Many people love Bruce Lee in the sense he seen as a titan when it comes to martial arts. He never claimed to be, but his charisma and some of his feats that awed Americans give off this illusion. He had his opinions about martial arts, and many took it as gospel.
The forms in martial arts, especially traditional Chinese martial arts should be standardised forms of shadowboxing. Standardised in the sense that they have set techniques and movements. But what is more important in these physical forms of communications, are the underlying principles. Usually reduced to defence and offence. It is these principles a practitioner must refine and understand. This is from a martial aspect and they can remove a piece from the form and drill it over and over, uncovering the multitudes of applications possible.
Applications are like technologies, principles, however, are like scientific knowledge applied in different ways generating different technologies. That is why having a good technique may be good, but if you can understand the underlying principle. The possibilities are limitless. That is why there is sometimes differences or variants of forms in the same style. Whether it be in Taiji Quan or Shaolin.
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