Purpose of Patterns
'To perfect fundamental movements'
Historically
Patterns were developed as a result
of the strictly enforced law of Hamurabi. This was in
effect, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth". Clearly practicing martial arts was
severely limited as you could not effectively fight a
moving opponent. For this reason patterns were developed.
A pattern is in effect a sequence of fundamental
movements which represent either attack or defence
against an imaginary target or targets.
Benefits of Practicing Patterns
There are a
number of benefits to the continual practice of patterns:
- To practice many fundamental movements
- To develop sparring techniques
- To improve the flexibility of movements
- To master body shifting
- To build muscles (with slow motion techniques for
example) and improve breathing techniques
- To develop fluid and smooth motions
- To gain rhythmical movements (through
practice)
Points to Remember When Performing a Pattern
- Patterns should begin and end on the same spot
(there are exceptions to this rule)
- Correct posture, stance and facing must be
maintained at all times
- Muscles of the body should be tensed or relaxed at
the critical moments
- The pattern should be performed in a rhythmic
motion, with the absence of stiffness or jerky motions
(smooth and fluid motions are the key)
- Movements should be accelerated/decelerated where
appropriate
- Perfect each pattern before moving onto the
next
- Know the purpose of each movement
- Perform each movement with realism (and enthusiasm,
these are movements against an imaginary opponent (not
slow moving slugs!)
- Attack and defence techniques should be equally
distributed between left and right hands/feet