Be Clear!

YOU could be teaching Combat Silat within two years.

Did you know that with a strategy, a little hope, and some sweat you can achieve your goals?

The majority of us do not think so out of the box crazy that we cannot achieve what we set our mind to. If you wanted to do the work, put in the time, and bust your ass, you could achieve the instructor level rank of Pelatih within 2 years!

I've already helped you more than you realize. I've provided materials that you can use as the basis of that study. I've provided the goal of Pelatih. I've provided the timeline of 2 years. The curriculum itself is attainable, organized, measurable, and relevant.

The only thing really left for you to do is take the lead on your own education and goals.

Here's how you do that:
1. Set up a strategy.
2. Then follow it. Do the work. Find the path that gets you there.
3. Set milestones along the way for your goals.
4. Think of what if scenarios. What if I my knee craps out? What if my elbow, shoulder, back gives out? What if my job changes? What if....? Make some contingency plans. Measure your risk areas.
5. Then, in the face of setbacks adjust your course. Keep pursuing. Be consistent and diligent.
6. Review your progress and see if it aligns with your goal. If not, adjust.

100% of this is consistent time and energy.
There are no secrets.
There is nothing esoteric. It is all exoteric.

But let's be honest, not all the people who travel through the doors of a training area want to teach or even should be teaching.

Perfect!

You should still have a goal. Do the work of giving yourself something measurable to work towards. Include a timeline for that progress. Part of that will be determining for yourself, what it is that you want from your attendance, from your sweat, from your effort.

It doesn't need to be a particular rank. The point of martial arts training is not a fixed destination in my opinion, but the journey involved. Get your mind wrapped around what it is that you are looking for. Is it personal growth? Physical health? Spiritual change? Combat efficacy? Development of grace, balance, and flexibility? Cultural attachment?

Meditate on your personal pursuit regularly. Define what you are looking to obtain. Be open to changing that as life changes, or as you mature in the arts.

Silat can be a journey that provides different things to different people, meeting you where you're at and giving you purpose or it can be as simple as something you do to develop one aspect of yourself. Do the work of figuring out what that is.

For example, you read through this and determine that you really have no interest in teaching but instead want to develop your combat efficacy. Great! Do you know why? Is it something you like because it seems cool to kick ass? Or do you live in an unsafe environment? Do you come from an abusive background?

You will benefit more from the act of meditating on your purpose of the pursuit than you can imagine. Burrow down and try to be specific. Truly meditate on it. Figure out what you are looking for in the pursuit. Only then can you make a sure target of your training and have a way to measure your journey, make adjustments, or completely flip.

Accidental learning is the slowest way to learn. Be intentional. It's no different than trying to find something you've misplaced. You think. You draw conclusions based on your thinking. Then you act accordingly. Adjusting your journey as you go, until you find the thing misplaced. And, just like a thing misplaced, if you don't know what you're looking for, it's pretty damned hard to find it!

Move with intention and as in an attack, have clarity of movement, clarity of target, and clarity of the results.

Sincerely,
Sean Stark
Pendiri--Combat Silat

PS: Just to clarify. I don't give any certification away. This is not a attend a seminar and get certified thing. I'm sorry, that it may sound like it in hindsight, but in the past 16 or 17 years of involvement in pencak silat. I've awarded a grand total of 3 people instructor level rank in Combat Silat. All have taken more than 3 years to earn the lower level instructor ranking. The majority around 4 actually. However, much of that has to do with life, the ebb and flow of desire, etc. It is doable in 2 years. IMO with the right combination, which is mostly dependent on you!

Updated Curriculum DVD's 1-4

Now DVD's 1-4 are available for those interested in learning the fundamental movements and relationships of Pencak Silat Pertempuran.

Available here:
DVD 1 https://www.createspace.com/383937
DVD 2 https://www.createspace.com/383941
DVD 3 https://www.createspace.com/386923 
DVD 4 https://www.createspace.com/386924

They are also available on Amazon.com

Excited to see how this new structure and new syllabus helps people grow in there study of Pencak Silat and in particular PSP.

Sincerely,
Guru Stark

Pencak Silat: Combat or More?

For some, the pencak silat is a hobby. It's something we do for fun, or exercise, or social interaction. It may even be a drive we have to feel safe or generate self-confidence.

To me, and hopefully the students and instructors I raise, I hope they see it as more....

When I talk about attributes and attribute development within Pencak Silat Pertempuran I’m talking about more than just physical attributes. Of course, those are very important, things such as speed, endurance, quickness, reach, timing, strong side, mobility, etc. 

The more often overlooked components are things such as emotional and mental attribute development. 

Apart from the need to use the physical attributes you develop during times of physical crisis, and self or community protection, it’s the emotional and mental attributes that take martial arts from a hobby, exercise, or something fun to do just for the sake of it, and give value to everyday life.

Attributes such as patience, will, and determination may seem like obvious traits that would develop over the course of training, but other attributes include things such as self-reflection/evaluation, centeredness, adaptability, respect, and trust are some other examples. 

The majority of us already have an amount of these attributes when we start PSP. Some more than others. PSP when truly studied will continue to grow these as well, challenging you along the way incrementally.

To see it, let’s look at a quick example. When you’re training, do you trust what you’re being taught? Do you trust the teacher? Did you start off fully trusting the teacher or the art, or has that trust grown over time and with the input of energy from you and the teacher? It’s likely that it’s been a process. 

You may even find that if you do not yet fully trust the art or the teacher. That’s normal. As a point of caution, to see the greatest value from your training, you must work through that and learn why you do not fully trust and then take steps to rectify that. One way would be to ask questions, which will develop another mental attribute in the desire to learn—it’s a path of connection and relationship. Relationship to one another and relationship amongst attributes.

Now, I challenge you to take the lessons you are learning in study of Pencak Silat Pertempuran and apply them to your everyday life!

Hormat Saya,

Sean

Instructors in PSP

There are three rank levels in Pencak Silat Pertempuran: Pelatih, Pengajar, and Guru. They are instructor levels only. There is no need for rank at any other time and the people who achieve these rankings will do so because they love the art and would practice it regardless.

Over the course of the past 14 years that I have been teaching Pencak Silat Pertempuran I have only awarded instructor level rank 3 times.

