Another Class Notes: Silat Melayu

Two buah covered this afternoon:

Titi Batang

Remember that after seizing the opponent’s left arm (after the pijak) you step up and lock his ankle with your left foot at the same time you push the straightened arms forward. After the takedown, you might lose the ankle lock as you remove the left foot, so be sure to sink your shin deep into his thigh in order to maintain control.

Lesung Hindek

Remember the stomp to the center of the back as you move into position for the leg lock. Move your knee not your foot to accommodate the lock.

These two buah achieve similar results – in the “gentle” version, the opponent is locked on the ground while your arms are completely free to draw your weapon. In the “combat” version, it’s basically the same effect only the opponent will most likely never walk again without some kind of assistance.

An example of pecahan with these buah: you begin with the first one, then suddenly you have to pivot 180 degrees to deal with another opponent, while still maintaining control of the one you’ve just taken down. Go into the crouch and draw your weapon!

Orasyon - a Personal Experience Conclusion

At that point I wasn’t sure if the room itself was spinning, or just my head. I felt utterly helpless and homicidal at the same time. My traveling companions were not faring much better, and the fools were now somehow looking to me for a solution to this crisis. Even at that moment, one of them had taken a position dangerously close to my face as he recounted in disbelief the terrible narrative of our trip until this point. I simply looked up at all of them and said “Get the hell away from me for 15 minutes.”

I guess they remembered what happened the one other time I had issued that same warning -and almost instantly- I had the small section of the waiting area almost all to myself.

Breathing deeply, I concentrated my gaze at the upturned palms of my hands (in du’a position) and began to recite the orasyon in my mind. I suppose that I probably looked like any other frustrated, desperate international traveler at the end of his mental/psychic rope. Honestly, I didn’t have a specific objective or result in mind. As ridiculous as our journey home had been so far, and with our present circumstances, it was about as sensible of a response as I could think of. Besides, if nothing else, reciting the orasyon gave me a chance to quiet down and get centered in preparation for whatever we were going to be hit with next.

Fifteen minutes and 250 repetitions later I was at last in a state of calmness. Time to regroup and realistically consider our options at this point.

A short time into our discussion, I noticed a rather tall and ‘official’ looking man wearing dark slacks and a grey blazer emerge from a room behind the ticket counter. He came walking toward us at a brisk pace, carrying a 2-way radio and a clipboard. I was thinking he must be some manager from the airline, or even the airport police. He waded directly into our little huddle, looked me straight in the eye, and said the kindest, most beatific words I had heard in the past 2 weeks: “Come with me, I’m going to get you on the plane.”

Within 20 minutes this gentleman personally shepherded us through a maze of back doors and secret passageways, through ticket counters, customs, and boarding agents. Stopping only to argue with uncooperative airport personnel at various junctures. I don’t speak German, but it was clear to me that the airport people were saying “CAN’T” and he was responding with “CAN” – nodding reassuringly to me the entire time. Somewhere between checkpoints and arguments I asked him who he was. I didn’t completely understand his English, but I got that he was some kind of Customer Service Specialist for the airline.

He finally led us all the way to the gate, where our flight – which should have taken off an hour ago – was still parked! He escorted us all the way on to the plane, pausing for one final argument with the fight attendant, who was reluctant to let us aboard. Before we took our seats I explained to him that I intended to write a glowing letter about his outstanding service to his bosses at the airline, and I asked for his name. He moved the lapel of his blazer aside to give me a clear view of his airport identification tag.

His name was Nicholas Bernardi.

Orasyon - a Personal Experience pt 2

Now, fast forward about 6 months. I had been reciting this orasyon faithfully ever since it had been given to me – probably about 500 times throughout in the course of a day. That’s not really difficult at all. I would habitually recite it to myself while driving to work, walking around the block, watching television, training, etc. All you have to do is replace the normal chatter that goes on in your head throughout the course of a day by focusing instead on the recitation of the orasyon.

As for the effects? I can tell you that I felt absolutely nothing after saying it. There was not even one minute change mentally, spiritually, physically, or otherwise that I could discern after reciting this orasyon for so many months. But I didn’t really care. I did it anyway.

