Collection of Forms

What is up with people's obsession with collecting forms? In particular, learning the wooden dummy form or the biu tze? There is the impression that as soon as you learn these form, then you're getting somewhere. As if, you can fight now that you know how to whack a block of wood. C'mon, that's ridiculous.

These guys judge skill based on how many forms you know. Seriously, this has got to be one of the dumbest things in the martial art circles.  When I was in karate, i realized that to be a second degree black belt, you had to know all katas and kumite drills from white belt to black belt, plus another 10-15 katas for second degree black belt. And yet, when sparring, all they got is the reverse punch, front kick and round house. What a waste.

That's actually one of the reasons as to why I left. It wasn't fighting or practical skill that determined black belt status, it was how good your memory was.

Seriously folks. let the katas/forms go. 

Until then.