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Forms go by other names in different schools and martial arts. In other Tae Kwon Do schools, forms are sometimes known as Hyung, T'ul, or Poomse . In Japanese martial arts schools, forms are called Kata and in Kung Fu and other schools they are called routines. Regardless of the name used, forms are recognized by all martial artists as being excellent training tools. All of the forms in Evergreen Martial Arts Academy's curriculum up to first degree black belt were derived from traditional Okinawan Katas. Some Tae Kwon Do schools have abandoned their roots and have adopted recent forms. The three 'Kicho' forms were derived from Okinawan Karate katas by Hwang Kee for Tang Soo Do beginners. The Korean word 'Kicho' means basic. All three of these forms are intended to provide students with the opportunity to practice the most basic elements of striking martial arts; stances, blocks and punches. The first two forms are executed exclusively in front stance, while Kicho-hyung shim bu uses front stance, fighting stance (known as back stance in karate) and straddle stance (known as horse-riding stance in karate).
The five 'Pyong' forms were also derived from Okinawan katas which in turn, were separated out from a much longer Okinawan kata called Kusanku. Kusanku was broken down in this way because it was considered too difficult to teach to children in its entirety. It was considered that the smaller pieces of this forms would be more manageable when teaching karate to children (humbling isn't it!).
Advanced students are required to learn 'Bassai' (also known as 'Passai'). Bassai means 'to penetrate a fortress' and is also derived from an Okinawan kata.
Key Benefits of Practicing Forms
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A form is a series of techniques performed in such a way as to simulate
defending against and counterattacking multiple attackers. Most forms consist of
basic blocks, kicks and strikes performed in a specific order from basic
stances. Practicing forms provides students with the opportunity to practice
basic martial art elements in a more dynamic and meaningful fashion that
practicing the elements in isolation. Of course, forms are also an excellent
opportunity to improve memory, self-discipline, concentration, fitness and
balance.
The
Bassai kata was developed by Sokon Matsumura, one of the founders of what we
refer to as Karate today. From 1810 until 1834, Sokon Matsumura studied martial
arts in Okinawa and at a Chinese Shaolin temple. When he returned to Okinawa, he
trained many students who would become instrumental in the development of
various forms of Karate and one of the tools he used was the Bassai kata. The
founder of Shotokan Karate, Gichin Funokoshi was the student of Anko Itosu who
was Sokon Matsumura's student. Gichin Funokoshi slightly altered Bassai in order
to incorporate it into his Shotokan Karate style and it is this version of
Bassai that was introduced into Korea. Bassai was known as Pal-Sek in Korea and
was incorporated into Tang Soo Do around 1945.