The scourge of the earth. Spammers. Once again, these &^%*^%#@$&*& have posted on the blog so from this point on no anonymous posts will be allowed and comments are going to be moderated.
Enjoy.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
Pencak Silat Pertempuran - Celing
Last night we had boar private lessons again for Rocco and Doug. We worked on putting some pieces of explosive hand entries, zoning with the hands, and boar style kick entries, into one flow. Gives a bit more of a context to the training we've been doing and they can begin to see the pieces put together.
In one particular series, we started with an explosive hand entry that covered the opponent's lead hand (their left in this case - our right) as we performed sepak bulat to the outer thigh (right leg). Then, we set down with the right leg (the one kicking), on an angle to the right and struck the neck with the other forearm (our left one). This helped to cover us from a rear hand strike. As that movement finished we drove our left thigh into the left thigh of the opponent as we simultaneously pulled their head forward with our left hand. This caused them to fall forward. As they were still yet bent over, the left leg performed a Sepak Ayam to the face.
See if you can figure out what I'm talking about on this one. It's kind of fun and should be rather easy to do (not requiring a lot of strength that is).
In one particular series, we started with an explosive hand entry that covered the opponent's lead hand (their left in this case - our right) as we performed sepak bulat to the outer thigh (right leg). Then, we set down with the right leg (the one kicking), on an angle to the right and struck the neck with the other forearm (our left one). This helped to cover us from a rear hand strike. As that movement finished we drove our left thigh into the left thigh of the opponent as we simultaneously pulled their head forward with our left hand. This caused them to fall forward. As they were still yet bent over, the left leg performed a Sepak Ayam to the face.
See if you can figure out what I'm talking about on this one. It's kind of fun and should be rather easy to do (not requiring a lot of strength that is).
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Nafas - Part 5
BREATHING IS TO POWER
This method of breathing directly correlates to the basic premise of fighting within Pencak Silat Pertempuran, which is not to attack with a tool utilizing 100% of our power potential, but rather to rely on a structure based power that utilizes around 70-80% of our power potential. By doing so, you are naturally more in control of your body (and mind) and more likely to actually hit the person. In contrast to some arts, the goal is not to focus on relaxation as much as to focus on posture and alignment for the development of power and through that learn to relax.
By shifting the focus from relaxation, which is difficult to obtain in combat, to one of structure it is hoped that you will be able to build mechanics that do no require relaxation to be effective, and which therefore, can produce more power.
CONCLUSION TO PHYSICAL BREATHING
As with any aspect of the martial arts, it is about the totality of your training. There is no ONE THING that is going to be the SECRET to invincibility. Combat is a process, it’s a relationship, and every moment of it is going to be changing. We must change accordingly to have success. For some, learning to breathe in this way may just be the thing that helps them, for others, it may not make a bit of difference.
It is my personal recommendation that you consider breathing to be a small component to your martial arts training and rather than strictly adhere to any method, become aware of your body’s natural responses to fear and adrenaline and inclinations under stress. Through that, begin to develop your own understanding of the breath combined with rhythm of movement and power, then breathe accordingly.
This method of breathing directly correlates to the basic premise of fighting within Pencak Silat Pertempuran, which is not to attack with a tool utilizing 100% of our power potential, but rather to rely on a structure based power that utilizes around 70-80% of our power potential. By doing so, you are naturally more in control of your body (and mind) and more likely to actually hit the person. In contrast to some arts, the goal is not to focus on relaxation as much as to focus on posture and alignment for the development of power and through that learn to relax.
By shifting the focus from relaxation, which is difficult to obtain in combat, to one of structure it is hoped that you will be able to build mechanics that do no require relaxation to be effective, and which therefore, can produce more power.
CONCLUSION TO PHYSICAL BREATHING
As with any aspect of the martial arts, it is about the totality of your training. There is no ONE THING that is going to be the SECRET to invincibility. Combat is a process, it’s a relationship, and every moment of it is going to be changing. We must change accordingly to have success. For some, learning to breathe in this way may just be the thing that helps them, for others, it may not make a bit of difference.
It is my personal recommendation that you consider breathing to be a small component to your martial arts training and rather than strictly adhere to any method, become aware of your body’s natural responses to fear and adrenaline and inclinations under stress. Through that, begin to develop your own understanding of the breath combined with rhythm of movement and power, then breathe accordingly.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Nafas - Part 4
HOW TO BREATHE
As for the breathing itself, combat style breathing should be shallow and relatively quick.
This allows for a few advantages: First, it keeps your lungs relatively empty of large volumes of air, which could be expelled forcefully if struck hard. This is one of the areas that give rise to concern for those who utilize the Exhale Method primarily. The basic concern is that if your lungs are full of air when struck that you will be more likely to have the air forced from them painfully (have the “wind knocked out of you”). (I think this may be true, though I personally haven’t seen or felt any specific evidence to support this… but let’s assume it is true since the idea at least seems logical enough.) In this regard, you can address it by keeping your breathing relatively shallow.
Second, by keeping our breathing relatively shallow and quick, you are mimicking the body’s normal response to fear, rather than attempting to retrain your body’s instinctual behavior. This response is autonomic. We can’t control it. In this regard, the best course of action then is to train to use this type of instinctual behavior.
In so doing, when we are training, if we utilize this type of breathing and the contraction of our abdomen when striking, we will be focusing on a methodology that mimics our body’s normal behaviors when under stress and will increase our ability to fight under those circumstances. Additionally, by breathing in this manner even when training, you will train your body to work with an oxygen level that more closely mirrors this state.