It just so happened at the end of that same year – against my better judgment - I agreed to accompany several of my students on a 2 week excursion to a particularly nasty back-water, 3^rd world hellhole very far from anywhere that resembled a civilized society as we think of it. We didn’t exactly have high expectations to begin with, but it was even worse than we anticipated. The trip was excruciating, and we questioned our own sanity at various times for undertaking it. Apart from actually accomplishing the absurd objective of the trip (never mind what that was), we were very happy just to be going home alive and (for the most part) in one piece.

We flew out of that Godforsaken land and 15 hours later, landed in Germany with one hour before we were to board the next flight back to the good ‘ole USA. We had our first decent meal in 2 weeks at the airport, and after waiting in line to get our boarding passes there was one more brutal surprise in store for us at the ticket counter: the airline had screwed up our return flight booking. We weren’t scheduled to leave for another ten days!

After all we had been through, it felt like a final brutal kick to the face. I just about went berserk. The other travelers were backing away just as the airport police were coming closer. The wretched ticket agent called for her manager. After the token insincere apology, we were informed that we would be placed on “standby” status, and could go home on the next available flight – even possibly by the end of the night. Maybe it was the more-than-mildly-psychotic state of mind I was in, but it was at least faint glimmer of hope. After all, I thought, how long could we possibly be here before they put us on another flight.

As I staggered back to the seating area, I noticed a young Asian man casually observing our situation from the sideline. Just as soon as I took my seat, he said to me: “So, they screwed up your return flight and now you’re on standby, right?” I confirmed. “That’s the exact same thing that happened to me!” he said. “How long ago was that?” I inquired. After a long sigh he replied “I’ve been here 3 days so far…”

stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion to our story

Orasyon - a Personal Experience

So in response to several requests, I will now relate a humble personal experience with Orasyon.

Many years ago I was given an orasyon by a Guru in Hyderabad, India. This Guru spoke very little English, and we communicated through a certain student of his who was proficient in English as well as Telugu. Now, I must give you a bit of detail about this particular student. He lived with his family near this Guru in Hyderabad. By profession, he was a salesman and the majority of his clientele were located here in the United States. Since he felt that his actual name sounded “too foreign” to do business in America, he adopted a Western pseudonym when he interacted with his English speaking clients. The name he went by was “Nicholas Bernardi”.

Why did he adopt that name? It wasn’t arbitrary. If you took the Indian name of that Guru, and “Western-ized” it through a little creative word play, you got a very close pronunciation to “Nicholas Bernardi”. So it was at once a clever play on words and at the same time a sort of tribute to his Guru.

Ok? So just keep all that in mind for later.

The orasyon itself consisted of only six words, and I was given a ‘prescription’ to recite it a specific number of times every day. You see, it was explained to me that the more frequently I repeated the prayer – providing I did it with the appropriate level of concentration, focus, etc. – the more “power” or energy would be accumulated in the words themselves. Sort of like charging a dry-cell battery, if you will. The words of the orayson could even be translated directly to English. No, I’m not going to give the translation (sorry!) but I will tell you that it is neither very profound, nor poetic and would not fit anyone’s idea of “magic” or “power” words in the least. It is merely a simple supplication for the Grace of G-d, through the blessing of this particular Guru and is not even ‘affiliated’ with any religion.

to be continued...

Orasyon cont.

"Metaphysics or Enchantment

This is a much discussed and debated topic of FMA. Technically, they are not weapons, but to the extent they can protect the owner from harm or wounds, or confuse or incapacitate the enemy, then they become accoutrements or instruments of war or combat. We are talking about amulets or charms (anting-anting) and prayers (orasyones).

Amulets are physical, such as human bones (sometimes dug up from graves), special stones, etc., while orasyones are special incantations, with spiritual attributes or powers, attributed to God with overtly religious references, oftentimes with specific goals, i.e., to confuse the enemy, to make the owner impervious to weapons, etc.

A most notable Grandmaster who believed in this was Antonio “Tatang” Ilustrisimo, who carried an amulet and had an “orasyon” tattooed across his chest. It must have worked for him, since he survived a lifetime of death matches and violent street encounters to live to a ripe old age of ninety-three."

Save the Date!

Kali Weapons Seminar in South Florida with Kuya Doug Marcaida

Time	Friday, November 11 at 6:00pm - November 13 at 4:00pm
Location	THE SHAOLIN ACADEMY , PEMBROKE FLORIDA
More Info	Weapons theories of kali as applied to the karambit and tomahawk. Seminar will be held on November 11th through 13th... 20841 Johnson St. STE 101 Pembroke Pines, FL 33029 Whether your a beginner, novice, expert, no matter what background in Martial Arts, Cage Fighting, Special Forces, Military, Police Officers, Security, Bouncers, or none at all? You won't want to miss this South Florida! Numbers to call are : John Micheal Venegas (954) 450-4666 Miguel Lopez (954) 523-9110 Clint Cayson (561) 843-3482 Jason Marcaida (954)864-1494

The Esoteric Side of FMA!

