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Visualizing an opponent while executing any form is a very personal decision. It can be used to help the practitioner focus their strikes to a specific point in space and may help them further concentrate their attention to increase their performance, by giving them someone to fight against. Others may find this technique distracting and refrain from it.

 

Whether a practitioner does this or not is really not as relevant as the ramifications of the use or non-use of the practice. Regardless of choice, one should always remain aware that the American Kenpo forms are not intended to be an imaginary fight. They are intended to convey specific information about the rules and principles of motion.

 

By imagining an opponent, one may fall into the trap of then coming to the conclusion that the motion is for defensive purposes and get lost in that style of visualization. By not imagining an opponent, one may also get lost as to how the movements relate to real defensive execution and only see the maneuvers as being executed in space, without any tie back to precisely where and how the movement should be executed on or against another individual. Instead, one needs to strike a balance and avoid both of these common traps.

 

There is also one other caveat that one must always be aware of if they wish to visualize an opponent. Some of the maneuvers of the forms are impractical to execute against another individual, the same way in which they are executed in the form. This is due to the nature of the goals of a form in contrast to the goals of self-defense. The forms are designed to work on definite patterns, and sometimes this intention demands that (a) specific maneuver(s) need be modified from the ideal execution path (and/or angle), in relation to the same maneuver(s) used for self-defense.

 

A good example of this in Form Four is the self-defense technique Five Swords. The foot maneuvers and lack of checking during the execution of the sequence are purposely impractical in nature, when compared to the self-defense technique when performed outside of the form and against a live opponent.

 

Therefore, if one chooses to visualize an opponent, then they should be aware of such instances and be able to suspend their belief that what they are doing would actually work in a live situation.