To take that further, you can practice this type of breathing even during times of exercise and conditioning to further prepare you for it’s use in combat.
Be mindful that you do not hold your breath forever. You are only holding it as long as is necessary to transfer the energy of your strike. After that moment is passed you can exhale or inhale and either begin anew or adapt to what is happening in the conflict.
That said, with this relaxed tension in your abdomen and torso, your body has the ability to breath for you in essence. You will notice over time, that you will find a balance between being overly tense in the abdomen and being too loose. This should also lead you to ultimately notice that every time your waste shakes or turns forcibly you are inhaling and exhaling. This is perfectly acceptable. You will find that normally what happens at the end of this “forced breath,” in conjunction with your movement, is a slight holding of the breath. This is perfect. This “forced breathing” is the way to “hold your breath” during a long series of attacks (5 or 6 attacks in length let’s say).
Additionally, with longer series of attacks (those over 5 or 6) you will find that the opponent that is changing, moving, countering, and it is not easy to do “jack-hammer” style attacks, so there will typically be short intervals of time in between attacks to inhale or exhale briefly depending on your own cycle of breathing. You should definitely use those opportunities.
more to come....
As for the breathing itself, combat style breathing should be shallow and relatively quick.
This allows for a few advantages: First, it keeps your lungs relatively empty of large volumes of air, which could be expelled forcefully if struck hard. This is one of the areas that give rise to concern for those who utilize the Exhale Method primarily. The basic concern is that if your lungs are full of air when struck that you will be more likely to have the air forced from them painfully (have the “wind knocked out of you”). (I think this may be true, though I personally haven’t seen or felt any specific evidence to support this… but let’s assume it is true since the idea at least seems logical enough.) In this regard, you can address it by keeping your breathing relatively shallow.
Second, by keeping our breathing relatively shallow and quick, you are mimicking the body’s normal response to fear, rather than attempting to retrain your body’s instinctual behavior. This response is autonomic. We can’t control it. In this regard, the best course of action then is to train to use this type of instinctual behavior.
In so doing, when we are training, if we utilize this type of breathing and the contraction of our abdomen when striking, we will be focusing on a methodology that mimics our body’s normal behaviors when under stress and will increase our ability to fight under those circumstances. Additionally, by breathing in this manner even when training, you will train your body to work with an oxygen level that more closely mirrors this state.
To take that further, you can practice this type of breathing even during times of exercise and conditioning to further prepare you for it’s use in combat.
Be mindful that you do not hold your breath forever. You are only holding it as long as is necessary to transfer the energy of your strike. After that moment is passed you can exhale or inhale and either begin anew or adapt to what is happening in the conflict.
That said, with this relaxed tension in your abdomen and torso, your body has the ability to breath for you in essence. You will notice over time, that you will find a balance between being overly tense in the abdomen and being too loose. This should also lead you to ultimately notice that every time your waste shakes or turns forcibly you are inhaling and exhaling. This is perfectly acceptable. You will find that normally what happens at the end of this “forced breath,” in conjunction with your movement, is a slight holding of the breath. This is perfect. This “forced breathing” is the way to “hold your breath” during a long series of attacks (5 or 6 attacks in length let’s say).
Additionally, with longer series of attacks (those over 5 or 6) you will find that the opponent that is changing, moving, countering, and it is not easy to do “jack-hammer” style attacks, so there will typically be short intervals of time in between attacks to inhale or exhale briefly depending on your own cycle of breathing. You should definitely use those opportunities.
more to come....
Monday, February 19, 2007
Nafas - Part 3
In a method, which I will call the Hold Method, it doesn’t matter if you are inhaling or exhaling, you simply hold your breath, tightening your stomach muscles. This allows you a certain amount of freedom in your ability to attack in a timely manner. That said the idea is not to harden or tighten your stomach muscles unnaturally, but if you imagine pushing or pulling something with about 80% of your strength you will naturally tighten your stomach muscles to help.
It is the natural tightening of the muscles that is used to increase strength over short durations. This is opposed to the idea of an exhaling breath, which is designed (it seems) to keep your body tight and increase strength over slightly longer durations typically. (Unfortunately, this is unnatural and must be learned over a great deal of time, with ever increasing levels of stress to be even slightly productive. Of course, it’s no enough that a person have greater and greater planned stress because it must also involve the element of fear and the adrenaline dump that comes with it to be truly reminiscent of combat.)
In addition, it is not the type of stomach contraction that you might produce as if trying to push or pull something with all your might, but rather to have a sort of “relaxed tension.” That is, that your core is strong but not absolutely tightened. By holding your breath this way during your attack, it can be used to for continuous attacks rather than one single one.
More to come...
It is the natural tightening of the muscles that is used to increase strength over short durations. This is opposed to the idea of an exhaling breath, which is designed (it seems) to keep your body tight and increase strength over slightly longer durations typically. (Unfortunately, this is unnatural and must be learned over a great deal of time, with ever increasing levels of stress to be even slightly productive. Of course, it’s no enough that a person have greater and greater planned stress because it must also involve the element of fear and the adrenaline dump that comes with it to be truly reminiscent of combat.)
In addition, it is not the type of stomach contraction that you might produce as if trying to push or pull something with all your might, but rather to have a sort of “relaxed tension.” That is, that your core is strong but not absolutely tightened. By holding your breath this way during your attack, it can be used to for continuous attacks rather than one single one.
