing correctly what you have learned from your sifu. your own experience, sure, crucial thing, but no experiments. i am not a friend of a hardship of "reinventing the wheel".

[vaulander]

Perhaps not so much in 'reinventing' the wheel as finding different ways of using it.

[TOET]

The thing I find about forms is that they are like a text books. At first when you learn to 'read' through them they can be some what confusing. Then the more familar you get with the form, the 'reading' of the text takes on a totally new meanig.
This is somewhat akin to Buddists or Christain scholar that read their scriptures over and over gaining new insight and mean from each new reading.

[Mig]

Ok, ok, I appreciate your input. As in Chinese culture there is always a story behind either by analogy or an experience. I understand the sections of forms and applications, may be my curiosity lies in the cultural aspect: directions, eight trigrams, the beginning of a form and where is supposed to end, the story behind the form and the way is taught traditionally. Certainly there is more to but just wanted to have some light shed to the understanding of a form i.e. kgffk

Thanks,

Mig

[PM]

well, plenty of principles: 3 distances, 5 gates, life and dead road, 4 types of attacks, 7 stars, "lift sink spit swallow", and of course 5 animals, 5 elements and 12 bridges... each of the sets, its structure and pattern has a significant meaning. tit sin kyun and baat gwa gwan are especially rich as for principles, concepts, both fighting and philosophical.

maybe it would be better if you ask some more specific question, this is to generall. during the practice, we can talk for hours about gung ji fuk fu kyun or any other sets, its history, principles, meaning and structure of the sections etc.

anyway, i strongly believe that the classical sets were devised for practicing, ie. developing certain skills, not for show. no theatre choreography.

[Beggar So]

[vaulander]

[ironpalm]

[I am]

[markt]

[Asmo]

additional to the above, GGFFK has much to show you which might be regarded as "secrets", its all very methodologically arranged however. It will reveal itself to anyone who practice and analyzes the set sufficiently. But like markt says, they don't make you invincible or anything, its just all stuff that only works if you practice hard and have the correct foundations.

[Mig]