We've spent the past 4 years working on forms. In four years we've learned 28 forms (roughly). When I sat down and actually counted the numbers I realized how insane that is. I can't imagine where we fit all that in. Now we're at the point where we're spending our time reviewing, repeating and going through our forms individually thinking about each movement. This is the point where you really start to see a martial artist, rather than just a student.
This part is really exciting for me, because it's given me an opportunity to go through my forms in depth, working on parts I've struggled with, and applying all the lessons I've learned in my time here. There's so many facets to every form that I feel like I could work on them forever and never truly master anything. This is where I really start to feel my creative expression. Playing with the movements and making them my own.
I know many people that find this kind of practice monotonous and boring. They feel as if they're not learning something new, they're not improving. There are many things that can be learned from repetition. An artist can spend a lifetime perfecting their masterpiece. To really become an artist requires remarkable discipline, dedication and patience. These are the qualities that I am cultivating now.
"The accomplishments of master artists are stupendous, the result of fearsome diligence, vision, hard-earned skill, profound understanding of their discipline, and an extra dash of something we might call genius." ~ Eric Booth
