Spice Up Your Forms!

7 Strategies for Improving Your Taekwondo Skills

 It's no secret that many mar­tial artists regard forms practice as an essential but oh-so-boring aspect of their taekwondo training. After all, how can you compare memorizing a series of choreographed solo move­ments to the glory of knocking out an opponent with a jumping round­house? Well, there may not be much of a comparison, but there is a way to enjoy your forms practice more while you make your jumping roundhouse and every other aspect of your skill set better.

Philip Ameris, a seventh-degree black belt in taekwondo with 33 years of experience, thinks he's found a way to spice up your forms training and boost your sparring and self-defense skills. "You need concentration in fighting, as well as balance, a variety of techniques, discipline and flexibil­ity;' he says. "All those things are al­ready built into your forms."

The senior student of Black Belt Hall of Fame member Hee II Cho, Ameris contends that because so many practitioners don't respect forms-or appreciate the importance of them­ they never devote any time to devis­ing ways to do them creatively. And being creative is the secret to using them to boost your balance, cultivate your coordination and pump up your power.

Blind Fury

The first component of Ameris' pro­gram involves executing your forms while blindfolded. The exercise is guaranteed to improve your balance and coordination, he says.  “When you're wearing a blindfold, it's hard to end in the same spot where you began, but that is the goal of this drill” he says. To ensure your safety, practice only in wide-open spaces where you won't run the risk of smash­ing into a wall or chair while your vi­sion is blocked.

Once you have mastered this exer­cise, have a training partner hold a body shield at specific locations where you expect to kick or punch. Strive to run through the sequence of tech­niques that precede the power shot in such a way that you're left in precisely the right location to strike the pad without seeing it.

Divide and Conquer

Ameris' second drill involves break­ing up a form into short, manageable sections. First, work on perfecting your execution of each move in a sec­tion. After that, assemble the indi­vidual moves into the proper sequence and focus on doing them smoothly. Fi­nally, string the sequences together to remake the entire form.

Alternatively, you can concentrate on a portion of a form to hone a spe­cific technique contained within it. "If you want to highlight a kick, for example, you can work on it and whatever moves lead up to it," the New Kensington, Pennsylvania-based taekwondo instructor says.

 Mirror Image

When you train on your own-es­pecially if you're preparing for a belt test or tournament- it's a good idea to practice your forms in front of a mir­ror, Ameris says. “I suggest you first do the pattern at slow to medium speed to make sure you have all the details right. Then do it at full speed in front of a mirror to pick up anything you might have missed.”

Next, turn around so your back is toward the mirror, Ameris advises. “Doing the pattern while facing dif­ferent directions adds a bit of confusion to it.”  And that can be a good thing, he says.  Another useful mirror-image drill doesn’t even require a mirror.  You simply face your partner and have him mimic all your movements as though he were your reflection. To make it more challenging, tell him to do the form from beginning to end while you do the same routine from the end to the beginning. Of course, careful planning is required to keep him from running into you.

"It's almost like learning two pat­terns, and it's really hard," Ameris says. "It takes a lot of concentration to start and stop at the same time as your partner."

 Hard and Fast

To truly shine while executing a form, you must progress from tech­nique to technique without pausing to think about your upcoming moves, Ameris says. That's why his next drill forces you to run through all the move­ments of a routine as quickly as pos­sible. Be careful not to sacrifice power or precision, he says.

"It helps you learn the pattern and it's a great workout;' he says. That be­comes obvious when you consider that an advanced taekwondo form can contain up to 72 movements. Try it a few times and you'll really work up a sweat.

 Targeting a Pad

Whenever you practice forms, you should envision each punch, kick and block striking a real target, Ameris says. The best way to culti­vate that mind-set is to have a class­mate hold a focus pad and move along with you as you do your rou­tine. That way, you'll be able to feel the power and snap of each offensive and defensive technique.

After you invest some time train­ing this way, it won't matter whether you execute a front kick into a heavy bag or into thin air, for both techniques will possess the same power, he says.

 On Dangerous Ground

A useful drill for improving your balance and building your leg strength centers on practicing forms on an un­even surface. The easiest way to do that is to simply train outdoors, pref­erably on a hillside, Ameris says. “It adds a little more mental and physical pressure than doing the pattern inside all the time”

For extra-tough training, head outside for a forms session in less­-than-perfect weather. Just be sure to dress properly to repel the rain or cold, or to keep yourself cool and shaded in the sun.

If you cannot manage an outdoor workout, you can simulate an uneven surface by placing objects under the mats in your dojang, Ameris adds. Try jamming a few old boxing gloves under the corner of a mat to create an undulating surface. To reduce the chance that you or a classmate will stumble, temporarily cover raised edges with duct tape.

 Weights and Measures

Ameris' final recipe for spicing up your forms training also works as a cure for sagging muscles: Hold light weights while you practice. The drill works the muscles in your arms and shoulders and builds your endurance, he says.

Just don't try it with too much weight or too much speed. Three to five pounds per dumbbell or hand weight is the max, he says, and make sure you decrease the speed of your movements accordingly. Otherwise, your technique will suffer and you could injure your joints.

An alternative method involves placing a handgrip in each fist as you run through your forms. “When you punch and squeeze, it makes your hands and forearms like steel” Ameris says. “Your punching power will become much greater”

Putting It All Together

Although practicing nothing but taekwondo forms is not the most prac­tical way to fortify your fighting abil­ity, it can definitely help you augment the auxiliary attributes you need to reign in the ring or survive on the street. “Patterns develop discipline” Ameris says.  “And they develop perseverance and mind-body focus”

They also work virtually every muscle in your body and require you to use those muscles while moving tac­tically in a variety of directions. And strength and mobility are bound to come in handy in all aspects of your martial arts lifestyle.

Black Belt / April 2004