If you get certified as an instructor in PSP, you've earned it and shown that you love it. It typically takes about 4-5 years to reach the first level of instructorship.

The three people who have trained with me consistently and have taken the training seriously enough to reach Pelatih are:

-Bill Dwyer IV
-Sterling Heibeck
-Andrew Ewing

Of the second level of instructorship, Pengajar, only one of the three has attained this honor:

-Bill Dwyer IV

As of this date, 1/30/2013 I have never issued the rank of Guru, though Bill has been with me around nine years and is approaching it!

Let it be known and understood, you EARN your position in PSP.

Regards,
Sean

Pendiri, Pencak Silat Pertempuran
www.silat.us

Silat Learning Streams and Application Streams

Every technique has an outcome. Think of a technique as an event. Sometimes positive, sometimes negative, sometimes irrelevant—from both perspectives—attacker and “defender.” 

To explain from the attackers perspective, I may strike and hit the target as intended, or my strike may miss the target because of the defender’s response, or my strike could just miss.

From the defenders perspective, when you defend against an attack, for example, your defense may push/deflect the attack to the left or right or up or down depending on what defense feels appropriate for you. Or you could get smacked. 

No matter what, every outcome changes the relationship between the attacker and the defender. Personal perspective determines the value. From the perspective of either there are opportunities and pitfalls at each intersection.

The greater your ability versus that of your opponents, the more likely you are to recognize the opportunities and be able to capitalize on them. If you are correct in your recognition and capitalize well, you will be able to string together events and thereby create a seamless series. (A series as we refer to them in Pencak Silat Pertempuran is called a “Stream.”)

This is not what makes PSP unique. All arts have this interaction of outcomes. We refer to it as a Relationship.

However, Pencak Silat Pertempuran specifically pays attention to the space in between interactions. As a result PSP has an expectation of the interaction or interplay between the fighters. 

How? 

In certain relationships the response is MORE predictable than in others. By putting ourselves in those specific relationships whenever possible, we CAN have a reasonable understanding of the likely outcomes. We call this the CPS or Combat Positioning System. THIS is essential to PSP.

When in one of those positions/relationships with an antagonist, we can, with reasonable predictability determine a likely response based on the type of strike, trajectories, and angles that we are in. 

Since the majority of that is built into the Combat Positioning System, the only things that are really left to sort out are the trajectory/type of your attack, tool you are using to attack with, and the target chosen. 

Often the target and trajectory are inter-related. The tool may also have some obvious correlation to targeting. For example, if you attack the eyes, with the intention of blinding, then fingers are the most appropriate tool. Likewise, a blow to the ribs would be best with some kind of fist or elbow strike. 

In any case, the target, trajectory, and relationship WILL determine the most likely responses. By understanding those outcomes you can reasonably construct a system to respond appropriately and relatively consistently to them.

The learning methodology of PSP consists of various “Streams” for the sake of understanding / learning but they are NOT necessarily indicative of the intended relationship of the application. Many (most) people miss this piece. 

In this regard, the term Streams actually has two meanings and is more accurately defined as the Learning Stream and the Application Stream. 

The Learning Stream is intended to make the idea of Streams of movement and outcomes clear from a protagonists view. However, the Application Stream is the reality of combat—a jigsaw puzzle built in relationship with an antagonist. 

A little Silat Main

Last night, to sort of bring the connection of things together, rather than just doing the wrote learning material, I showed how we could take the bits and pieces and string them together to formulate “new” takedowns, counters, counters to counters, and even more counters to counters to counters. Not all of it made its way onto the video. I’d say not even half but it’s a bit for the flavor.

The reality of Pencak Silat Pertempuran as a system, is that the system is simple. Nothing fantastic. Nothing complex. Nothing that makes you go “Oooh” or “Aaah.”

However, when you put Pencak Silat Pertempuran together “the pieces of the,” as it were, this system shines. It’s a never ending supply of puzzles. It can go together in endless ways because of it’s simple, modular, format.

Doing things like this reminds me that: I AM THE ONLY REASON THAT PENCAK SILAT PERTEMPURAN WILL EVER BE INEFFECTIVE OR UNINTERESTING.

And so are YOU.

Let your imagination flow. Let your body walk. Explore. Adapt. Work. You are the keeper!

Train.

Sincerely,
Sean

Psychology of Combat

As I’ve been involved in the martial arts for the past 20 years, my understanding has, by necessity changed—I prefer to think of it as growth. Sometimes slow and not always steady but generally speaking, consistent with the energy output I’ve given it.

That said, I want to throw out an idea about your training that I think is missing in many martial arts schools and has for years and years. In my own training and in the training of Pencak Silat Pertempuran I think there is vast room for improvement in this regard.

What type of mental training are you doing to prepare for combat survival?

As I’ve studied and taught over the years I’ve randomly bumped into this issue in different ways. For myself, I’ve resorted to “day-dreaming,” lucid dreaming, endurance testing, and several other lesser things. More recently I’ve been looking @ things such as meditation, positive messaging, lesser state, distraction, stressors, and variability training. 

Why this topic? Well, as a teacher I’m always looking to understand just what is of most value in my teaching so I’ve looked at this for a long time off and on again. Recently on again due to external happenings surrounding a potential job opportunity. This sparked me to start looking around for resources related to this topic. There are a few out there but, for the value I think it would bring to combative ability, there’s not nearly enough emphasis on this. Hence this blog post.

A thought for you: Two people are involved in a horrible accident. Let’s say a car accident where multiple people are severely injured. One of those people steps up and take’s the lead. The other is in shock and basically can’t think so is limited to reactions based on the lead person’s direction. What makes the one person act and the other freeze?

It’s not that one is a hero or the other a failure. It’s more likely an automated response of a pyscho-physiological nature. That is, that one person is able to handle the stressor, which includes all kinds of variables, in a way that let’s them remain functional. The other person is unable to handle the stressor and freezes.

Combat has seen many a soldier at the battle’s front who have had this occur. Equally trained but not equal. Why?

Why does a martial artist who is trained for years suddenly freeze in the face of an aggressor who has no training?

Questions like these plague me. I don’t ever want to be the one who freezes. In the same way, I don’t want my students to freeze.

Here are a few general ideas I believe will make a difference in your responses to combat:

General Ideas:
Visualization—Visualize yourself confronting stressful situations.

