Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, The Poomsae Series, Training Tips

Guest Writer: Kata in Aikidō: Form, Principle, and Transformation

I’ve always been a fan of forms (poomsae in Korean) and appreciate their ability to focus the practitioner on technique, execution, proper form, and breathing. Forms are practiced across many different martial arts, including Aikido. Josh MacDonald, Calgary Rakushinkan Aikidō, shares his expertise about the history and current practice of forms (kata) in Aikido. If you would like to be a guest writer for Little Black Belt please review the guest writer guidelines and contact me.

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Melanie Gibson Injury and Recovery, The Poomsae Series, Training Tips

Using Martial Arts Basics To Recover From an Injury

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If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know how I feel about forms. I’ve written over two dozen blog posts about the mental and physical benefits (and inevitable life lessons) of practicing poomsae.

To my surprise, my physical therapist casually mentioned that I should start doing slow-motion forms to work on balance and transferring weight back and forth on my legs. I’m nearly three weeks post-op from ACL reconstruction surgery, and, if I’m careful, I can move around the house with just my leg brace. I was excited about the prospect.

I’ve done forms as mental therapy. I’ve never done them as physical therapy, so this will be a new recovery/martial arts adventure for me.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, The Poomsae Series, Training Tips

How Kickboxing Upped My Poomsae (Forms) Game

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In the martial arts world we often tout the practice of forms (poomsae, kata, etc) as a means to hone techniques for self-defense and fighting. But have we ever thought about reversing the practice? How can we use our striking, kicking, and sparring practice to power up our poomsae game?

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