In Tae Kwon-Do, we practice forms—traditionally constructed and precise patterns of moves—for a variety of reasons.
To the untrained eye, one might wonder what their purpose is… here’s a traditional form I performed in 2015 for context.
…They certainly don’t look like moves you might use to defend yourself. Which, as most people might understand it, should be one of the primary goals of training in martial arts.
To which I’d say it is… and that they actually are… moves to help you learn to do exactly that.
…The translation just isn’t literal.
In the same way an allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning… forms are carefully constructed (artistic) patterns of moves that are densely saturated with hidden meaning.
…Which makes them one of the most important mediums through which our art’s sacred lessons are handed down from one generation of martial artists to the next.
To those who look at and judge it by what they see on the surface… the lessons will forever remain a mystery.
But, to those who humble themselves enough to become a practitioner and try… and learn… and experiment… will slowly… slowly… reveal a world dense with knowledge and lessons that will forever change how they engage with the art and mystery of life.
Today’s inner work prompt is this: what’s something you only understand superficially that you’d like to get to know more deeply? Be it a spiritual text, a culturally rich form of movement, or even yourself… pick something, block out some reoccurring time for it, and begin to explore.
There’s far more than what’s on the surface.