SILAT KUNTAU TEKPI Family is Growing!

On behalf of the entire Silat Kuntau Tekpi family in Michigan, we wish to say CONGRATULATIONS to our dear friend and Brother Nor Azlan bin Abd Wahid (aka "Coach Lan") on the birth of his first son - Nor Iman bin Nor Azlan!

Coach Lan has been such a good friend to us over the years. We ask the Lord to bless him and his family with Health, Prosperity, Peace, and Richness forever.

(Now I know he'll be available at 3am for those chats on yahoo IM)

(Not) Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You

From Tuhon Leo T. Gaje Jr.:

I was was asked many times " Tuhon you [should write] a book on Pekiti-Tirsia so we can have it" Some one asked Tuhon do you have the book now when do you write your book. Politely I responded, I am the book if you want to read , you study with me and I will make you a book.

The FMA was not written in a piece of paper for people to learn. The early forefathers were so conservative that they don't want to be seen, performing or swinging the stick or bolo. I remembered my Grandfather's training policy , for deeper and advanced techniques he waits for the full moon so he can train me in the middle of the night. I always asked him , why on moonlight night. He said two things important on moonlight night. When the moon gives his light to earth at night it drove all the evil spirits and for our training nobody will see what we do because they are afraid to be out during moonlight night.

Since the FMA was and is a Sacred art, the methods taught were and are not meant to teach for money or for other people to learn other than the very close member of the family. Those early days were as cruel as living in a place where people are killed every day anytime of the day . The Spanish influence of cruelty was still a paranoia for all the families living in a small town or barrios. Anything that they may have were always kept in a place so secret that in spite of sudden robbery or force entry as what the Spanish soldiers were doing they were prepared for it.The fighting system , the original kali was one of the treasures that the early families kept and treasured. This traditions is still fresh among the people in the hinterlands in Negros and in Panay and some provinces of Mindanao and Masbate.

The reason is simple. Every style or system had their own secret of fighting if that secret is known then the family is in danger because they had nothing to protect themselves in case of sudden attack because the secret was exposed to the enemy>

All those years that I was under my Grandffathers wing I had not heard him say you write what I taught you nor he said get a pen for you to write important techniques. It was a direct straight to the eye training discipline that youre only choice is to retained what you see and what you feel. Thiis is as true to the 300 Spartans or to the Pirates of the Carribeans or to the Gladiators and most of all the Katipuneros of the Philippine revolution.

Do you need the book ? or the book needs you to be you.

The pen is the ginunting, the book is the body of your enemy (emphasis mine - jd). You are taught to write the word . Peace on Earth and good will to men.

Where is the book? The BOOK IS YOU. JOIN THE CLUB OF THE BOOKLESS

Tuhon Gaje on 'Mixing'

Getting Scolded by Tuhon

Mixed Martial arts is a fad today. They mix because they want to learn how to respond to certain techniques. I want to learn too, I cannot blame these people. But if you mix your martial arts, you have a tendency to develop bad habits. Bad habit because what they give in one martial art may not be workable in another martial art. Why do you want to mix?

We follow the angles of attack; once you fall into the perimeter of the line of defense, whatever comes in we have to destroy. So why do you want to mix? If the system is equipped with combat technology, you have no reason to mix.

Many times the person that trains them has no concept of what combat is, he only has limited knowledge, or he is out there for sports and to make a living teaching. How long will you master each mix?

When you mix in ingredients, you have to know the elements of what you are mixing in.
I'll give you an example about mixing, you eat Thai food, American food, Mexican food, Filipino food, kosher food; your stomach will be fighting all night. Sometimes you can mix things that are not compatible.

So the same thing with the mixed martial arts, if someone pulls a knife you don’t know which martial art you are going to use. You hesitate; you can’t decide which technique to use.
Rolling stones gather no moss. Mixing is not a very sophisticated thing to do. You collect another bad habit here; you collect other bad habits there. All the bad habits put together is what you end up with.

I experience this in my seminars, I have mixed martial artists there, you tell them to relax and they tense up. From hard empty hands to weaponry is a very hard thing, they contradict.
Yin and yang, you have to learn how to be soft and when to be hard. One problem is that many teachers do not have sufficient experience in combat.

There is a big movement to mixed martial arts.. .it is ok...What is your common denominator, what is your target? You have to be accurate and you have to be precise, any mistake you commit during an encounter is a big problem. The game is lost.

If you are a soldier you have to accurate and precise. The same for a painter, sculptor, and carpenter. If you are making a doorknob it must fit in the door. Everything must be accurate and precise."