If you spend some time perusing the online FMA forums you’ll notice that a few of the same topics keep popping up on a regular basis ad nauseum:

- Endless debates about the etymology/authenticity of the terms Arnis, Escrima, and Kali.

- Versions and reversions of stories recounting challenge matches between certain schools and/or masters.

- Point-counterpoint debates over Who-Learned-From-Who, or Who-Pirated-Which-Techniques-From-Who.

- The latest lucky guy who inherited a particular system after the previous guy was excommunicated.

- Comparisons of FMA’s with other more mainstream martial arts such as Karate, Kung-Fu, Aikido, etc.

To be honest, I completely stopped caring about all of the above topics and their variants about 20 years ago, and have since focused on more “immediate” issues such as refining my overall skill and mastering (or more realistically, just getting better at) the technique that Ama Guro Jun DeLeon calls Hagibis - from my left side. Come to think of it, the raging debate over the use of the term Kali might even be settled before I master the Hagibis on my left side…but I digress.

One reoccurring topic in particular that does happen to peak my interest concerns the various “supernatural” aspects of Filipino culture that are sometimes discussed in relation to the practice of certain FMA styles. These discussions often encompass: anting-anting (amulets), engkantos (spirits), and orasyon (incantations) among other things.

Now, you’re not likely to hear about such things if you training comes from a dojo that happens to offer a “Filipino Stick-Fighting Class” once a week, or if you train in a completely sport-oriented club. It’s true that the Filipino Martial Arts have finally become so American-ized over here that you can find many expressions of it which are devoid of all the cultural decorum. We call it “A Gi and a Stick”.

However, if you’ve spent time in the Philippines or your Guro has trained there, or especially if your Guro is Filipino, you’ll no doubt hear the legends from time to time. When I’ve seen such topics discussed online, the tone of the postings are usually framed as “Do you believe in…” or “Have you ever experienced…” The responses tend to follow a pattern as well. Some folks dismiss them outright as mere superstition. Others relate that although they have no direct experience with such phenomena, they still respect the traditions of their culture. And then there are some who will recount either anecdotal or direct personal experiences.

These topics tend to be my favorite – not only because I am intrigued by the subject matter, but because they are surprisingly the least dogmatic of the discussions. Unlike the above mentioned topics, no one claims to have the only or last word when it comes to metaphysical side!

At the request of one of my readers, in the next few posts I’ll give some background and perhaps relate a personal experience with Orasyon.

Stay tuned...

Great Article

Whew! It's been a C-R-A-Z-Y past few weeks (or months???) Well, our big project is still in the works so I thought I come back with a few posts in the meantime.

Enjoy this article by my Brother Nadzrin:

Langkah Senamku 7: Dari Selangor Ke Michigan a.k.a Senaman Jarak Jauh

Pada tahun 2002, seorang guru Kali bernama guro Omar Hakim dari Amerika Syarikat yang bertugas di Kuala Lumpur menghubungi guru Azlan Ghanie dengan niat berkenalan di samping mempelajari silat. Menurutnya, beliau berminat mempelajari sejenis silat di Malaysia.

Walaupun permohonan rasminya menuntut silat itu ditolak atas alasan perguruan itu sendiri, guro Omar terus memburu silat untuk dipelajari, sehingga berjaya mencapai tahap jurulatih dalam Silat Kuntau Tekpi dan beberapa tahun kemudian, Silat Kalimah.

Beliau turut menuntut Silat Melayu Keris Lok 9, tetapi tidak lama, dan mungkin tidak begitu menepati seleranya. Namun, yang menarik minatnya adalah Senaman Tua. Katanya, senaman ini begitu advanced, hinggakan kaedah nafas dan konsep senaman yang ada padanya jarang ditemui di dunia Barat, melainkan daripada beberapa tokoh sahaja.

