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Visualizing an opponent (or opponents) can be a good mental exercise for learning how to focus maneuvers to a specific point in space. The practitioner can use the imaginary opponent to visualize weapon height, depth, and width placement. Also, by visualizing an opponent, one can pretend to be defending against a given attacker; giving the response more urgency and focus. But, as in all American Kenpo forms, there is no intention for there to be an imaginary opponent. Instead, the intention of American Kenpo forms is to: demonstrate the rules and principles of motion, that everything has a reverse and an opposite, and give an example of this.

 

One major downside to visualizing an opponent is that this practice can lead the practitioner into only treating a form as a preordained, imaginary fight. This can further lead the novice or uninitiated practitioner into totally forgetting the original intent of American Kenpo forms - which is physical demonstration of defensive and offensive maneuvers for analysis and study.

 

In contrast, the self-defense techniques of American Kenpo are intentionally designed against an opponent - real or imaginary. This fact can further lead the practitioner down the path of 'correcting' a form to better suit a specific defensive situation - thus introducing a destructive change to the idealized execution of the form.

 

This discussion does not preclude the fact that any motion, or series of motions, in any of the American Kenpo forms can be used in a combative setting. And, furthermore, the very same maneuvers can most likely be tailored to a variety of situations with little to no modifications, once an opponent is brought into the fray. It is at this point where the argument is then morphed to which situation and alteration is the best one - rather than understanding the original intent of the original maneuver(s) and their purpose in the form. Finally, the fact that (a) maneuver(s) of a form can be used in a combat situation does not alter the original intent of American Kenpo forms. It just highlights that the forms can be easily adapted and used for a variety of purposes.

 

To read more on this subject, see the "Execution of Short Form Three" section of this book.