<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  Welcome to the KenpoPedia > Forms > Form 5 > Frequently Asked Questions > Why are Form Five's self-defense technique defenses somewhat awkward to perform?

While the self-defense techniques of Form Five may appear be overly awkward to perform, in fact, the actual self-defense maneuvers are not. The awkwardness impression arises from the starting positions and transitions into the self-defense maneuvers. This awkwardness is purposely designed to be non-optimal - in other words, starting out of position. This theme, along with the theme of directional harmony at the beginning and opposing forces later in the form can make many portions of the form seem not as smooth to perform as many of its counterparts in the system.

 

One other theme that may be somewhat attributable (but not directly) to this characteristic of the Form Five is that it is the destabilization (aka the take-down) form. Because this theme places the potential opponent in awkward positions, it is only fitting that the form also places the practitioner in awkward positioning - at least at the start of the maneuver sequences.