Self Messaging/Meditation—Determine for yourself words or phrases that you can repeat to help you remain mentally aware but operate at a high level.

Stressors—Introduce stressors to your training.

Here are a few specific ideas that are specific to the general idea of Stressor I’ve listed above:

• Add a real weapon to your partner training regimins
• Put gear on and go hard
• Or take the gear off and experience that
• Turn the lights off
• Add a strobe light
• Add very loud music
• Recite your self-messaging aloud while engaged
• Change the location
• Put on street clothes
• Deal with multiple attackers
• Do high cardio and then perform your material
• Combine any of these together
• Tie a hand behind your back
• Sit and fight your way to standing

There’s plenty more out there. What are some of yours?

Sean

Harimau-Monyet Simple Application

First I want to show you the way we used it for exercise, flow, adaptability, coordination and general attribute development. Though you don't want to do this all of the time, I do teach and share by randomly chaining things together so that people can learn: A.) There is no right or wrong way to chain things together for purposes of learning. B.) Chains can generally apply in many different ways. C.) Different things connect naturally and out of a flow.

There are other lessons learned by such an activity.

Then I like to actually let them apply it so they can understand how to value movement and learn principles of application like—leverage, angles, power, time ratio, etc.

Within this application video you should be able to see the previous article come to life.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Sean 

Entering the Fight

It has been my experience that the majority of martial arts focus on evading or avoiding engagement and on what to do once you're engaged in combat. Both of which are completely necessary and should be studied.

Of course, when I say the majority, it has to be understood that my scope is not large. I've been involved with several martial arts at depth and a bunch more in passing.

Then there are those that I only know based on magazine articles, books, videos, etc. Of which, I don't actually watch, read, or buy any more—I'm over it. That being said, it's quite possible that the information I have is out of date.

However, of the several that I have personally studied at depth, very few ever address in an organized, intentional way, the actual process of engaging—although many assume skills at this piece and focus on the engagement component.

That's a natural consideration and at first blush it seems complete. However, it has in my own fighting, not addressed all that there is a need to know and a need for skills at.

In reality, what I encountered in many of the engagements that I'd had—both inside and outside of training and against trained and untrained fighters—was that much of what is critical takes place during the process of engaging.

Think about it like this...if you have been in a fight and you've been hit, it gives the person who hit you an advantage typically. How big that advantage is, depends on the hit and the target.

I've seen people get knocked out cold with one hit. I've come close to that myself. I've also seen people get overwhelmed after they have been hit the first time by an attackers follow ups. I've also been the one overwhelming someone.

It's not always the case, but with regularity the advantage will go to the individual(s) who land the first blow or blows.

Now imagine if your ability to understand that process of engaging were increased as both the receiver and giver. Do you think that might make a difference?

In Pencak Silat Pertempuran we call it Entering or Masuk. Through the study of the process of engaging many other small but important areas of learning begin to manifest themselves.

One such example is the understanding of telegraphic and non-telegraphic movement in both offensive and “defensive” actions. True, meaningful understanding of this one aspect can dramatically change your abilities in combat.

A second example is a deeper understanding of the nature of defensive versus offensive engagement. Acting defensively in a manner that will bring you combative success requires certain skills that are specifically for “turning the tables,” such as:

• Recognizing when an attacker is committing to attack, versus merely feinting
• Offering, as bait, options to draw an attack
• Being aware of attack generation points
• Learning to effectively Zone attacks
• Countering attacks
• Learning how the type of attack can determine your ability to counter. Jab v. Hook v. Lunging
• Proper range for tool and maintaining capable countering range
• Reactive v. Active action
• Moving mentally from defense to offense
• etc.

Likewise, acting in offense requires a deeper understanding of your own skill sets. Such as:

• Telegraphing (as mentioned earlier)
• Set-points
• Explosiveness
• (Most of the above skills converted to offense)
• Pre-Altercation Warning Signs
• Flow

These are just a few off the top of my head. You must be able to understand all three phases of engagement. And honestly, even post engagement training is good. Things like meditation, counseling, legal issues, etc.

All of this organized process eventually leads someone to broader more organic study but that's a whole different topic.

Enjoy.

Sincerely,
Sean
Pencak Silat Pertempuran

Energies, Angles, Intentions—Part II

Breakthrough time!

What I wrote last time was sufficient enough to confuse people who are still learning and adequate enough for the old-timers to understand—or at least they wouldn't admit that the didn't understand it. Sorry for that.

This posting will break it down and correlate it in a more simple manner.

Have you ever seen a dog get an offensive mentality? Or any wild animal? In most cases you notice that they show there teeth, hunch their backs and they will likely bark and snap at you (if we're still talking about a dog). It is very clear that they don't want you messing with them. Part of this is a bluff, a warning, but part of it is an offensive mentality. It comes about, usually as a result of a defensive feeling the dog gets but turns offensive. They don't care if you have a stick, knife, gun, or their's six of you, they are going to do whatever is necessary to protect themselves if you keep messing with them.

THAT is an offensive mentality. It doesn't mean that I have to be the first to attack—though that may be appropriate. It doesn't mean that I have to talk smack or yell or throw a fuss picking stuff up and smashing it—though, again, that may be enough of a warning to end the situation.

However, there are some other things we can take from this example. Once a dog is in this state, there is no separation between the offensive mentality they have and how they move, or the energy they give. It is all connected. It is all focused. I guarantee that if you try to kick that dog it's going to try and bite your leg and it's going to bite it as hard as possible. The dog is not going to give you a warning bite at that point.

—Energy
—Angle
—Intent

All will correlate in this dog'se response to the attack. They may still use a defensive movement with an offensive intent but they will do so with the intent to be able to counter effectively while sustaining the least amount of damage.

Let's break it down some:
•If the energy is weak, then the bite will not do it's damage.
•If the energy is weak, it's possible that the dog will receive more damage than it will be able to withstand to ward off further attacks.
•If the angle is weak, then the bite will not do the amount of damage it could have, potentially no damage at all.
•If the intent of the dog is weak, it may not even see the kick coming with enough surety to act. Or it may be intimidated by the attacker and tuck it's tail instead of defending itself.

So how do WE get there?

