Is drills training the true traditional training method?

[johnwang]

I have always believed that the drill training is the traditional method and it's purpose is to develop combat skill, The form training is the "modern" method and the purpose is to "performance". What's your opinion on this?

[Bill]

I agree completely. The drills are where you get your skills.

[H2O]

Do you agree with this assumption?

Why yes, yes I do.

[I am...]

In our Hung Gar lineage, this is what we do for 2 hours, mixed with partner drilling the same movements, and some sparring. Forms are after class, and a pretty slow progression (2 or 3 movements a class if one is learning a set). My former teacher taught in much the same way, only we did maybe 4 total drills in 2 hours, I have always seen good results from it. Is this training method not common?

[Chris McKinley]

I don't agree that forms are a modern concept, though I do agree that...yes...you will gain almost all of your fighting ability from interaction with another human being. What is modern is not the inclusion of forms training, but rather the elimination of interactive work with a partner.

[somatai]

an art is defined by its drills or training methods, that is all there is.....other than getting into it....if you train properly in an art with good training methods you will deveolop.

[edededed]

I think it depends on the style.

Taijiquan may be the strangest style of all, as it seems to train form more than the others.

Xingyiquan, baguazhang have many drills.

[Ian]

an art is defined by its drills or training methods, that is all there is.....other than getting into it....if you train properly in an art with good training methods you will deveolop.

Eh? What does this mean?

[Josealb]

Im thinking that the Taiji form itself is just one long, uninterrupted drill that flows for whatever amount of time you want...while on the other extreme you have Xingyiquan's short, contracting/expanding single movements that repeat themselves over and over again.

Both are methods, IMO, not "forms"...as in the context of this thread.

[johnwang]

I believe the definition of drill is that all moves in a drill will have logical connection. If you punch to the east and then punch to the west, it's not drill any more and it should be treated as form. Since the Taiji form is not a logical connection unit. It's form and not drill (for example, the diagonal fly has no logical connection to grasp bird's tail).

[Josealb]

I believe the definition of drill is that all moves in a drill will have logical connection. If you punch to the east and then punch to the west, it's not drill any more and it should be treated as form. Since the Taiji form is not a logical connection unit. It's form and not drill (for example, the diagonal fly has no logical connection to grasp bird's tail).

It does "connect" the body in a logical way (body skills, mechanics, etc).

If you mean technique-wise, then i see what you mean, and agree with you.

[Chris McKinley]

Since all forms from all styles could make the same subjective claim that they connect the body in a logical way with regard to body skills, mechanics, etc., then in order for the term "form" to have any meaning, all those things which can be classified as forms must be qualitatively different in at least some small way from those things which can collectively be called drills, even if that difference is a bit subjective and arbitrary, such as what constitutes a valid combination of techniques for combat.

As if the soup weren't thick enough, it's also possible for both forms and drills to be done either solo or with a partner.

[edededed]

套路 (Taolu) = Set ("Form"); literally, "set of paths"
型 (Kata/Hyung) = Form; literally, "form" (as in, cookie-cutter or plaster mold)

Through "kata," "form" because a common word in English relating to Asian martial arts, but it is something of a misnomer in regards to CMA...

[Areios]

agree on drilling

[somatai]

an art is defined by its drills or training methods, that is all there is.....other than getting into it....if you train properly in an art with good training methods you will deveolop.

Eh? What does this mean?

not sure what you don't get........you develop the body you train which comes from the "drills" or methods you train, that is what differentiates the arts if you train with solid methods, you will develop solid gung fu......geting into it means scraping, applying what you drill.