Apabila beliau pulang ke Amerika, beliau mengasaskan Silat Kuntau Tekpi USA dan membawa sekali ST. Walaupun beliau tidak bertauliah jurulatih (itu sebelum zaman lesen bertauliah), tetapi beliau gigih menghidupkannya dalam pengajaran silat dan kalinya. Nampak benar ada kesan kepada murid-muridnya.

Pada tahun 2005, ketika saya mengalami pengangguran kerja selama enam bulan, saya mula menghabiskan masa di kafe internet bagi mencari kerja dan aktif di forum beladiri. Dalam menukil-nukil di papan kekunci, saya berkenalan dengan seorang pesilat Kuntau Tekpi USA bernama Phil dan melaluinya, gurunya, cikgu muda Jeff Davidson. Asalnya, kami bertukar-tukar emel, tetapi akhirnya lebih rancak berbincang di Yahoo Messenger.

Jeff, juga dikenali sebagai Jaafar ibn Daud adalah guru muda Silat Kuntau Tekpi dan Kali Pekiti Tirsia. Beliau juga sering dijemput pasukan polis Detroit untuk mengisi silibus pertahanan jalanan pihak berkuasa yang dikenali sebagai Defensive Tactics. Beliau sudah menuntut pelbagai jenis seni beladiri Asia dan Afrika dan kini mengajar kelas beladiri di rumahnya.

Beliau mula bertanya-tanya mengenai silat di Malaysia khususnya mengenai Kuntau Tekpi kerana kami seperguruan. Tetapi, lama-kelamaan, persahabatan kami berubah menjadi persaudaraan yang cukup erat, dan walaupun belum pernah bertemu berhadapan, tetapi terasa sungguh perhubungan keIslaman, persilatan dan kemanusiaan yang utuh.

Namun, setelah beberapa lama berbincangan mengenai, Jeff mula bertanya mengenai Senaman Tua, kerana dirasakan tidak mencukupi apa yang diterima daripada guro Omar. Guru Omar sendiri 'mengisi tempat kosong' dengan pengalaman lamanya dalam dunia seni beladiri. Hasilnya, Senaman Tua yang diajar di USA tidak sama dengan ST di Malaysia.

Sebagai pembuka bicara, saya bertanyakan kepada Jeff, apakah lingkup ST yang diterimanya. Cukup terkejut. Nafas yang diajar adalah salah (atau berlainan dari yang diajar guru Azlan). Gerakan senaman pula banyak yang singkat, tidak lengkap atau salah posisinya. Disebabkan kasihnya saya kepada saudara saya itu, saya mula membetulkan sedikit demi sedikit ilmu yang diterimanya, melalui chat! Mungkin juga perlakuan kami itu adalah kejadian belajar Senaman Tua jarak jauh terawal di dunia secara elektronik!

Apabila saya menurunkan Nafas Melayu yang tepat, di sebelah dunia sana, Jeff menulis bahawa terus beliau merasakan perbezaannya daripada kaedah nafas yang diterima, dan apabila saya menetap dan menepat gerakan senamannya, baru terasa impak yang sepatutnya. Beliau cukup-cukup berterima kasih, namun saya sentiasa mengingatkan bahawa ilmu itu bukan milik saya, tetapi adalah usaha kajian dan susunan guru Azlan Ghanie. Beliau akur.

Saya juga mengingatkan bahawa Senaman Tua belum lagi rasmi dibawa ke USA, kerana guru Omar sendiri tidak terlesen di bawah sistem baru kejurulatihan. Segala apa ST yang diajar di sana oleh Jeff hanya diiktiraf saya sendiri, bukan guru Azlan dan bukan oleh badan kawalan ST di Malaysia. Beliau tetap akur dengan maksud, bila-bila sahaja beliau mungkin menerima surat rasmi daripada guru Azlan untuk berhenti mengajar ST. Tetapi, kata saya, selagi itu belum berlaku, amalkanlah sendiri dan ajarkanlah kepada keluarga dan muridnya.

Hasilnya cukup menakjubkan. Kegigihan Jeff, keterbukaannya belajar (walaupun umurnya jauh melangkaui saya sendiri) dan keikhlasannya menyampaikan ilmu mendapat sambutan hangat daripada murid-muridnya sendiri. Buktinya seringkali dipaparkan di blog beliau Balisong Journal. Saya sempat kutip beberapa emel yang dikirim kepadanya oleh muridnya:

Testimonial Senaman Tua dari USA
Senaman Tua saves another student
Senaman Tua - Another satisfied client!