Understanding that they all work together is a central ingredient. In addition, you glean one other aspect from this situation. The dogs posture is representative of it's intent. Since intent and mentality correlate, it stands to reason that the dogs posture would reflect it's intention as well.

Some simple things you can consider doing to help—assuming your mentality is in the right place.

Tuck your chin. This posture change will normally cause a weight change that brings you more onto the balls of your feet and will compress your posture some by slightly rounding your back forward. It's also going to give you a bit more of a feeling of safety so you will be inclined to be a little more offensive.

Understand your set points. These are the points at which, your system of silat, your body type, and movement style converge. At these points you will be most prepared for anything and will be able to respond with no need for the minor adjustments I see many people do before they move. This includes counter-attacks.

Slow down. Have clarity of movement first. Then speed up. Don't rush the process but don't be afraid to stress test things either. Confidence yields greater confidence, which in turn allows for greater focus on intent, movement, and an angle that further solidifies confidence and angle. It's all connected.

There are likely many other seemingly minor things that could make a difference here. It's up to us as teachers to understand how all these things work together and not give up on watching our students to find their particular need. It's there and it's up to us to find it, to point to it, and guide our students.

Teaching masses makes this difficult, if not impossible, but to turn out a quality student you must invest in personal training and personal adaptation of training to give the most benefit to a student.

Keep training!

Energies, Angles, Intention—Part I

Last night during class we got into a longish discussion on energy, intention, and angles and how the three of them are inter-related with offensive and defensive mentality. It was not that clearly defined but that was the essence of it. The conversation seemed like it would be valuable enough for others that it was work posting as a blog. It's been a while anyway so I'm way past due.


Receiving
To start, it would be good if we lay the framework for the information. To "receive" is to allow, to varying degrees, an attacker to attack you. This does not mean that they will successfully hit you, or that you would not move, and thereby cause them to miss the intended target. Rather, it means that by the perception of the attacker, there was a vulnerability worthy of exploitation by which they decided to attack or they were just indifferent enough to the relationship to do what they wanted to irregardless of the consequences. To receive implies some sort of contact to the attack itself.

Issuing To "issue" is to launch your own attack at an attacker and to varying degrees, for them to "receive" it. The issuance could be direct, indirect, and with varying proximity and methodology but also implies a degree of "receiving" of energy in this context. Likewise, it is possible for you to issue energy without an attacker receiving it by them simply moving out of the way.


Offensive
To have an intent of offense within your movement—both in receiving and issuing states. It is really more of a mental state that is manifest physically, the primary intent of which is to control the relationship by assuming the timing of the conflict and thereby determining the course of the engagement pro-actively. What I call an active state or being active.

Defensive
To have an intent of defending oneself from any harm—both in receiving and issuing states. However, it is a mental state that manifests itself physically by responding to the timing of the conflict passively. What I call a reactive or passive state.

Engagement
If you're fighting with someone, you are primarily receiving or issuing energy in most cases. It must be understood in that general statement, that it is also true that in most cases you do both issuing and receiving.

For example, parrying an attack is a type of receiving energy through the yielding process. Likewise, the parry itself is a minor, defensive issuing of energy. It probably will not hurt the attacker, but will disrupt.

To add to this, there are ways of parrying which are primarily defensive and some which are primarily offensive. Avoiding an attack through retreating while parrying would be primarily defensive, while propelling forward and parrying would be primarily offensive. Again, it is often the mental attitude reflected in the movements that determines which. One method often allows the attacker to continue to issue while the other often sets up counter attacks and places you in a strategically advantageous position to counter.

Another example would be a totokan or destruction. In that case, I can use the attackers offensive issuance as a means for my own offensive issuance by utilizing anatomically weak points as a focal point for my own counter attacks which ultimately also parry the attack but that can also change the ownership of the timing of the engagement. The intent of the strikes must be offensive, while it's possible to still be retreating if an attackers own energy is offensive enough to compensate.


Angles
So where does all of this go? Well... if you can sort through all that I've written, then you may already know how it all works together. If not, keep reading it and considering it in your own context of combat. It's not something that is often explained in this fashion but sometimes it's best to understand things intellectually in order for your body to make the transition—and sometimes the opposite is completely true—you must understand with your body in order for your intellect to get it.

As it concerns combat from a very simple perspective, I recommend that you consider issuing and offensive actions to be your primary goal AND doing all of that with clarity of movement and clarity of thought. If you can, you are well on your way to getting good at PSP and, dare I say, any martial art. One simple way to think about it is to consider angles. These can be angles of defense, offense, attack and retreat.

For example, if you attack me by moving forward and I, in return move backward, you are attacking me on an acute angle. However, to be primarily successful in defense I must take a more offensive initiative and counter by moving at acute angles. Those acute angles are not always the angles of footwork, sometimes they are the angles of the parry or destruction as well, but most often, acute angles where you are mentally offensive also include the whole of the body as well as the ability to issue destructive energy.

The more this is employed by the whole of the body, the more destructive, acute, and more offensive you will be. Below are a few quick charts to diagram out the idea. They are not exhaustive but may help you down the path of understanding. It should be understood that whether or not something is deemed as acute or not, has EVERYTHING to do with the relationship of the defense to the offense or attacker to defender.

Pencak Silat is all about ratio...

One of the foundational components of what I teach, is that from start to finish, you need to have 'techniques" that are roughly the equivalent to one beat.

By "beat" I literally mean the time frame it takes for an attacker or opponent to complete what they are trying to complete. Normally, for example, a strike or a kick takes place in a single beat — though, depending on telegraphing it can actually be much longer.

Another way to say it is, that the ratio of your techniques, in response, need to be of an equivalent ratio, or at least equivalent enough. (If you're attacking, then the opponent/attacker needs to be figuring it out, and that's good for you.)

Any longer than a 1 to 1 ration and the effectiveness of your techniques diminish exponentially over time. As the saying goes, "strike while the iron's hot!"

Likewise, it's important to consider the relationship between what the opponent/attacker is doing and my response. This is all part of the same conversation. Why? Because the longer something lasts, either your attack or defense, or theirs, the greater the likelihood that the relationship will change.

If it changes (the relationship), what worked .25 seconds ago, may no longer work. As a result, you've got to put yourself out there, commit and hope that your commitment was appropriate.

