When Chinese martial arts was developed thousands of years ago, its main goal was self defense and combat effectiveness. It started with forms – a series of movements laden with attack, defense and counterattack techniques – diligently practiced to develop focus, structure, stability, coordination, dexterity, agility, speed, and tenacity. These techniques and conditioning were tested and refined through actual combat, be it in one-on-one challenge fights or on the battlefield.
The forms themselves served as blueprints for martial art techniques, which could be memorized by students and passed with high fidelity to future generations. In addition, the forms saw steady refinements along the way, and preserved only those martial techniques proven effective over centuries by followers, students, disciples and teachers. In a word, martial arts systems became traditional.
Goh Cho…