More to come...
Friday, February 16, 2007
Nafas - Part 2
In addition, what most people don’t know is humans and some other organisms have the ability to “breath” in two different ways. The first, and most known is called aerobic breathing and consists of the lungs inflating to draw in air and deflating to push air out. However, in times of exercise when our oxygen intake is not “normal”, we begin to “breath” through our muscle tissue. Basically, we use the oxygen stores within our muscles to keep our blood oxygenated. This is called anaerobic breathing. Both forms of breathing have waste by-product. The aerobic form creates Carbon Dioxide, which is exchanged through the lungs. The anaerobic form creates lactic acid, which is temporarily stored in the muscle tissue until it can ultimately be flushed away.
With the basics of breathing and oxygen use out of the way, we can begin to address the method of holding our breath within Pencak Silat Pertempuran.
As stated, the basic method is to hold our breath on impact and release immediately after. From an Indonesian pernafasan perspective the idea is this, if I fill a ball full of air for energy, I do not want to release the air just before it hits the ground. To do so, would decrease the value of filling it with air to begin with. This is the basic argument as it was presented to me. Later, after additional discussions and much contemplation, this is what I have come to know about this method. The idea centers on tightening the muscles of the core and in doing so, we create a unified structure that transmits power more effectively. In this way, it is similar to the method of exhaling during a strike as most other martial arts do.
If that were the end, it would probably be sufficient, but there is more to it and this is the area that it most diverges from the more common method of exhaling as you strike. To expand upon it (pun intended), let’s first revisit the more commonly known method, which I will refer to as the Exhale Method.
In the Exhale Method, the basic premise is to exhale when attacking. Of course, to do this you must also be inhaling prior to the attack right? Because of this there is an aspect of timing that must take place. This can inhibit your freedom to attack when opportunity exists if taken to the extreme. That said most of us probably would forgo having the perfect breathing pattern in favor of getting a timely attack made. If we didn’t, as a fighter we would be stuck to using breathing patterns to determine our fighting rhythm. This means that we could be “timed” by an opponent simply because of our breathing. Likewise, if two people faced off and their breathing patterns were directly opposite, they would likewise have no recourse but to alternate between attacking and defending. Make sense so far? (It’s not rocket surgery but there is a path here.)
With the basics of breathing and oxygen use out of the way, we can begin to address the method of holding our breath within Pencak Silat Pertempuran.
As stated, the basic method is to hold our breath on impact and release immediately after. From an Indonesian pernafasan perspective the idea is this, if I fill a ball full of air for energy, I do not want to release the air just before it hits the ground. To do so, would decrease the value of filling it with air to begin with. This is the basic argument as it was presented to me. Later, after additional discussions and much contemplation, this is what I have come to know about this method. The idea centers on tightening the muscles of the core and in doing so, we create a unified structure that transmits power more effectively. In this way, it is similar to the method of exhaling during a strike as most other martial arts do.
If that were the end, it would probably be sufficient, but there is more to it and this is the area that it most diverges from the more common method of exhaling as you strike. To expand upon it (pun intended), let’s first revisit the more commonly known method, which I will refer to as the Exhale Method.
In the Exhale Method, the basic premise is to exhale when attacking. Of course, to do this you must also be inhaling prior to the attack right? Because of this there is an aspect of timing that must take place. This can inhibit your freedom to attack when opportunity exists if taken to the extreme. That said most of us probably would forgo having the perfect breathing pattern in favor of getting a timely attack made. If we didn’t, as a fighter we would be stuck to using breathing patterns to determine our fighting rhythm. This means that we could be “timed” by an opponent simply because of our breathing. Likewise, if two people faced off and their breathing patterns were directly opposite, they would likewise have no recourse but to alternate between attacking and defending. Make sense so far? (It’s not rocket surgery but there is a path here.)
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Nafas - Part 1
Nafas is the term “to breath” in Indonesian. Sometimes specific breathing methods are termed Pernafasan. (The pre and post “nafas” letters are what convert the verb to a noun in Indonesian.)
Most breathing patterns found within the martial arts, focus around the idea of having the practitioner exhaling upon impact, sometimes accompanied by a short yell or scream often called a “kiai” in Japanese Martial Arts. However, this type of breathing is not exclusive to Japanese arts and can be found in many martial disciplines throughout the world.
The main purpose of the exhaling/yell approach, when performed explosively, is to tighten the abdomen of the person performing the strike, kick or other technique. When done well, this will coordinate the contraction of many of your body’s core muscles when striking and increase your power, however, unless you exhale/yell explosively, no contraction of the abdomen takes place and no power is developed.
As well, there are additional effects of this type of methodology that are also touted such as the ability to distract the attacker, weaken their resolve and even their strength, and provide courage to you and those who might be engaged in battle alongside of you.
In Pencak Silat Pertempuran we are not overly concerned with spending a lot of time training the specific topic of breathing, especially as it concerns our martial practice. The basic premise can be summed up in this: When striking, hold your breath, and upon contact, release your breath. This is sometimes confusing to people who have studied other arts prior to studying pencak silat Pertempuran.
As a result, it raises questions in the minds of the practitioner as to why we do it essentially the opposite of everyone else. It’s a good question and one that needs to be addressed in depth so here then is my attempt to do just that.
