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There are a number of variations to signifying that have appeared over time which have become part of the standard way of signifying a form. Some of the variations are widely used, some are not well known, but each of the variations is optionally applied as needed.

 

The first variation is whether the form is signified at all. At first, only the upper forms (short three and above) were signified and utilized the salutation. But over time, signifying and the salutation were considered appropriate for all forms (but typically not sets). An added benefit to adding the signification and salutation to the lower forms was that it made the forms a great deal longer and gave the form a greater feeling of complexity. If compared to Short Form One, the signification and salutation, at least, double the execution time and complexity of the form. Also, the signification and salutation are typically only executed in formal situations, such as competitions and tests; otherwise, a form is executed alone – either from the horse stance (the lower forms) or the attention stance (the upper forms).

 

The next variation is whether the signifying hand touched or hovered over the backstop hand. If the signifying hand was touching the backstop hand, this indicated that the form being executed was modified from the standard execution. But, if the signifying hand hovered over the backstop hand, this indicated that the form was to be executed without modification. The exceptions to this rule are the forms five and six. The forms five and six would always have the signifying hand touch the backstop hand.

 

Another variation is to signify on both sides of the body or just a single side. Signifying on a single side of the body indicated that the form would be executed on only that side. For instance, if the signification was only given on the right side, then only the right side of the form would be executed. But, if given on both sides of the body, then both the left and right side of the form would be executed. This variation is specifically indicative of Short Form One - which is commonly executed on both the right and left side for competition.