That said (and hopefully in a way that people can understand it) one of the basic considerations of Pencak Silat Pertempuran was to make a system that worked as closely as possible at understanding and responding in the 1 to 1 timing ratio.

The basic idea was to understand that a technique was only as good as the timing with which it was delivered.

Look...creative techniques exist in every martial art in existence, HOWEVER, the probability of using those creative techniques can drop exponentially based on the single factor of timing alone. Let alone all of the other variables or attributes that could be involved, such as: environment, emotion, reach, speed, flexibility, strength, leverage, etcetera, etcetera. (A pretty exhaustive list can be found in my first book. Yes, that's a plug. :)

So, with that intentionality, a lot of material was removed before settling on the core materials. Furthermore, I tried to ensure that I could perform the materials as closely as possible to the 1 to 1 ratio OR sufficiently "make up for it" in some other way. You know, like smacking someone AND THEN doing it :)

As a result, a good portion of the system is reasonably simple to do. It's built on simple movements and ideas. They are not flawless.

In PSP you will definitely see that initially, but as you progress through the system the techniques get apparently longer in their timing ratio. In large part, the problem is that to teach more complex applications in a reasonable and replicable manner you have to break them down into smaller steps and thereby increasing the length of time to complete.

However, that is not meant to imply that the step-by-step is the manner they are meant to be applied IRL. It is up to the student to find ways to strip as much out as possible or shortcut aspects of the materials in order to find the 1-to-1 timing ratio again.

I hope that's clear... The goal is 1-to-1 timing ratio to make everything as applicable as possible. For teaching it clearly, it is rarely possible to perform any technique that way. The student was continually hone and refine their skills to until they can find the 1-to-1 again.

The Pencak Silat Pertempuran blog

Over the years I've posted a lot of information regarding Pencak Silat Pertempuran. On some level, it feels like posting any more will mostly be rehashing what's already posted somewhere else. However, keeping it fresh in people's minds is important. Especially practitioners of PSP. In that regard, I want to go over some of the most basic of information again—the name.

Combat Silat has been co-opted by a lot of people out there. None have affiliation with us. Before they were using the term, at least publicly, we existed. Unfortunately, many of them also, mistakenly use the the same base term I use, Tempur. However, the context that they use it from doesn't seem to be well understood.

Tempur means, essentially, a melee or to combat against many. It may not always be a melee but as I have been taught, it means to combat against many. Using the "Per" and the "an" essentially makes a noun out of the adjective. I don't understand Indonesian well enough to speak much beyond that, by my Pamur teacher, Bayu W. suggested that form and use.

So how does Pencak Silat Pertempuran DO that? Well, for starters, the basis for construction of the PSP syllabus was to create a system of movements that inter-related and that could be inter-changed in relationship/real-time with an attacker. By virtue of being set up as interchangeable and inter-related pieces, the practitioner is afforded the ability to quickly shift from one attacker to the next. The big idea being that you only fight one person at a time, no matter what the odds AND it's important to dispatch them quickly.

You see, as I have been taught coming from several arts whose purpose was the idea of multiple attackers, you cannot afford to spend a long time on any one attacker. Likewise, you need the ability to quickly shift from one attacker to the next AND have the ability to understand angles well enough to keep attackers aligned. It's hard to do. The principles are easy but the application difficult.

As practitioners of any martial art, you must consider the idea of multiple attackers. Even if it's only 2 or 3 at a time. Do you do that?

Combat Silat Pecut / Whip

Pencak Silat Pertempuran utilizes the Pecutan or whip as not only a method of self-offense but also as a method of development for body mechanics.

The whip can be used as a great tool for strengthening a choke, catching a limb, and even for performing takedowns.

The Pecutan is a versatile tool that can be used to strike from the ankles to well above the head and anywhere in between.

Some martial arts prefer a longer whip but in reality the short whip, approximately 6 feet in length, is the preferred whip. With a shorter motion for power development it can be redeployed much faster to another direction or height. Additionally, two Pecutan or an additional weapon such as the Clurit can be used in concert with the whip. The longer the whip, the more difficult it becomes to employ a second weapon because the applicable ranges are so extreme.

In Combat Silat, we aim to make the jurus2 tangan the core of the system and as such, there are no unique jurus2 for senjata or weapons. You simply have the freedom to apply any weapon to a jurus. As a result, your jurus2 may not be the same as mine, depending on what you emphasize in your jurus2 tangan.

For my money, the longer I study and train in pencak silat, the more that enjoy the study, application, and benefits of the Pecutan within that study. It is an art unto itself, even within the system that provides its framework.

Below are a few simple videos demonstrating some basic Pecutan.

Pencak Silat Pertempuran Seminar

Announcing a new Meetup for Orlando's Martial Arts Meetup Group (F.I.S.T.)!

What: Pencak Silat Pertempuran Seminar

When: Saturday, June 26, 2010 10:00 AM

Price: $25.00 per person

Where:
Hero Academy
225 Ronald Reagan Blvd, Suite 103
Longwood, FL 32750
407-260-9279

Guru Sean Stark's background consists of a wide range of martial arts experience that includes Hok Kuen, Kali, Arnis, and Pencak Silat, just to name a few. During his search for the all encompassing art, his idea of what that art should entail changed. After seeing overlap in many systems, he decided to find a way to organize the ideas in such a manner that would have the most efficient and maximal impact. This resulted in the development of Pencak Silat Pertempuran (PSP).

The PSP seminar itself will focus on several scenarios that will include knives, sticks, and guns. Counters, disarms, and finishes will be explored. Some scenarios may include both the knife and stick simultaneously.

The seminar will be held at Hero Academy and will last about two hours starting at 10am on Saturday, June 26. The cost per participant will be $25 and only those who are 16 of age and up will be allowed to attend. Space is limited- please reserve your spot and refer any questions to 407-260-9279 407-260-9279.

Learn more here:
http://www.meetup.com/orlando-martial-arts/calendar/13578370/

Conversations with a silat student

This is a conversation that I recently had with a student who trains in pencak silat with me. He is not local so we only get together approximately two times a year. The rest is via email, video, my books, and anything else we think will help.

I thought this was valuable enough that I asked him if I could reprint it on the blog.