Let’s start with some fundamentals. Air is comprised of 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, and 1% of several other gases including Argon, Helium, Carbon Dioxide, etcetera, when it goes into our lungs and contains about 14-16% oxygen when it is exhaled. On average, every time we breathe we are using only about 1/3 of the oxygen that we inhale.
Most breathing patterns found within the martial arts, focus around the idea of having the practitioner exhaling upon impact, sometimes accompanied by a short yell or scream often called a “kiai” in Japanese Martial Arts. However, this type of breathing is not exclusive to Japanese arts and can be found in many martial disciplines throughout the world.
The main purpose of the exhaling/yell approach, when performed explosively, is to tighten the abdomen of the person performing the strike, kick or other technique. When done well, this will coordinate the contraction of many of your body’s core muscles when striking and increase your power, however, unless you exhale/yell explosively, no contraction of the abdomen takes place and no power is developed.
As well, there are additional effects of this type of methodology that are also touted such as the ability to distract the attacker, weaken their resolve and even their strength, and provide courage to you and those who might be engaged in battle alongside of you.
In Pencak Silat Pertempuran we are not overly concerned with spending a lot of time training the specific topic of breathing, especially as it concerns our martial practice. The basic premise can be summed up in this: When striking, hold your breath, and upon contact, release your breath. This is sometimes confusing to people who have studied other arts prior to studying pencak silat Pertempuran.
As a result, it raises questions in the minds of the practitioner as to why we do it essentially the opposite of everyone else. It’s a good question and one that needs to be addressed in depth so here then is my attempt to do just that.
Let’s start with some fundamentals. Air is comprised of 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, and 1% of several other gases including Argon, Helium, Carbon Dioxide, etcetera, when it goes into our lungs and contains about 14-16% oxygen when it is exhaled. On average, every time we breathe we are using only about 1/3 of the oxygen that we inhale.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Coming Soon....
I just wanted to post something out here to let people know that I haven't forgotten about the blog. I will be posting something about a common topic for PSP members concerning Nafas or breathing. Especially as it relates to combat within pencak silat pertempuran.
It's a relatively large topic but I am working on making it presentable and easy to understand.
Hormat saya
Guru Stark
It's a relatively large topic but I am working on making it presentable and easy to understand.
Hormat saya
Guru Stark
Friday, February 09, 2007
REVIEW: Pencak Silat Through My Eyes
Reviews aren't something I normally do, but I felt that this was a topic I could adress relatively quickly.
I recently purchased the new book by Pak Herman Suwanda entitled Pencak Silat Through My Eyes. Though Pak Herman died several years ago, this book was already in the works so a student of his, Tony Somera (sp?) recently compiled the book and got it published (I presume). Maybe self-published?
First, let me say that I have enjoyed much of Pak Herman's silat (though I've not seen much). He has shared much with us in a way that really established pencak silat in the U.S. much more widely than it had been prior. He worked hard to spread Pencak Silat Mande Muda in a way that American's would be interested and he worked hard to understand our culture and our language. In many ways, his understanding and communication in English was a remarkable achievement by itself because I've seen immigrants to the US that after 40 or 50 years still are unable to communicate well in English but that's an entirely different rant.... So Kudo's for even writing a book in English!!
What I liked about the book:
The book gave some history of Mande Muda and introduced the main players within his family. It also gave a pretty good introduction into the structure of kembangan and it's necessity within pencak silat Sunda. There were some basic techniques and names of the various movements which is always interesting to me especially from the standpoint of comparitive silat.
Also, because of the way Mande Muda was structured, there was a large section that attempted to put into words and accompanying photos, the differences between the various systems that made up Mande Muda at the time it was written.
The book also showed Pak's love of pencak silat Sunda and his desire to see pencak silat Sunda preserved.
There was also a few sections of Q&A about specific silat systems such as the Harimau and Sabetan. These were pretty interesting.
Finally, it was good to hear the personal experiences of a few of Pak Herman's students and to get a sense of what these students learned and experienced training and traveling with him.
What I disliked about the book:
Though it is titled "Silat Through My Eyes" a portion of it seemed to focus on Pak's struggles with introducing pencak silat to the U.S. and some of the issues of culture and the way that Pak has been burned. I'm not sure, but I definitely got the vibe that Pak Herman had been burned a few times by people who claimed things they shouldn't have and he was trying to set things straight in a typically Indonesian way - from the side.
Though some of PS MM was introduced, the depth was pretty light. I guess I was hoping to learn a bit more about how MM holds all these systems together or something. How do they come to be called MM if they are taught as separate systems and that sort of thing... Maybe that was answered, but it didn't seem to be. It seems, after reading it, that MM is acting as a blanket name for pencak silat Sunda and a person can basically study any system they want within that blanket. Again, I could be confused since my dealings with Mande Muda are very limited.
There were many many typos. I can appreciate the difficulty of editing a book, especially your own book (if that's what happened) but it seemed as though Tony Somera could have edited it. It was distracting to me because sometimes the wrong word was used that sounds like another word with different meanings. There wasn't a ton of that, but it was in there. It could be that Tony S. wanted to preserve the original writings of Pak as a sort of tribute to him, and that would be fine but I didn't really see a statement to that effect (though I am notorious for skipping introductions and that sort of thing and just getting to the point).
Closing:
I learned some things, but overall I would say that I had higher hopes than the book delivered. I hate to say it because I know how much Pak Herman was loved, and honestly because I really enjoyed the little bit of Mande Muda that I've had a chance to learn 3rd hand. For those who are followers of Mande Muda, it is a final glimpse at their teacher and friend and his love of pencak silat Sunda, a last chance to hear his voice so-to-speak, but from an outsider perspective it left me a little bit neutral.