Malah, sebelum murid-muridnya, Jeff sendiri menulis dalam blognya bahawa:

"In response to numerous requests from my students for more information on Senaman Tua, I offer the following brief explanation... As anyone who has been put into at least one full-body lock from Cekak or Silat Kuntau Tekpi can attest, it is murder on the joints. I liken Senaman Tua to 'yoga' for the joints. We have been doing it for 7 months, and I have seen remarkable results in my students strength and flexibility.

"By way of a personal testimony, in the summer of 2004 I tore the ACL in my right knee during a dumog match. After 3 months of physical therapy I decided not to have surgery, but the knee was obviously not fully functional. I learned Senaman Tua from Omar Hakim in April of 2005, and after a rigorous program of x2 per week for an hour my knee was stronger than it was before the tear - by July!"

Dalam buku Senaman Melayu Tua, terdapat berpuluh testimonial daripada orang Malaysia mengenai keberkesanan ST dan saya sendiri tidak sempat memasukkan testimonial-testimonial daripada Jeff dan murid-muridnya dalam buku itu (juga kerana status ST yang tidak rasmi di sana), tetapi hakikatnya, ST sudah sampai ke luar negara, sudah melepasi ujian akal dan praktikal orang Amerika (manusia yang paling pengkritik dalam bab-bab seni beladiri tradisional) dan menerima pengiktirafan daripada kerajaan Malaysia sebagai rawatan alternatif.

Sehingga kini, Jeff masih lagi berlatih dan mengajar ST, dan masih bersahabat rapat dengan saya. Satu hari nanti, kami pasti akan bersua muka, dan tibalah pula masa saya menuntut daripadanya.

Coming Soon...

A new offering, for an expanded audience of seekers willing to 'take a chance' and dedicated to one student in particular who unfortunately learned the hard way to take his training seriously...

More to come.

Happy GURU'S DAY!

As many of you may not know, today happens to be Guru Purnima which is celebrated by many in the Hindu/Buddhist communities across the world. I don't usually quote wikipedia, but I'll save you the trouble of clicking over there right now with this brief summary:

The relationship between the Guru and the Disciple is considered very sacred. This relationship is purely spiritual in nature and is independent of age of the two. It is based on maturity of Gyan (Spiritual Knowledge) and Shrada (Spiritual Practice). The only awareness that a Disciple should foster is, ‘I should be uplifted spiritually’. The Guru too harbours only one thought, ‘May this Disciple be uplifted’.

So, specific religious overtones aside take some time today and think on this. Of course just like your mother, father, and every other important person in your life, you should always carry a feeling of gratitude and "connection" to your Teacher.

My deepest and most sincere Salutations to all of my Teachers everywhere in gratitude for all you have - and continue - to share. On behalf of my own students...

HAPPY GURU'S DAY!

Even More Class Notes: Silat Melayu

Here are some important questions from last week’s class. If you can answer them, you are well on your way to refining your skill in combat – or you were at least paying attention:

1. Which petua deals specifically with the transfer/release of energy?

2. In sequence, this petua would be […] gerak? (fill in the blank)

3. How does this petua apply to grappling in Silat? Do other forms of grappling – wrestling, jiujitsu, etc - employ this principle?

4. Find this petua (if it exists) in Pekiti-Tirsia:

a. In footwork

b. In a stick drill

c. In a stick disarm

5. Cite a specific buah that clearly emphasizes this petua –hint: it’s the one that puts the opponent “to sleep”.

6. Cite an example of this petua somewhere in nature.

The first person to email me with the correct answers wins a prize!

Got Training? Thank Your Wife! pt 2

If you’re really fortunate, you may have the kind of wife that my student Panday is blessed to have. No, he’s not the student I referenced earlier, but I’m still going to talk about him for a minute. Panday is our role-model not only in the arena of Combat Shooting, but also as the quintessential husband and father. Sort of like the late Michael Landon’s character on Little House on the Prairie, only he routinely apprehends armed robbers and dislodges barricaded gunmen (you thought your job was stressful?)

If Panday befriends you, you will inevitably come to know his family, and you will realize he could not be who he is without the unconditional support of “Mrs. Panday”.

I’m referring to the kind of true Partner who understands that your training in Martial Arts is as much for your family as it is for you. Does your training affect only YOU? Of course not. Your training makes you a better person in every aspect of your life. If you have found a Path that strengthens you mentally and physically, hones your discipline, refines your character, and globally enriches your life on every level – is it worth devoting time to? Is it worth a few sacrifices in other, more permeable areas of your life?