**
STUDENT: So, I just read your post and I total get what you're saying. I'm not sure if you know this, but my martial arts career has been all about moving around and learning a real thin layer of a lot of different things.

ME: Learning a "thin" layer of a bunch of different things is one way of going about it. It's the spoon fed method. The idea is that if the system you are studying seems to have shortcomings or doesn't apparently answer your questions; you move to another system that does. Problem is, you can easily end up with no "connective tissue" in the end, no system or idea that holds it together, just a bunch of random elements that may or may not tie together or operate with each other.

Unfortunately, it doesn't develop YOUR understanding of how you CAN make the art YOURS by learning how to address unaddressed things or things you think aren't addressed. In my own experience, i have seen this art, PSP, continue to address things I never even knew it addressed. How? By sitting here and looking at a problem and looking and looking and then 6 months down the road learning how something that I didn't even consider actually addressed it. The advantage is, in the end, you have an understanding of something that goes way beyond techniques and into principles AND you learn to be adaptable in your understanding of the system. The principles can be used and adapted to a situation on the fly. Something you may never have done before -- seen before -- (because you truly understand movement principles, leverage principles, autonomics, etc.) becomes spontaneous and relational. Meaning = it just happens and it works.

FYI - A LOT is addressed in the jurus-jurus beyond the obvious elements of the system that are broken out.


STUDENT: Like you, I had some teachers who just amazed me with their skill and they had thing about them that was different and just stood out. About three years ago I started to have a mentality change because I started thinking about what those teachers had in common. And what I found was that they had very deep roots in a core art that they had studied for years. It's not that they weren't open to new things, but their roots were the very core of what they learned and they had a natural tendency to adapt new ideas and situations based on that strong core. I realized that while I'm a decent martial artist, I didn't have any roots that went very deep.

ME: The roots themselves aren't all that important IMO. However, the skills to look at a thing, way beyond when it's interesting, beyond when it's boring, and keep coming back and studying it, grow something else in you. Deep rooted understanding. When I was in college I had two different teachers do this to me. For one semester in my photo class, everyone in the room was required to take photos of the same street corner. We had to shoot and develop 3 rolls of film a week plus photos for the critique. It was a long semester but in the end, most people had gotten their best work, out of years of shooting, from that one simple assignment.

You went through stages,
first it was exciting,
then it was challenging,
then it was boring/tired,
then you hated it,
then you got angry,
then you gave in,
then it got interesting/learning,
then it got good.
I had exactly the same type of thing done for an assignment to paint a single 5x7 postcard for an entire semester. One post card, over and over until you got it right.

Both of those pieces I still like. They aren't earth shattering to anyone else, but they moved me SOOOO far down the development chain in one semester that I love them just because of what I learned while doing them.

I used to do a Spirit Test that was based on this concept for people that I didn't think REALLY understood what martial arts was about. It was essentially me beating up on a person for as long as necessary to get to them to the end of that list I just went through. Some of the aspects on the list were a bit different. They never got bored per se, but they did get tired. Could take 2 or 3 hours. Most people were about 1.5 hours.

Even now, for me, I cycle back through this list pretty regularly. That is the learning cycle.

STUDENT: Even though I'm a black belt, I feel that what I do falls into the category you described in your post, ever-changing. Unfortunately, my teacher fell into the "traditional teaching is evil" scam. I decided that I wanted to find one art and pursue it regardless of how I "felt" about certain things. No art covers it all, and there are always issues that crop up that just feel weird.

ME: To be honest, there are things about PSP that I'm not thrilled about. Things I don't particularly like. BUT over the years, I've seen confirmation after confirmation that some of the things I don't like, are necessary and or useful. Even for those things that I don't think are jaw dropping, there are other people who have appreciated them or benefitted from them. The point of a system isn't just for me, it's for everyone to find something useful in. I may not ever fully use PSP in combat, but that doesn't mean someone else won't, AND more IMPORTANTLY, that it's not teaching me something of bigger value by developing an attribute or a principle. PSP was never meant to be techniques based. We have them of course because you have to have some way to start the conversation, but it's ALWAYS been about developing our own personal attributes. Nothing else. For instance, I sometimes do movements that are similar to the way we do the Ales in class, during fighting, but they may not look exactly like them.

STUDENT: From just the limited exposure of Silat that I had, I knew that I wanted Silat to be my core art. This is where PSP comes in. Honestly, the biggest draw, at first, was that I could play around with PSP with little commitment and see what it was about. But, in all seriousness, I totally fell in love with PSP. I don't always feel like doing it, and their are times when I really need to put more into it, but my goal is to keep at it and explore it for life. I'm aiming for roots, and I also realize that I don't want to be concerned about how long it takes me. As you said, it's about the pursuit. I've already been down the road of taking the easy stuff and moving on when I hit a point where I didn't want to be bothered to troubleshoot an issue.

ME: Yeah, exactly what I was getting at. Unfortunately, if you don't learn to troubleshoot, you'll never be able to really fight. It's a lot like web programming. You can't just do what the book says when you first learn it because there are always unique problems that you'll only encounter once you're in the middle of a real dev project. The classes, books, lessons, DVD's, etc. that you took for learning web dev. are only teaching you about the tools, principles and attributes of good programming. Real life troubleshooting is where you become an expert, someone who people look to for solving real issues. A system of martial arts is similar. It's not about having a cure all, guarantee for safety, it's about giving you the tools and principles and helping you develop the attributes of real-time problem solving.

STUDENT: Ok, that's a long point, but just wanted you to understand where I'm coming from. So, as for finding the material much more applicable, what I meant was that up until the level 6 materials I felt like I was still learning the basics. I knew all of the individual moves but I felt very much like everything I was doing was a one-step. But, when I started doing my actual test I realized that I was starting to put things together. I wasn't just moving around with Dan but I started to see my Gerakan and welcoming postures come into play because it felt right, like it belonged there. I think that was more because I needed to put the time in with real flesh and blood people which I need to put more effort into finding, no doubt.

ME: There is no substitute for training with people. There is no substitute for training with people. There is no substitute for training with people. It's like the location, location, location of starting a small business principle. In combative training, it's relationship, relationship, relationship.

