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There is one more element within Maneuver, Self-Defense Technique, and Transition coordination that is important and needs to be considered; head and gaze maneuvers. When any change of direction is required, one must also re-focus their gaze and potentially the position of the head.

 

The more dramatic head maneuvering is to turn both the head and the eyes prior to re-positioning onto the new direction (be it individual or self-defense). This over emphasis on a change of direction with head maneuvering is done even if the new direction can be viewed with just turning the eyes. This gives the observer(s) an indication as to the direction of the next maneuver to be executed and adds an element of flare to the form.

 

But, there is also a negative to this practice of emphasizing head turning in a real world scenario. This can be summed up with one word - telegraphing. There is a general rule in American Kenpo not to telegraph any maneuvers, and a lot of practitioners like to obey this rule during form execution.

 

Because there are good reasons for both an emphasized and subtle implementation of gaze manipulation, head maneuvering can be construed as a very personal preference, and therefore can be enhanced or downplayed depending upon the performer's desired outcome. Both methods have their merits, and it is left up to the individual practitioner to decide how to handle head maneuvering.

 

More important than the style of head turning is the understanding of the pros and cons of each method. Some practitioners come to a compromise where-in the lower forms (i.e., the One's and Two's) are executed with the dramatic head maneuvering, since they are the more basic and elementary forms. While the more subtle method is used during execution of the upper forms (i.e., Short Form Three and up), since they contain more realistic and advanced maneuvering.

 

But ultimately, head and gaze manipulation this is admittedly a very personal decision and left up to the individual practitioner to decide how and when to implement either methodology. And, as long as the gaze is maneuvered throughout execution of the form to the correct locations, the specifics of exactly how visual attention is conducted is less important of a factor.