Purpose of Form in Chinese Boxing Training

Martial artists offer varying reasons for training forms. Some consider a form to be a collection of techniques and basic combinations training; a few go so far as to suggest it is an imaginary fight; still others regard it as a method of conditioning. These reasons may be satisfactory for some arts, but they are not the reason for forms in Chinese Boxing training.

The purpose of form in Chinese Boxing training methodology is very specific. The form is a method to train the body to execute the Chinese Boxing movement principles. It is also important to understand that a form is not a fight – there is nothing about a pre-arranged set that resembles a self-defense situation.

It is worth noting that one does not have to learn a long form in order to train Chinese Boxing. In many Chinese Boxing arts, form is secondary to training the fundamentals of the system. One example is our Hsing-I (Xingyi), whose basic ‘form’ is just five techniques, the Five Elements, which are based loosely on Chinese Wu Hsing theory. Fortunately for the student, the various Chinese Boxing arts have different types and lengths of forms. This variety makes it possible to tailor the teaching to an individual student’s interests.