It's not just practice like some say. That is why so much of PSP is based off a simple one-count attacker type drilling. Additionally, I have further thoughts on it. For instance, you should not be sparring. You can work up to sparring, but high pressure drilling is a better use of your time. The drilling allows you to develop higher level skills with the proper mechanics and having someone add more and more pressure, shows you where things break. Then you back off of them again until they are workable BUT just at the edge of your skill. You can do this by adding more and more into the mix or by changing the variables but staying within the confines of a drill so you really get a lot of reps, with high pressure, and adaptable variability.

Here's the thing about everything being one-step. That is a principle of the system. A lot of people don't like that or understand it BUT in fighting what do you think happens? In the fights I've been in, the situations (relationships) are changing constantly. The only thing that is sure is NOW. The next spot, next technique, next position may not be what you expect or may be gone altogether. You just don't know. You have to be able to complete a thing within a one or two beat time period.

That's why I'm always harping on it being about relationship and a one to one ratio (one of their movements/positions/attacks to one of mine). That's the only thing you can be sure of.

That's why I spend so much time developing the primary positions. Over the years, people have told me that they didn't understand or feel comfortable in any of the positions we have. They don't get it. It's not about jumping into a Masukan Kaki 3 or 4 or whatever. It's about recognizing it when it shows up - AND IT WILL. Look at any MA magazine photo series and you'll see all kinds of people unaware of their positions in relationship to the attacker (especially as a whole body from head to toe) BUT you can look at those same photos and see relationships or potential relationship from head to toe. BECAUSE of those RELATIONSHIPS you'll see many, many, potential techniques in just a quick look and that will grow for you as time goes on.

**Did you know that Pertempuran means Combat with Many? It's translated as Combat but it really means Combat with Many. Why then don't we spend more time doing multiple attack drills and all that? Because the premise of fighting MANY is the same as the premise of fighting ONE. Yes, there are a few tricks and ideas that you can implement and that we do practice here in FL but in a weekend you can learn those and have the rest of your life to perfect :)


STUDENT: If I have to put my finger on what was making me hesitant, though, I'd have to say that using the ales/masukan kaki as bridging devices really had me stumped. In combat, people move pretty fast. Many guys aren’t super committed with punches, but more quick jabs and kicks. So, how do I bridge the gap with someone who never commits with the big haymaker? Well, the level 6 elbow/hand berpasangan drills helped me to see how to limit the attackers targets. This means I have less to cover and frees up mental resources to handle those areas that I do need to cover. Which means I have a better chance of intercepting and bridging. I never saw that before this level because I didn't have that drill. I know it was there in the welcoming postures, but seeing it in the drill with some contact made all the difference for me.

A lot of people don't make big haymakers in the martial arts. Most martial artists are afraid to get hit. In fact, the majority don't commit to their attacks. So what are you afraid of? :) Anyway, that's not my experience in the street so much.

Personally I rarely use the material on Level 6. It's more about stick and knife from my perspective. I'm going to give you some methods below that may work for you. They work for me.

Before I start though, as I read this, it sounds like your playing the part of a victim. PSP is THE ART of attacking the attacker. What if you commit to attack him instead? As he does his uncommitted attack, why don't you attack him? I'm only guessing here, but what I am reading between the lines is this (I've seen this problem A LOT), if he is an uncommitted attacker and you are having a problem with him, it's likely because YOU are uncommitted/afraid and you aren't using your ales - at least not correctly. My guess is that you are probably backing up and trying to use Ales. For an aggressive attacker, that can work well, but for someone who is uncommitted you have to either stand your ground or move forward. Attack the attacker. It's relational so if they aren't coming to you, you have to go to them.

Here are some ideas. This all assumes you are using Sliwa.
Option #1
Against someone who wants to dance around. First, cut off their angles using your gerakan. Second, leave them obvious targets using Sikap Pasang -- that's the point of them. Once they start to get confident in their safety (this doesn't mean letting them hit you, but letting them TRY to hit you and you NOT hitting back - just about three times is enough) counter it by attacking when they move in. Do it like you mean it and finish it. It's not a dance class. Don't plan to do this the same way if you fail the first time because they will be much wiser :)

Option #2
Make them commit. You can't actually make them commit. It's no different than any other relationship, BUT you can encourage them to either stay away, or commit. Just like an old boyfriend or girlfriend who wouldn't make a decision. You first start this process by making them stay away. Low stop kicks are a great starting method. Land a few of those on the same leg (I mean REALLY land them) and they will be hesitant to come in, and when they do, they'll try to do it faster and harder than the last time typically. At least that's been my experience. Everyone thinks it's about trying harder or being faster. If he doesn't come in, you'll have won the fight without fighting. If the girlfriend stayed away - then you knew. Same.

Option #3
Similarly, you can't make them commit, but instead of convincing them to stay away, you can stay away. Run away from them a bit until the get confident that they are safe in chasing you. Then go back to attacking the attacker.

**Over the course of sparring you may have to move in and out of these three options, but these are just options. I suggest you try them.

***MOSTLY, I suggest that you don't do too much sparring. Most sparring is light contact and it's about as far from real fighting as you can imagine. The difference between a good contact punch and the light touch, is at least a few inches of range, and if someone is fast or has longer arms, or whatever, you're going to find that it's going to mess with your confidence and your trust of the system but IT's NOT REAL.

****Additionally, if you go from basic drills to sparring, you're missing several key steps to the training process, along the way. Sparring is fine once you've got some of the basics of that type of fighting hammered out but it's NOT fighting.


STUDENT: Lastly, I do still have an issue with kicks. The stop kicks help, but I still can't quite see how to apply the all of this against lower body attacks.

ME: Aaahhh!!! I'm about to release an e-book (hopefully this weekend) that will have some insight into this for you. You have to remember the principles of the things being taught. I know it's hard to do that - especially when you don't drill these things but think about this. What is the purpose of the Ales that you've learned already? When someone attacks your stomach what do you do? (move it out of the way.) When someone attacks your head what do you? (Yep, move it out of the way.) What should the principle be then? Moving the target, without changing the range. If I wanted to defend against lower body attacks, how would I do that then? It's a bit easier from the knees down. Think about it - then when I get it done, get the e-book and see what I show in it and compare it to what you were just asking.

