<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  Forms and Sets > Long Form 3 > Frequently Asked Questions > What is the purpose of distinguishing between short and long forms?

In American Kenpo, the forms can be categorized in a number of ways and each form has a specific purpose within the system. In short, one may consider each form as a study of motion, and as such, each form has a specific area of physical and/or mental constructs that it is designed to predominantly focus upon.

 

Many of the primary areas of emphasis within a form are too large to fit within a single form, or sometimes it is just better to begin to delve into a subject and then expand upon that subject in further exploration. Or, use the start of exploration as a launching pad to transition into a similar or directly related subject by demonstrating the original subject and then intensifying the study by incorporating the related subject into the expanded maneuver set. This is the case for American Kenpo forms. Short forms are designed to begin to illuminate information about a specific area of study and then the long forms will take that same subject area and expand upon it.

 

Using the threes as a simple and limited example: one of Short Form Three's major theme's is to explore the subject of applied (dead) attacks. It starts with grabs, chokes, holds, hugs and locks from various angles and depths. But then, Long Form Three continues this exploration, but further expands upon the subject by exploring applied attacks to the extremities.

 

Furthermore, to consolidate even more information into a smaller maneuver set, it was decided that such concentrated reviews should be done in an isolated manner to avoid distraction and intensify focus; and this type of study would be exclusively placed within the long version of the form, not the short version.

 

Placed in such a context, one may begin to understand and appreciate the overall design of the form arrangement of the American Kenpo system.