Vol 2 No 4 - 2013 Newspaper Propagating the Filipino Martial Arts and the Culture of the Philippines Forms, Kata, Sayaw, Hyungs Tigers by the Tale A Waste of Time and Energy? By Bobbe Edmonds Article By Brian ‘Buzz’ Smith The US won its independence from the Brit- Beware of the Orphan Kata, Hyung, Sayaw, and Forms: A ish by learning to use their environment not By Mustafa Gatdula set pattern of stances, stance changes, lining up in staggered rows of men loading Article blocks, and counters as if done in a battle their weapons while the first row shoots. The with an imaginary opponent or opponents. colonials learned to hide behind trees and to Over the past 43 years I have trained in use hit and run tactics, while the British fol- many arts and have learned countless forms lowed old rules of engagement against these About ... and routines from the different systems. One men without honor who hid behind rocks Future Events thing that has stood out in my mind; nobody and trees. Past Events fights like the forms they train in. So why do Health & Safety they train with so many different routines? Tid-Bits I was once told that the forms honor past warriors in the art. Sorry, I don’t subscribe to that thinking. In boot camp we learned how to march and shoulder our weapons on command. Do you think for one min- ute in battle we would march in formation? No! You would be sitting ducks in a row for your enemy. Do you think for one second that learning how to do inspection arms is going to save your life on the battle field? No! On the battlefield would you stop and go into parade rest to await new orders? The time would be better spent learn- Learning to march and follow direc- ing how not to be a target. Time spent lining tions was just training tools to learn to orga- up and throwing hundreds of punches into nize your thoughts and how to follow direc- the thin air would be better served learning tions. To me, the time would have been better how to hit a moving target. I do not judge my spent learning how to dive and roll into a fox- students how good they are by how many hole or how to draw a bead on the enemy. perfect forms that they can do, but rather One of the first forms I ever learned was how many attacks I throw at them that they Won Hyo. I have never fought anyone follow- can control or negate. Too much emphasis is ing any of the combinations in that form. For put on training drills or forms that you will one, it is too robotic to allow you to flow in never use. or around your opponent; you are mainly a How do you train to fight? tank drawing a bead on a non moving target. Of all the forms, Katas, Sayaws, and Go to any tournament and watch Hyungs that I have learned over the years, none the different players, none lock into has ever prepared me for actual fighting. I was the fighting stances of their chosen art. indoctrinated into the mentality that forms Why? Because they become targets. were the formula for fighting. Not true. What I think the time spent learning useless has given me more ability and protection has forms would be better served by learning been learning flow thru interaction and drills. how to avoid rather than absorb an incom- A shooter takes his rifle to the range ing attack. I was once asked if we trained to sight it in and get the feel for his gun. He in Iron Vest Type techniques. You know, the does not use it as he would if he were in bat- technique where you let people hit you full tle. Police officers use the target range for force and you build your body up to accept learning basics, but that is not where they www.myfma.net full force hits. These techniques are great develop skill. They take their basic skills and throwbacks to the ancient days where there hone them in a Hogan’s Alley, you know, the were rules of war. But, there are no rules of range where targets pop out at you and you war on the street. You cannot fight a modern have to decide to shoot the big bad robber www.fmapulse.com battle using the techniques of the civil war. 2 FMA Informative Vol2 No4 2013 Vol2 No4 2013 FMA Informative 3 or the lady carrying groceries. his two palms together out drills help you to develop re- Dancers would step in and out fantastic, if not outright un- mally don’t take it as seriously. That’s not to say the said or did. You can only take But even this training area is in front of him like in praying. actionary defensive skills very of the danger zone while per- believable, and they repeat This is because of the teacher won’t have some- your teacher’s word for it. not adequate enough to really The object of the game was for quickly and to be able to see forming hand movements and themselves in various forms. proliferation of multiple arts thing to offer your mar- It is also apparent hone skills- that training area the opponent to slap the back what is coming before it is flowery accents. In essence - Which art is better because exploding across the U.S. tial education, he does. that much of their teachings is called life. The only way you of his hands before the de- sent- the true nature of flow. they were practicing linear, of what. Now, there are usually three That’s not to say what you changed as time went on. can truly develop reactionary fender could remove the tar- So rather than spend diagonal, and circular stance - Who was the most favored different schools with vari- are learning is worthless, it’s not. Honestly, this is to be expect- skills is under real life pressure. get. If you missed while slap- days weeks , years learn- changes to get in and out of student. ous different styles on every That is not to say ed from a teacher who consid- My eyes were opened ping- you became the target ing a non reactionary form, danger. Skills now commonly - The trustworthiness of any street corner, and of course, you can’t learn some ers outside influences as well, to the truth many years ago until your opponent missed. learn to apply your defen- taught as “V” stepping. particular teacher. the internet. Because there great technique, you can. they know that new informa- when I was fighting in a tour- This was just a game until I sive and offensive abilities Singkil - Language and terminology is so much publicly available, But if you are looking tion will come to light and alter nament and everything I threw realized there was an under to static and active drills. This dance was similar wars. the freedom of choice makes to be the kind of practitioner what they thought was reality. at my opponent was avoided lying formula at work- don’t Don’t waste your time to the Jumping bird in that you - The lineage conflicts that secretive training look silly in your teacher is, with his or her In most cases this is a change and countered in one move- look for the attack- react to learning to march-learn how found safe areas, but instead sunder empires. this modern age…Who needs level of ability and insight, for- for the better, so a good teach- ment. I inquired about how he the attack. While you are busy to dive and roll, pull and fire, of only a line of attack to use - And lastly, who got what it? You can find competent, get it. The odds are so against er will embrace it. Unfortu- trained to do that and he told scanning all possibilities or an- and find a good defensive po- there were zones to step, hop, secret teaching over whom- skilled instructors in your area you, you could bet the farm nately, most Grandmasters me by doing static and ac- gles of attack that your oppo- sition otherwise you are just a or roll to, almost like the pat- ever else. Especially in light online nowadays, and prob- in Vegas and have a better left nothing behind in terms tive drills. Now, I was brought nent can deliver an attack, he target. tern of tic-tac-toe compared of the founder/head instruc- ably discover how good or chance of winning the pot. of where they got what from, thru the ranks doing one steps is already on his way. So this Filipino Forms-Sayaw to the rail road tracks of Ti- tor passing away. bad they’re technique is by The Filipino martial arts or how they changed things to and this new idea was shak- basic static drill helps you to In the pure Filipino arts ninkiling. This was well suited It’s this last point I want scanning youtube for a bit. has, by all accounts, great suit the current view of the art. ing me up a bit. Static and ac- develop reactionary defensive you will find no forms, what to multiple attackers. Filipinos to address here. I find it curi- So the age of the master technique and training devic- They simply said “Do like this” tive drills, just what are they? skills and if you are the attack- you will find are sayaws (danc- would do these dances right in ous that in this advanced age who withholds his art is dy- es.