**Look it's not possible for me to answer every conceivable question situation or issue that could come up in a curriculum. It would just get crazy. This one is already big - even though primarily it was about reduction and removal of stuff. So, the only way is for it to be principle, and attribute based. These are things that can very easily be added on to your understanding but I need to know what questions you have. I wish I could just do a download in a matter of a day but it's not possible.

***Someone recently had similar issues and concerns but he handled them wrong. He based his decisions on what he knew of the system, of what was on the DVD's. That's my mistake as a teacher. If he had asked me these types of things, I would have been able to help, but instead he kept them to himself and came up with his own answers by looking outside of PSP. From my perspective he failed me as a student because it was not his responsibility to answer the tough questions. It's mine. He was not a teacher but acted like one by feeling like he should have all the answers. That was his mistake. I hope you won't make the some one.

****In the end, I hope to have a symposium of instructors who can get together from time to time to discuss areas of the system and see where it can be improved. I'm sure there are pieces out there that need improvement but I haven't seen better pieces to take their place yet - that also fit with the rest of the system or the big idea of PSP.

STUDENT: Sorry this is so long, but hopefully this helps you see where coming from, at, and going.

ME: I appreciate you taking the time to write and read this. I hope in the future you will feel more free to ask.
Sincerely,
Sean

THE STUDENT RESPONSE:

What you said about me "playing the victim" is true. That sort of summed up the general feeling. I think what I'm learning in PSP is a different mentality about fighting. Your stress on relationships has stuck and it's changing the way I'm thinking. And I do understand about sparring, and it's noted. I'm not afraid to take a hit, and I do know the difference between someone tagging me with a point and someone laying into me. I tend to ignore the taggers and my sparring is often me sparring with me and another person just happens to be there to interject some chaos. But, your advice is sound and I do understand what you mean.

I've been reading the 3rd book you wrote (totally excellent, btw) and you often relate things in life with things in martial arts because their are many parallels. I find myself (spiritually, and martial arts-wise) in a situation where I'm looking for someone who can help me learn and grow. People who are mature/experienced who are willing to share some time/experience and grow a real relationship bent on learning and growing together. But, what I've found is that people that I'm meeting along the way keep looking at me like I'm the one who they want to be the leader/teacher/elder/mature/experienced person. Here I am thinking, "What the hell do I know?" Don't get me wrong, I'm confident that I know some stuff, but again, I feel I'm somewhat playing the victim in that I'm sitting back thinking that when I find someone who at least knows as much (hopefully more) comes along—then I'll start. But, what I'm finding is that I need to not sit back and wait for someone to make the first move, but I need to make the first move and make my own entrance.

I've been "waiting" to get far enough in PSP to get the OK to teach from you because I have it in my head that until I reach that level I'm not really ready to bring someone in and bring them up to the point where they can help me, which, when I think about it now, doesn't make a lot of sense. No matter who I train PSP with, they are going to be behind me and I'm going to be the teacher (so to speak) for a time, to get them up to the point where they can push me in PSP to the breaking point.

If I have questions, I'll bring them to you. And I don't expect you to have all the answers all the time either. At this point, I need to work harder at digging out the questions so I know what they are. That's something I'm working at in more than just my martial arts life.

Oh, and by the way, the format of the level 7 material on the DVD seems to have coincided with my mind shift. It feels more like a DVD that promotes exploration by the practitioner. I like it. My wife is gonna have a sore neck though.

****

ME: Hope this was helpful to you all.
Sean

Silat Leg and Foot Trapping

I've finally been able to post another ebook with some updated video footage and text content. This one is on Silat Leg and Foot Trapping is done in Pencak Silat Pertempuran or Combat Silat.

Here is a link: http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/silat-foot-and-leg-trapping/8166799

What do you want to see next?

Pencak Silat and the Future of Martial Arts

I'm not a prophet. Nor am I a futurist. I'm not even particularly interested in that type of thing but I have some thoughts to post as I have been contemplating the past 10 years of martial arts. Here is one of those thoughts:

*
Martial arts have fascinated me for many years. More to the point, combat effectiveness in the martial arts has fascinated me¬—the idea that a person could defend themselves against all attackers and escape unharmed—better yet, that they would even do it easily!

That idea started me on a journey through many different martial arts from various styles of kung-fu, judo, aikido, wrestling, boxing, various styles of weapons fighting and ultimately to pencak silat. My martial studies have included most major regions where martial arts are found—including China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, United States and South America.

A bulk of my time has been spent teaching what I’ve learned along the way and re-investing what I’ve earned into learning more. As a result of this process I’ve had the opportunity to train with many great martial artists (probably all of which are unrecognized) mostly by travelling to study from them, sometimes from bringing them to me. That said I’ve had a few teachers who have impacted me enough to stay with them for a time—some taught me a detail at just the right time and that’s all that was needed for the progression to continue.

What’s more important than anything has been the pursuit. Not giving up when answers weren’t apparent. Not quitting when it wasn’t cheap or easy or fun. Not moving to a new teacher just because life got tough or because I got bored.

It has been taking what was given to me and working it, working it some more, then working it more until it’s deeper value reared up. That process taught me HOW to learn and keep learning. It’s not spoon-fed—it’s from sweat. My very first long-term teacher taught me that.

The martial arts in the U.S. are at a change point (has been for a little while I think). Few people want to really devote to a thing for long. They are looking for short answers, cliff notes, even guaranteed success. Looking for answers without the responsibility. (A little secret for you—that little hunt will take your whole life and you’ll be lying on your death-bed empty handed.)

The nature of this type of mentality means that 2-3 years is a long time student. Within that amount of time you’ve got to be able to teach the essence of your art and move a person through from A-Z. Systems of the near future at least, have a few possibilities for success. They must be extremely small and easy to learn. Or they must be dynamic and ever-changing so they appear to re-invent themselves from time to time to keep the interest of those that are studying.

IMO, long-term study (a commitment of more than a few years) is a thing of the past. Particularly for the new generation of martial artists working their way up the ranks today, at least for the foreseeable future. Those who do opt for long-term study will benefit from it but there aren’t many willing. Especially when it comes to self-determined study where your primary teacher is you and the feedback you get from doing—rather than imitating. The older students amongst us will continue to be okay with longer-term study but will probably also enjoy the results based training that is upon them as well. This will ultimately usher in a new era of martial arts… and the race is on.

Combat Silat Kerambit