***
3 out of 5 stars
I recently purchased the new book by Pak Herman Suwanda entitled Pencak Silat Through My Eyes. Though Pak Herman died several years ago, this book was already in the works so a student of his, Tony Somera (sp?) recently compiled the book and got it published (I presume). Maybe self-published?
First, let me say that I have enjoyed much of Pak Herman's silat (though I've not seen much). He has shared much with us in a way that really established pencak silat in the U.S. much more widely than it had been prior. He worked hard to spread Pencak Silat Mande Muda in a way that American's would be interested and he worked hard to understand our culture and our language. In many ways, his understanding and communication in English was a remarkable achievement by itself because I've seen immigrants to the US that after 40 or 50 years still are unable to communicate well in English but that's an entirely different rant.... So Kudo's for even writing a book in English!!
What I liked about the book:
The book gave some history of Mande Muda and introduced the main players within his family. It also gave a pretty good introduction into the structure of kembangan and it's necessity within pencak silat Sunda. There were some basic techniques and names of the various movements which is always interesting to me especially from the standpoint of comparitive silat.
Also, because of the way Mande Muda was structured, there was a large section that attempted to put into words and accompanying photos, the differences between the various systems that made up Mande Muda at the time it was written.
The book also showed Pak's love of pencak silat Sunda and his desire to see pencak silat Sunda preserved.
There was also a few sections of Q&A about specific silat systems such as the Harimau and Sabetan. These were pretty interesting.
Finally, it was good to hear the personal experiences of a few of Pak Herman's students and to get a sense of what these students learned and experienced training and traveling with him.
What I disliked about the book:
Though it is titled "Silat Through My Eyes" a portion of it seemed to focus on Pak's struggles with introducing pencak silat to the U.S. and some of the issues of culture and the way that Pak has been burned. I'm not sure, but I definitely got the vibe that Pak Herman had been burned a few times by people who claimed things they shouldn't have and he was trying to set things straight in a typically Indonesian way - from the side.
Though some of PS MM was introduced, the depth was pretty light. I guess I was hoping to learn a bit more about how MM holds all these systems together or something. How do they come to be called MM if they are taught as separate systems and that sort of thing... Maybe that was answered, but it didn't seem to be. It seems, after reading it, that MM is acting as a blanket name for pencak silat Sunda and a person can basically study any system they want within that blanket. Again, I could be confused since my dealings with Mande Muda are very limited.
There were many many typos. I can appreciate the difficulty of editing a book, especially your own book (if that's what happened) but it seemed as though Tony Somera could have edited it. It was distracting to me because sometimes the wrong word was used that sounds like another word with different meanings. There wasn't a ton of that, but it was in there. It could be that Tony S. wanted to preserve the original writings of Pak as a sort of tribute to him, and that would be fine but I didn't really see a statement to that effect (though I am notorious for skipping introductions and that sort of thing and just getting to the point).
Closing:
I learned some things, but overall I would say that I had higher hopes than the book delivered. I hate to say it because I know how much Pak Herman was loved, and honestly because I really enjoyed the little bit of Mande Muda that I've had a chance to learn 3rd hand. For those who are followers of Mande Muda, it is a final glimpse at their teacher and friend and his love of pencak silat Sunda, a last chance to hear his voice so-to-speak, but from an outsider perspective it left me a little bit neutral.
***
3 out of 5 stars
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Hit or miss
Sorry all. I was out of town for a few days and on top of that, I'm a bit pressed at work and at home with freelance work so I've not been a very good blogger of late... I'll try to remain faithful to it and you.
I am beginning to organize notes, ideas, half-written things for book 3. It would be totally cool to have it done by the end of the year and that may be possible but since it's a part-time thing for me, it's hard to say. The third book will be a bit harder to write. It will be getting the ideas that helped in the original formation of PSP, out on paper and getting the ideas that have since formed, out on paper. It will be primarily about conditioning. That is not to say simply exercise but conditioning in all areas:
Muscular and Skeletal Training
Mental and Reflexive Training
Spiritual and Moral Training
I don't anticipate that it will be a huge book, but I didn't anticipate that book 2 was going to be as large as it was either...
It is my hope to be able to provide, in written form, thoughts about the "glue" of Pencak Silat Pertempuran so that the teacher of PSP will be able to understand more completely how the various pieces can be fit together, how they interact when together, and where they might take you.
In many ways I anticipate that this will be the most difficult book to write. I also intend to put a section in there of stories and training methods that I've heard, read, and found that concern Indonesian Ilmu, Kebatinan, and Tenaga Dalam. This section will depend on the size of the book and my ability to obtain permissions, etc. so it may not happen even though I have a pile of research.
I am beginning to organize notes, ideas, half-written things for book 3. It would be totally cool to have it done by the end of the year and that may be possible but since it's a part-time thing for me, it's hard to say. The third book will be a bit harder to write. It will be getting the ideas that helped in the original formation of PSP, out on paper and getting the ideas that have since formed, out on paper. It will be primarily about conditioning. That is not to say simply exercise but conditioning in all areas:
Muscular and Skeletal Training
Mental and Reflexive Training
Spiritual and Moral Training
I don't anticipate that it will be a huge book, but I didn't anticipate that book 2 was going to be as large as it was either...
