A supplement to the guidelines and rules for traditional form divisions for competitors (white through brown/red belt and Black).

Traditional forms have been an integral part of the majority of recognized “martial arts” systems for over the last 80 to 100 years. As the Okinawan and Japanese first started incorporating “kara-te” into the public schools this curriculum contained “forms” or kata to help gage the students progress through their martial art. These men and women passed on these forms and until the late 1950’s and 60’s these forms remained unchanged.

In America a lot of traditions were cast aside in the effort to make the “best fighter”. Many movements in traditional forms were changed to impress the judges and improve the competitor’s chance for first place.

The men responsible for martial arts in America maintained and taught these “traditional forms” and for the most part honored the “ranking system” they attained their Black Belts under. A short list of the men I am speaking of include; Robert Trias, George Anderson, Peter Urban, Leo Fong, Sihak Henry Cho, Fumio Demura, Jhoon Rhee and Ed Parker. These men respected the “traditional” forms and the order of the curriculum in regards to the order of the forms and the belts associated with the forms. This “original curriculum” and this perspective towards “traditional forms” is the manner in which the AYSMA is going to design rules and guidelines regarding “traditional empty hand form divisions”. When needed the AYSMA will treat “traditional weapon forms” the same way and will offer separate divisions for Chinese and Japanese/Korean “weapons forms”.

It is the intent of the AYSMA to offer a myriad of “form divisions” to the competitor; these will include traditional empty hand (hard/soft), traditional weapons (hard/soft), musical empty hand, musical weapons, “freestyle” empty hand (no music), team and even an entertainment division (that will allow for costumes).

The AYSMA position on traditional form and why we offer it. The AYSMA feels it is important to maintain the rich history and tradition our various “styles” of martial arts offer our children. We feel it is exciting to watch a child perform a form that has been (in some cases) practiced for over one hundred years. We also wish to offer a group of “floor exercise” or form divisions that will level the playing field within a given belt rank and in doing so only the competitor with the “best technique” will take home first place. Is this subjective? Yes. Are not the winners in form divisions in martial arts or gymnastics or even equestrian horseback riding, decided through subjective reasoning on the part of the judges? Yes! We also believe there are still many schools that maintain this “old fashioned” view towards forms. We want to become a home to these schools. The AYSMA feels it is important to have Gae Bek of Taekwon Do Chung Do Kwan or possibly Ro Hai of Okinawa-te performed the same way in 2025 as it was in 1925.

The AYSMA knows we have to start small and start with the basics. The basics in the traditional form division, means the competitor must respect those that have gone before and the rules of the sanctioning body of the tournament they are competing in. The AYSMA rules are clear. The competitor must perform a recognized traditional form that is required for the student to progress to the next belt rank or any form from the students respective division group (beginner, intermediate, brown/red). This means that a white belt may perform a form that is required for the orange belt testing for green. It does not allow for the Orange belt to perform any form from the intermediate belt rank group of forms or brown/red belt or Black Belt group of forms.

The AYSMA is studying some of the major gymnastic sanctioning bodies in establishing our rules and guidelines. In gymnastic events they have “required” movements in “specific” divisions. They also have divisions that allow the competitor to perform movements that are not allowed in the other divisions. To make another example; in stock car racing there are limits to the size of engine, gear ratio’s and various key parts in the car, this ensures that the skill of the driver to control the car will determine the winner. Another example is speeding on the highway, just because your car will travel 120 mph and the highway is clear of traffic, you may not exceed the limit established by the state without threat of a speeding ticket. There are many examples of staying within boundaries to ensure a level playing field. A final example of staying within a known boundary when performing forms is when a student is testing for the Black Belt; a request is made to perform a form from the beginner levels. Does the student perform a form from the group of floor exercise designed for brown belts or one of the first forms from his/her system? Lets not try to penalize students from schools that maintain a traditional view towards forms. At the same time the AYSMA will not penalize students from “freestyle schools that have initiated their own “forms for rank”. If these forms contain “gymnastic or advanced level techniques” the AYSMA will have a form division for them.

A student may not take any traditional form and “add to it” in an effort for extra points. If a competitor does this he/she will lose a full two points. Example; If a competitor performs Chon Ji (taekwon do) or Heian One (karate) or Short Number One (American kenpo) and adds kicks to enhance his score somewhere during the execution of the form, this will be penalized with a two point reduction in the competitors final score. The AYSMA recognizes that there are small changes in a “given form” within styles, the AYSMA allows for these small changes it also will not tolerate changing a front kick in a form to a 360-degree jump spinning kick.

In respect to the Black Belt traditional empty hand form divisions, this rule will be enforced here also. A Black Belt competitor may not perform Ba Sai or Chung Mu and add or subtract movements; the form must be executed with the “proper movements”. If your argument is “but my student has the ability to “add this jump spin heel kick” our answer is “wonderful we have a division for that and it is not in “traditional forms”. The AYSMA is aware that each interpretation of a form will have differences, this will not allow for a standing sidekick to be “changed” to a jump spinning heel kick. The AYSMA will offer other divisions for the student to showcase his/her kicking skills or any other “specialty” that the student wishes to “focus” or “build” a form on.

The AYSMA is trying to include not exclude. To do this we must have form divisions that will draw the traditional “Shoto Kan” practitioner as well as form divisions for “internal and external” Chinese stylist. But we must start somewhere and this is it. Traditional forms, no additions, no gymnastics just solid “belt rank” material, a level playing field for all the competitors that don’t know gymnastics or who because of the adherence to history and traditions do not “change” forms for any reason. The AYSMA also wants the freestyle schools where one day a week all the students go through gymnastics training. We will offer the most form divisions.

Help the AYSMA offer you, the competitor more, adhere to the rules for the divisions we have. As time goes we will offer more and more divisions, come and grow with us.