If you answered those questions in the affirmative, and you have the full support of those closest to you, then the difficult Path to Mastery has been made a lot easier for you. Count your blessings.

Now finally to the student I referred to in the beginning. After training seriously for just under a year, he recently suffered an unfortunate medical setback and was forced to take a leave from his job and also from several other activities that he shared with his family. I saw him just after Father’s Day for what I assumed would be the last time before a necessary hiatus.

He related to me a very strange “argument” that he had with his wife the day before. Although physically able, he was prepared to suspend his training indefinitely while his personal setback worked out. After all he reasoned, his wife would be working extra hours to make up the difference in the family’s expenses. Here’s where the argument came into play. His wife would hear nothing of it! In his words: “She told me that no matter what, these lessons and being a part of the group have had such a strong positive influence on me, she would not allow me to stop under any circumstances and would do anything in her power to help me continue – especially now.”

Another student who just happened to be privy to the conversation offered this timeless wisdom “Dude, while you’re budgeting for your training, you better also be budgeting weekly for flowers!”

I wholeheartedly concur.

Got Training? Thank Your Wife! pt 1

With all praise to Heaven - I had a great Father’s Day this year. So did one of my students in particular, but we’ll talk about that in a minute. As for me, it was an early dinner at my favorite restaurant in the ‘old neighborhood’ followed by a long, sprawling, winding hike with my daughter through the same magnificent woods that I used to carry her through on my shoulders so many years ago.

Back to Martial Arts. Now realize, that it’s very difficult to train seriously and actually develop true skill and virtue through martial arts training in our time, for reasons other than the inherent challenges of learning a martial art. The tough part is that so many people have to support you unconditionally. Not just your teacher and your training partners, but the people closest to you – namely your own family – have to stand firmly behind you 100%. That is the tough part.

Unless you’re a monk and you train with other monks; or you’re still a teenager with a teenager’s responsibilities, it’s very difficult indeed to balance time for your training against the weight of all the other responsibilities that an adult member of our society must shoulder. The truth is that if you take this really seriously – and the people that train with me usually do – and you look at Martial Arts training as something deeper than a simple hobby or pastime – you will make sacrifices. Social life, recreational life, professional obligations and yes, even time with your family become part of the balancing act.

Here is something to ponder: for a typical man who trains religiously and spends a considerable amount of time in pursuit of the Art, the person you are most accountable to – aside from your Guru – is invariably your wife! Indeed, her level of compassion, respect, and understanding can literally make or break your training.

to be continued...

Belated Father's Day

Proud Dad and Daughter

I am horribly remiss in that I have allowed Father’s Day to come and go without saluting all the dedicated, hard-working, devoted, loving, and self-sacrificing Fathers out there. MABUHAY to all the Dads everywhere – and that includes so-called “step-dads”, Grandfathers, and any Elder man who may have played that role in your life. It is indeed a terrible thing to have a Void where the Father should have been.

In 25 years of teaching Martial Arts, I can attest that so many people are in truth searching for that Father when they come into your training hall.

As demographics would have it, there are more ‘Dads’ among the ranks of my students - some old(er), some new(er) – than there are single guys (sorry ladies!) Each one to a man would tell you how much training in the Martial Arts has made him stronger, more courageous, more flexible, and in every way better prepared to confront the awesome and terrifying responsibility of Fatherhood.

Update

I want to say that I really appreciate the patience of the 3-4 people who actually read this blog on a regular basis. In response to a lot of kind feedback and encouragement from you guys - and one student in particular - I have decided to write an actual book featuring material along the same lines of The Balisong Journal.

So, The Balisong Journal will stay online and i will update it, but I am putting a lot of energy behind the 'new' project. I welcome all of your thoughts and suggestions either by comment here or by private email.

Please stay tuned for details...

MABUHAY

JD

Soul Searching

To start with, you are encouraged to mentally cue up something like the closing theme music from the old Incredible Hulk television series (starring Bill Bixby) to set the appropriate tone for this next series of posts.

Yes, I’ve been doing some ‘Soul Searching’ lately in regards to teaching, learning, students, the role of the teacher etc.