It is my hope to be able to provide, in written form, thoughts about the "glue" of Pencak Silat Pertempuran so that the teacher of PSP will be able to understand more completely how the various pieces can be fit together, how they interact when together, and where they might take you.
In many ways I anticipate that this will be the most difficult book to write. I also intend to put a section in there of stories and training methods that I've heard, read, and found that concern Indonesian Ilmu, Kebatinan, and Tenaga Dalam. This section will depend on the size of the book and my ability to obtain permissions, etc. so it may not happen even though I have a pile of research.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Pencak Silat Celing
Pencak: A way of movement
Silat: Using that movement in self-defense
Celing: Boar
Pencak Silat Celing: A way of moving like a boar for self-defense
(Yes, I know it's a somewhat redundant start to this post but sometimes doing these things is necessary. I just don't know why.... :)
Rocco and Doug had a private lesson last night and Celing was the topic. Doug has committed to 5 private lessons to understand Pencak Silat Celing better. So I thought I would bring up the topic again but try to fill it out a bit and to introduce it to those who didn't catch it last time. We did do some simple, basic, elementary, Celing at last year's Keluarga for those who were able to attend. We didn't get into very much application. Hopefully this year we will be able to do more, building off of last year and getting people excited about the usefulness of Celing.
The basic principle of the boar:
Silat: Using that movement in self-defense
Celing: Boar
Pencak Silat Celing: A way of moving like a boar for self-defense
(Yes, I know it's a somewhat redundant start to this post but sometimes doing these things is necessary. I just don't know why.... :)
Rocco and Doug had a private lesson last night and Celing was the topic. Doug has committed to 5 private lessons to understand Pencak Silat Celing better. So I thought I would bring up the topic again but try to fill it out a bit and to introduce it to those who didn't catch it last time. We did do some simple, basic, elementary, Celing at last year's Keluarga for those who were able to attend. We didn't get into very much application. Hopefully this year we will be able to do more, building off of last year and getting people excited about the usefulness of Celing.
The basic principle of the boar:
- Get the opponent on the ground by destroying the structure of their legs. It's a pretty broad principle with a relatively specific methodology and freedom to add as necessary to accomplish the principle. As with all things that I teach - Langkah dari batu ke batu.
Though the basic principle is simple. It comprises a fairly wide quantity of techniques that can be used to accomplish it. The techniques themselves are fairly simple in structure but combine together in myriad ways to create a matrix for accomplishing pencak silat Celing in relationship to the opponent. In addition some basic strategies exist to make the techniques more successful for the specific purposes of accomplishing the basic principle of Celing.
Mindset:
- Determined
- Aggressive
- Destructive
Some of the techniques that comprise the Celing system are things that as PSP students you may have learned already on a limited level. With a little change in intention and targeting you can utilize these elements as methods for accomplishing pencak silat celing.
Here is a listing off the top of my head:
- All Ales
- All Lutut
- All Tapak
- All Masukan Sepak
- All Masukan Lutut
- All Timbilan Kaki (Secondary to destroying whenever possible)
- Celing Taring
- Sepak Bulat
- Sepak Rusuk
- Sepak Naga and it's variations
- Tendangan Rusuk Bawa
- Sepak Menyendok
- Sliwa - A type of stance which is normally referred to as sikap pasang in this system. This would be Sikap Pasang Tiga or Empat. The hand positions can vary depending on your purpose. (Some specific hand positions are used in certain regions of Indonesia.)
Celing Strategies:
- It is essential to use surprise.
- It is essential to attack as though the opponent will move away.
- It is essential to constantly prepare for the next attack. It is not a one shot, one kill style art.
- It is essential to use the hands (Celing Taring) to distract, control, strike vulnerable points, and generally keep the opponent busy on the upper level.
- It is essential to use angular stepping. It is not a direct system per se. The angles of stepping and alignment allow you to be able to launch direct and efficient attacks at the primary targets - even when using "circular" kicking such as Sepak Bulat.
- It is essential that your attacks be vicious and decidely destructive in nature. The point isn't to be gentle. If you consider a board shredding your legs with their tusks you will get the concept.
- It is essential to use methods that destroy structure. There are many ways to do this. Pain is probably the least of these - though pain can be an outcome.
Primary Targets of the legs:
- Upper knee
- Lower knee
- Inner thigh
- Outer thigh
- Front of Shin
- Back of calf
- Top of Foot
- Inner Ankle
- Outer Ankle (lesser target - but can be used)
Primary targets of the head and torso: (Which are all attacked with Celing Taring to be pure Celing)
- Eyes
- Throat
- Sternomastoid
- Behind the Mandible
- Under the chin and along the Mandible rim
- Hyoid Bone
- Suprasternal Notch
- Clavicular Notch
- Below the nipples
- Xyphoid Process
- Armpit
- Lower Abdominal Crease
- Groin
The method is simple, the mastery is not.
Training Methods:
Training in Celing is normally comprised of the basic attack by the trainer and the trainee performing various combinations of the basic methods in response, targeting the vulnerable points outlined above in a fluid way. Adding more methods as you get comfortable. It is absolutely essential to step into Suliwa or Sikap Pasang Tiga and Empat upon the completion of the majority of the basic methods. This will set up subsequent attacks to the base of the opponent.
Later, as you begin to get comfortable with Sikap Pasang and Suliwa you can begin working with an opponent who moves similarly on various angles, constantly repositioning yourself to counter their position or attack and setting yourself up to perform the next attack.
