Training Rantage

I started attending a new school last September and I've come across an interesting kind of martial artist -- the Forms Collector.

These people love to learn forms for the sake of learning forms and not much else. Every class is entirely focused on teaching and practising forms but NOTHING about how to use them. In other words, there's no training involving the application of techniques.

There's absolutely NO contact training at all. The teacher sometimes tells us the applications for certain moves (which I remain highly skeptical of) but we NEVER have any drills or exercises to practice them. When I say that I'm skeptical of them, I don't mean that I think the moves themselves don't work (otherwise I wouldn't bother learning them), but I don't agree with the explanation that the instructor's providing. But because we never have any 2 person activities, there's no way to 'test' them for ourselves. Everyone just believes the instructor's explanation without question.

For example, we're told that this move is meant to be used for breaking your opponent's arm whilst simultaneously kicking them in the shin. (o_O) Btw, the explanations are RARELY given. Most of the time we're taught moves with no explanation given.

It seems that I'm currently training in a school where everyone seems to be the martial arts equivalent of sealed collectors! They have NO interest in ever using their training in self defence so I don't think anyone really cares about how to apply their techniques (hence why nobody ever thinks about it or questions the explanations). Everyone at this school just loves collecting these forms but have no intention to ever use them. Cos I gotta say, most of the people at this school would get royally smashed if they were ever attacked for real. (-_-)

I only just finished learning one form - and I'm still not confident with it, and the instructor already wants to push me along to learn the next more advanced form! And she told me that if I wanted to, I could go ahead and learn the weapons forms! What?? (o_O) I'd rather consolidate my knowledge of the basic form first and master that first before moving onto the next one. Better to be competent in one form than to learn a heap of advanced forms but not know how to use them.

*sigh*