Forms and Sets > Long Form 3 > Understanding American Kenpo Forms > Understanding the Distinctions between Long and Short Forms

Most of the American Kenpo forms were created very early in the system's formulation. At that time a decision needed to be made as to how to refer to the forms. It was decided that an easy naming convention would be more effective than a more complicated one. The naming convention chosen was a simple numbering system, which started at 1 (one) and progressed forward. At that point in the system's development, most everything used this straightforward numbering convention; even the self-defense techniques. But, as the system progressed forward, naming conventions changed for many of the components of the system, for good reasons. But not the forms. This uncomplicated system seemed to work well, and without any challenges or confusion.

One advantage of the naming convention (which proved advantageous for the forms in particular) was to imply sophistication and complexity, based upon where the form was placed in the numbering sequence. The lower numbered forms were more simplistic, and the higher the number, the more sophisticated the form became. A straightforward and simple system which withstood the test of time.

Another big advantage to this naming scheme was how easy it would be to signify which form the practitioner was executing without having to say anything. One could simply display the number of the form with their hands by extending the same number of fingers. With that signification anyone watching could understand what was being performed without the need to rely upon another sense (such as hearing). Plus, this signification could be easily amended to the traditional salutation. The salutation being a series of maneuvers that were done prior to the form as an indicator of which style one is performing, and as a sign of respect to any observers (i.e. judges).

Furthermore, the general idea of how the forms would progress was also laid out at this time. An introductory form would be used to establish a specific set of rules, concepts, and principles to the practitioner. Then another form would be built upon the same foundational structure, with the specific purpose of further expanding upon these themes. This adjunct form would, by definition, be longer than the base form. So again, a simple naming convention was chosen to distinguish between these two forms. One would be called the short version of the form and one would be called the long version of the form.

In other words, the short version of the form (both physically and conceptually) would introduce a set of subjects and the long version of the form would expand upon and complete the exploration into those same topics. That way each form level (i.e. one, two, three, etc...) could concentrate on specific themes that expand in complexity with the increasing number count.

Also, signifying the distinction between the two types of forms was an obvious and plain solution. The short version of the form could be signified by simply bending the finger(s) at the middle knuckle, while the long version would just use (a) fully straightened finger(s). Short finger(s) for short form, long finger(s) for long form.

In implementation, this overall design was very elegant, logical, practical, and easily amended. It was also simple, while at the same time being also relatively obvious and self-explanatory. It all just made sense.

Next, further standards could be adhered to in order to distinguish between these two types of forms. Since the short form was considered an introduction to be expanded upon with the following form, it was free to be unencumbered by lengthy examinations into topics. Therefore, it could take advantage of this fact by being more dynamic and realistic, compared to its counterpart.

In contrast, the longer version of the form would take on the responsibilities of completing deeper examinations into the major themes. This would mean it might have to be more idealized and have areas that concentrate on completing or filling in missing information. Thus, the concept of an isolation was formulated. A section of the form where one end of the body is free to highlight specific information, while the other part does not interfere or take away from the stressed importance of these maneuvers. And logically, there was no need for this type of maneuver highlighting to be in the short version, it could all be done in the long version.

All in all, these physical differences would further underline the distinctions between these two types of forms and their purpose within the overall structure of the forms.

So, in summary, the general rules for the short forms are:

a)they are signified by a short finger

b)they introduce or start themes and concepts

c)they do not have isolation sequences

d)they tend to be more stylized and potentially more realistic

And, the general rules for the long forms are:

a)they are signified by a long finger

b)they expand and may complete themes and concepts

c)they have isolation sequences

d)they tend to be more idealized