Another great method is to work at "Cutting" the angle. In this method you learn how to use the system against a person who moves a lot. You learn to cut the angle, setting yourself up to attack them instantly, and of course, continue to attack.
Once you begin to do this fluidly, you can begin to work on the methods in such a way as to get the opponent on to the ground, following up with various stomping attacks, kicks, etc. If a person puts their hand down on the ground to hold themselves up, it is appropriate to attack that arm with kicks and stomping as well. It does not stop necessarily, just because a person falls down. The point is to remove the threat.
Conditioning:
If you're so inclined to use the system as a primary method (it could be and is able to be) for your PSP, you can take this a step further and get into the conditioning aspect.
- One conditioning method is to start by sitting comfortably in a chair and gently dropping your forearms onto your shins. This will condition both your forearms and your shins simultaneously and can be very good. Do this gently and over many months you will be able to add more and more power to the process. Be sure not to just do it in spots but to do it up and down the entirety of the forearm and shin. Especially the outer forearm. If your shins are very sensitive you can start with palm slapping. Apply Balur if possible, massaging out any bruises. (Our PSP brother Jay sells Balur).
- Another method is not to use pads during your training. The basic hitting and kicking over and over will ultimately condition portions of your legs, build determination in your spirit, and get you used to being attacked. It is important that you supplement this method with the method above to enure that you are getting a complete conditioning since not all areas on the legs are targeted.
- You can also strike your forearms together, alternating inside and outside in order to harden both sides of the forearms. Be sure to move up and down the forearms.
In PSP I tend to prefer methods that utilize ourselves versus outside equipment for the conditioning for two main reasons. One, everywhere I go, there I am. Two, it's a bit easier to control the conditioning because one part or another will feel a bit of pain and that bit of pain is a clue that we need to be considerate of our bodies and gradual with our conditioning. Too many people jump into conditioning with a 2 month mind set and it's really the process of many many months that is best. Conditioning too hard, too fast, will get you health problems in the long run and since the majority of us are part-time warriors, the trade off for your health is not worth it.
Additionally, for me at least, the idea of MA is about preservation of life and to me that also means the quality of my own life and if I destroy myself to do it, then I'm missing the point. I have too many life-long injuries that I have sustained from martial arts. They will never go away and in fact, as I get older, they may get worse. Don't do that to yourselves.
Hope this was interesting.
Hormat saya,
Guru Stark
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Pencak Silat - "organic" martial arts
Pencak: A way of movement.
Silat: A way of applying that movement in self-defense.
Pencak silat systems have an uphill battle when it comes to acceptance. Of course, there will be those charismatic, highly skilled people who have larger acceptance over all, but the truth of the matter is that pencak silat has a way of finding the people who study it. You can try to choose pencak silat but in the end pencak silat chooses you. You can try to learn pencak silat but in the end pencak silat learns you. You can try to move like pencak silat but in the end pencak silat must move you.
Of course to some that are not involved or not deeply involved this is a hard thing to understand. Maybe even sounds fruity and disconnected. Though that may be, I find that it is still true.
Time and time again I have watched people who are studying pencak silat and yet they don't move well. Oh, they can apply the techniques, but they cannot move like a pencak silat player. IMO this is an epidemic within pencak silat - at least here in the U.S. Too much time is spent trying to reduce pencak silat to formulas, principles, patterns, techniques, and not enough time is spent enjoying the movement, exploring the movement, feeling the movement, putting intention into your movement. Rasa! Not just punching harder, intention is not about that.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with deception.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with variations in timing.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with a wave-like energy.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with balance.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with level changes.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with intention.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with explosiveness.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with application.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with awareness.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with fluidity.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with angles, circles, and lines.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with responsiveness.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with aesthetic beauty.
BUT
GREAT pencak silat movement is filled with all of these things at the same time. This is the Rahasia of great pencak silat movement.
As students of pencak silat we should seek to accomplish these things even when performing application, even when performing a jurus, even when doing a basic strike or kick.
The most difficult thing for students of PSP to learn is this combination of attributes. As a system we start with psuedo applications but in truth, they are not entirely valuable in and of themselves. It is within the context of the attributes above that real value, real skill, makes itself known.
We tend to look at the application as the goal, but it is only one facet of the whole. A valuable piece but to do pencak silat completely you must combine the attributes above. When you begin to do that your technique will naturally improve. Each piece feeds off of the other pieces. There is not pencak silat without the entire list. You can have either pencak or silat but not both.
Keep training!
Silat: A way of applying that movement in self-defense.
Pencak silat systems have an uphill battle when it comes to acceptance. Of course, there will be those charismatic, highly skilled people who have larger acceptance over all, but the truth of the matter is that pencak silat has a way of finding the people who study it. You can try to choose pencak silat but in the end pencak silat chooses you. You can try to learn pencak silat but in the end pencak silat learns you. You can try to move like pencak silat but in the end pencak silat must move you.
Of course to some that are not involved or not deeply involved this is a hard thing to understand. Maybe even sounds fruity and disconnected. Though that may be, I find that it is still true.
Time and time again I have watched people who are studying pencak silat and yet they don't move well. Oh, they can apply the techniques, but they cannot move like a pencak silat player. IMO this is an epidemic within pencak silat - at least here in the U.S. Too much time is spent trying to reduce pencak silat to formulas, principles, patterns, techniques, and not enough time is spent enjoying the movement, exploring the movement, feeling the movement, putting intention into your movement. Rasa! Not just punching harder, intention is not about that.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with deception.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with variations in timing.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with a wave-like energy.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with balance.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with level changes.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with intention.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with explosiveness.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with application.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with awareness.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with fluidity.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with angles, circles, and lines.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with responsiveness.
