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Forms or ‘Hyung’ are combinations of Martial art movements arranged in a pattern. The most ancient of which is usually in a simple line going forward/backward or side to side. As martial arts became more systematized pattern lines (Yun mu son연무선/演武線) became more complicated going in multiple directions. Forms were a very effective way to pa*s on Martial art techniques, strategies and philosophies from Master to student. Like a living book. The fundamental forms of Moo Sa Do kwan™ are the Kicho, Yuk Ro, Kwon Bup Bo. There are seven basic forms teaching simple fundamental hand and foot combinations. There are six Yuk No forms based on ancient Soo Bahk Ki techniques from the Ancient Korean military manual the Moo Yei Do Bo Tong Ji. Kwon Bup Bo is the empty hand form illustrated in the Moo Yei Do Bo Tong Ji. The number of forms in Moo Sa Do represent the seven stars of the big dipper (seven basic, seven advanced)

Traditional SBD has about forty forms, Traditional TSD about the same, as Japanese and Okinawan Karate about thirty, among the various Kung fu styles forms number in the hundreds.

Korean, Japan, China, Okinawa, Indonesia and all ancient martial cultures have a traditional cannon of forms ranging from a few to forty or more, some dating back to a thousand years ago or further. The variety of forms from all martial art cultures are rich with history, culture, strategy and philosophy.

The dichotomy of form and fighting

Kim Yong Ok (도올), a famous Korean philosopher, wrote:
“The history of Martial Arts can be universally defined as the dialectical unfolding of Schematic Forms and Real Fighting. Fighting is dynamic, so, undefinable. Form is static, so, definable. Fighting fossilizes into Form. Form enjoys authority. However, Form is only the formal result of Fighting. Form is always broken and revitalized by Fighting.”

Technically Mastering a form is not enough that is only the first phase of learning a form. Su pa ri describes the three phase cycle of learning. It literally means protect-deconstruct-transcend. Basically after developing a sound technical foundation one must then develop the deeper levels of the form, then learn how to apply it spontaneously.

The concept of Su p’a ri (守破离) helps us avoid the pitfall of getting trapped between the static (靜, jeong) but definable Forms (形, hyung, one steps, ho sin sool) and the dynamics (動, dong) of actual fighting. The realities of real combat (實戰, siljeon) are very different from the controlled environment of the static (靜, jeong) aspects of martial arts training.

Survival is the primary goal of any combat art, quality of life then comes after. But the conundrum is fighting cannot by nature become a tradition (傳統, jeon tong) as soon as it does it looses it’s reality, yet the only possible way how to transmit the dynamic essence of Fighting from one generation to the other is to define it by making it static and therefore create a tradition. This tradition, if focusing only on the static, looses its dynamics.

Therefore, it is vital that we learn to use the static aspects as stepping stones and not be bound by them. This is where su pa ri comes in, we develop the static aspects until a sound foundation is developed, then we transcend them by constantly challenging ourselves, stepping out of our comfort zones, converting the static back to the dynamic.

D.Segarra

Special thanks to Ondrej Slechta. The results of our discussions are the basis for this article.