When I refer to "applications", I do not mean preset choreographed multiple move responses to specific attacks. I DON"T have in mind some Tae Kwon Do 3 step sparring routine. To me, "applications" refers to the 1:1 correspondence in time and space of one technique to another. For example....using a Bong Sao as a defense against a straight punch. That is not to say that every time the opponent does a straight punch I intend to do a Bong Sao. That only means that one way to use a Bong Sao is as a defense against a straight punch. That is just one application of the Bong Sao. So, likewise, when I talk about applications from the forms, I don't mean take a sequence out of the form and expecting to use it directly. What I do mean, for example, is that there is a pivoting Bong Sao in the form, and the pivot with the Bong Sao can be used as a defense against a punch. So that is an application of that movement. The forms certainly contain concepts, but those concepts must be expressed with physical technique. When you "apply" that technique for a specific situation following the concept behind it, then THAT is an "application" of the technique. So to me, it seems silly to say "we don't do applications." Any specific use of a technique, regardless of how random it is, is an "application." I "apply" my Taan Sao or Bong Sao or Pak Sao in a specific circumstance. Even if I am thinking in terms of a general "zone defense", when I use a specific technique that is an "application" of that technique.....regardless of what attack I have "applied" it to.
As I pointed out in my very first post, I see Isolation Training as breaking out a specific technique, attribute, or yes...application, and working on it in a drill-like format so that you can develop it further. I've given multiple examples of that to try and show what I mean. Hopefully its clear by now what I have been talking about.