From one perspective, one of the quickest ways for a practitioner to appreciate the American Kenpo system is to understand not only the execution of the forms, but also their purpose in the system. From a very high level, American Kenpo forms are a subset of a division in the system as a whole. They fall under the basics division. To be more specific they are referred to as the moving basics. This distinction is important to understand because it enforces a greater understanding of their purpose in the system. For more information about this area of study, please refer to the "Infinite Insight Series - Volume 1, Chapter 3 and Volume 5 - Chapter 3".
First, the forms were not placed in the freestyle division, where one learns extemporaneous movements in a simulated combat situation. In this division, one learns to apply a number of the movements, sequences, and principles that they have learned in the other two divisions. This, along with learning new sequences that are tailored for this division of the art. In this division, the practitioner practices on application in a more real, but safe, and relatively spontaneous situation. This division may be construed as more similar to boxing, wrestling, or a sport; but it is not intended to be limited to just that type of scenario. Unfortunately, this division of the art is often reduced down and customized to just centering around tournament competition. But ultimately, because the forms are not placed in this division, one can safely deduce that American Kenpo forms are not choreographed fights.
Next, American Kenpo forms are not placed in the self-defense division of the art, where one learns to master the details of how to correctly use the learned basics within the context of a defensive situation. In this division, one learns strategic application of the basics, but placed in a semi-realistic situation; one that is highly controlled and tailored toward experimentation of application and function. In essence, this division is where one learns example defensive sequences and is encouraged to understand, relate, employ, apply, manipulate, and alter these sequences in an environment that is controlled. Another way to look at this division is to see it as the area of the system where one learns to make the system their own, by tailoring its application to their personal physical and mental predispositions and predilections. One can take the elements learned in the other two divisions and work with them in cultivating their personal style. But again, since the forms are not placed in this division, one can safely conclude that American Kenpo forms are not a longer version of self-defense techniques.
As stated, the American Kenpo forms are part of the basics division. And, the basics division is where one learns the fundamental rules and principles of motion, and their proper application, in an environment that is mostly devoid of an opponent. Put another way, the basics division is where one learns individual maneuvers (and maneuver sequences), the rules and principles that pertain to them; but in an educational and hyper-focused setting, in unrealistic stances (i.e. often the training horse), without the worry of an opponent. Essentially, this division's scenarios revolve around more collegial situations, in contrast to more combatively oriented ones. This allows the practitioner to concentrate on, experiment on, question, and practice what they need to learn, in a safe and developmental environment. And, this division is where the America Kenpo forms are placed. Because of this fact, one can safely surmise that the forms are placed in the basics division for a reason.
To help in understanding that rationale, one needs to understand the definition of American Kenpo forms. In contrast to many other martial arts styles, American Kenpo forms are defined as:
A predefined series of maneuvers that:
1)show the rules and principles of motion,
2)that everything has a reverse and an opposite,
3)by giving an example
With this definition, one should be able to have a better appreciation as to why the forms were placed in the basics division. Because from a logical and practical standpoint, the forms definition more closely fits with the overall goals of the basics division, compared to the goals of the other two divisions.
This is not to say that the forms are to be exclusively viewed from the vantage point of this definition. They can be applied more toward a self-defense situation, or even potentially toward a freestyle situation. It is just that one should fully understand the context under which they were originally and intentionally created. But one should also understand that executing a form in these alternative fashions completely removes the constraints of idealized execution and firmly places it in stylized execution. Therefore, one should not feel the need to be obligated to any of the limitations of the idealized execution, and should use such a scenario for unbounded exploration. For further reading on this subject refer to "Execution of Long Form Three - Execution Style" section of this guide.
All of this pretext brings us to the point of this discussion. The practitioner should not learn an American Kenpo form only for the exercise of the basics or a cardiovascular workout. They are so much more than just a series of basics strung together to create a form. They are designed to be an exploration into the rules and principles of motion, through the application of that motion in a highly systematized and concentrated manner. Where each individual form is purposely designed to provide the practitioner a limited set of focal topics in which to guide their investigative studies into motion. And as such, each form has a purpose and very specific set of information that it concentrates upon and is designed to convey to the practitioner. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of a qualified instructor to not just learn and teach the motions of the form, but also the information contained within it. Without this proper teacher to student succession, the forms will ultimately be reduced to a series of practically meaningless motions. Therefore, it is important to not only learn the correct what's of the form, but also the why's of the form. Otherwise, over time, a massive degradation of a dynamic and highly effective martial art will most assuredly occur.