Looking back, I never thought that I would ever be a Guru (teacher) in any of the Southeast Asian martial arts that I have been privileged to study. So many years ago, I remember standing in my own teacher’s yard during training sessions - watching in awe of his skill and the skills of the advanced students - thinking “This is so far beyond me, I’ll probably never really get ‘good’ at this…it would be enough if I could just learn it.” A somewhat defeatist attitude to be sure, but I felt like I was being realistic.

This was about 1987-88, long before Youtube and the Internet, when I still held the outrageous notion that a person would at least have to possess a high level of technical skill and understanding to be awarded a teaching license from a legitimate Master of Kali or Silat. I guess either I was wrong to begin with…or times have changed. Today, you certainly don’t need much in the way of skill and understanding to be granted the title of Guru by some (even legitimate) Masters. In fact, a lot of folks these days just skip that step altogether and award themselves the title of Teacher, Master, or even Grandmaster and go about trolling for students. I guess it’s a variation of “If you build it, they will come”…especially if they don’t know any better.

To be continued...

Thought for the Day

All pleasures come to us from Paradise, even good jokes. Joy is on a higher plane than grief. Even with the new-born child, tears come first and then smiles. Joy constitutes a higher state, for it springs from the Higher Worlds, from the Glory of the Almighty.

Thus it is Joy that washes away all sin.

- Reb Pinchas of Koritz from “Midrash Pinchas”

Perspectives on Silat pt 3

Taqwa will cultivate a true sense of serenity and tranquility. One will have no fear towards any other being in the world. Absence of fear combined with proper and compassionate action, based on the true teaching and practice of your spiritual Faith. One will have aspiration only to God. Truly and fully relying on God is tawakkal. Tawakkal must come with proper physical and spiritual action that is based on the discipline of ‘submission’ to the Lord of All Worlds.

In truth learning silat is actually an act of admitting our weaknesses, an effort in controlling ourselves physically and mentally and it is a way to train our physical body to obey tawakkal - full reliance to the Divine. It is actually among our religious obligations to learn and master the way of self-defense, thus utilizing it with proper manner. Silat – or any martial art - itself can never be the ultimate goal in our life. It is one among many tools of knowledge that can be utilized for a holy purpose.

Don't allow yourself to become obsessed with “fighting” but rather allow yourself to completely be submerged into following the path of the Divine. This is the true teaching and practice of our Faith.

Perspectives on Silat pt 2

According to our Faith, learning self defense is among the practices of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and his companions (ra.hum). It is essential for a pious man to be able to protect himself, his family, his possessions, and land from any threat from any kind of enemies, seen or unseen. So it is a religious obligation to put sufficient effort into assuring the safety of all in our environment. As a follower of The Way, let this be the only pure intention in learning Silat. This would be the very basic effort in making sure our intentions will not be clouded by bad inclinations. As murids, we learn Silat not to perfect our martial skill but to complete the practice of our Faith, and thus elevate ourselves as servants of God.

Previously I use the word mentally instead of spiritually because there is only one element that can be used to control the spiritual, and that is the study and practice of Piety. Among the most important aspect of Faith that must be acquired by all is Taqwa. Which means fearing only God, and by fulfilling all His commandments with hope towards His (swt) Mercy. Taqwa is important so that we can ensure our physical and spiritual action is correct and on the straight path. Taqwa will prevent us from making physical and spiritual mistakes or deliberate sins, because from taqwa one will fully obey God.

to be continued...

Perspectives on Silat pt 1

In the coming posts, I'd like to share (with minimal editing) a teaching prepared especially for my students (at my request) by my good friend Ustaz Saiful Muhammad of Malaysia. Read, discuss, enjoy! - JD

Silat is an art of control. Not to control others but to control oneself physically and mentally. When one master the art of controlling oneself, the need to protect oneself when facing enemy will seem like one is controlling the fight and the enemy. Actually one is controlling oneself so perfect that one's body will not be harmed in any way by the threat that been delivered. It is not a skill of controlling others but it is an interpretation of self control.

Learning and mastering Silat is actually to realize and accept one’s weaknesses and embrace it so that it can be use to the advantage. We learn how to make specific movements to protect our weak parts of the body. We are forced to master weaponry skill to face against enemy with more strength or with weapon. If we are so strong and mighty, we don't have to put so much effort in learning special skill to protect ourselves. Just let the enemy come and attack that can do no harm to our strong and impenetrable defense. So in truth we learn any self defense techniques or Silat out of our obvious weaknesses.

to be continued...