Good pencak silat movement is filled with aesthetic beauty.
BUT
GREAT pencak silat movement is filled with all of these things at the same time. This is the Rahasia of great pencak silat movement.
As students of pencak silat we should seek to accomplish these things even when performing application, even when performing a jurus, even when doing a basic strike or kick.
The most difficult thing for students of PSP to learn is this combination of attributes. As a system we start with psuedo applications but in truth, they are not entirely valuable in and of themselves. It is within the context of the attributes above that real value, real skill, makes itself known.
We tend to look at the application as the goal, but it is only one facet of the whole. A valuable piece but to do pencak silat completely you must combine the attributes above. When you begin to do that your technique will naturally improve. Each piece feeds off of the other pieces. There is not pencak silat without the entire list. You can have either pencak or silat but not both.
Keep training!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Pencak Silat Promotions
Selamat All;
Rocco and Doug have both passed level 3 and moved on to Level 4. They tested Saturday and did pretty well. They do have to do some more review on Level 2 things because it wasn't quite at the level I wanted to see it but they did well enough that they are moving on.
Level 3 is probably the hump for most people and probably the place where I lose the most students - that and level 1 that is.
Once you get through Level 3 and if you are making the effort to train with me personally, you will start to see how the material comes together, how connected it is, how fluid it is, how complete it is. Each successive level only adds to it BUT until you get there, it is hard to see. Rocco and Doug are starting to see it which is cool
Please congratulate them.
Hormat saya,
Guru Stark
Rocco and Doug have both passed level 3 and moved on to Level 4. They tested Saturday and did pretty well. They do have to do some more review on Level 2 things because it wasn't quite at the level I wanted to see it but they did well enough that they are moving on.
Level 3 is probably the hump for most people and probably the place where I lose the most students - that and level 1 that is.
Once you get through Level 3 and if you are making the effort to train with me personally, you will start to see how the material comes together, how connected it is, how fluid it is, how complete it is. Each successive level only adds to it BUT until you get there, it is hard to see. Rocco and Doug are starting to see it which is cool
Please congratulate them.
Hormat saya,
Guru Stark
Pencak Silat Pertempuran
Just wanted to let everyone know that I've launched the Pencak Silat Pertempuran site with an updated look, nav, and hopefully a lot less clutter. There's some new information and some old. Keep an eye on it as I will continue to add stuff and functionality back to it.
Some functionality will go away.
Look for an updated store soon too.
Hormat saya,
Guru Stark
Some functionality will go away.
Look for an updated store soon too.
Hormat saya,
Guru Stark
Monday, January 29, 2007
Purposes and background of pencak silat
I posted this on the Dragon List Forum.
********
A note to those still interested.
I am a pencak silat practitioner and I just wanted to address a few things.
1. No one really knows the origins of pencak silat. It seems to have been influenced by Indian MA, Thai MA, Chinese MA, and anything else that has come along.
2. There are MANY MANY different styles probably in the thousands. Pencak silat is typically very syncretic (as is the Indonesian culture) in nature and individualistic. I have seen teachers of the same style who have performed the material so differently that they would appear to be different arts - yet in principle they are the same.
3. Much of pencak silat is weapons oriented but not all of it. Indonesia is still a weapons culture today.
4. In self-defense you do not need to be attacked before you can respond if you can show/prove imminent danger. This probably varies from state to state but every state I have lived in agrees with this.
5. In ALL MA including MMA there are those who aren't very skilled and those who are very skilled. The art is only one part of the total equation.
6. It is probable that not all pencak silat started from animal fighting and not specifically the monkey. There are animal styles and there are non-animal styles.
7. Pencak silat has had much influence historically with various religions. It is largely the product of the spiritual nature of Indonesia. For instance, many Indonesians are Pantheists, many are also Muslim, some or Christian, some are Hindi. If you look at history, Indonesia has had several stages of cultural change. Each of these have left it's mark on the culture. Few have been abandoned. Therefore, you have silat with lots of mysticism, no mysticism, religion, no religion, and just about every conceivable mix including tenaga dalam, which is akin to Chi or Ki. Some of these practitioners are into the whole no contact self-defense belief (I find this funny normally but it’s out there).
7. Most pencak silat includes some form of spiritual practice or philosophical study. This is what separates bullies from the rest of us. It serves little purpose if you're only good at killing or self-defense in a culture because you WILL tend towards what you are good it. Therefore you must have balance IMO.
8. I know pesilat who can and have used their pencak silat for "self-defense" in the streets, against weapons without having their own weapons. Pencak silat is as capable as any other art. Likewise, it is as incapable as other arts too. There just isn't any magic bullet martial art out there or combination. Anyone can suck on any given day lest you think that you are all that.
9. Some of pencak silat was purposed for combat against many people simultaneously, so though they may go to the ground you will probably not see many submission holds. Of course, this is changing because Indonesians want to do what the rest of the world is doing.
10. This brings me to another point, what is on the video is not combative. It is demonstrasi. It is meant as demonstration. Pencak Silat leaders (not all by any means) have been trying to produce a sporting method for this art. They have been working since the early 70's to come up with a good blend that is indicative of the wide variety of pencak silat that is out there while still making it appealing to youth who want to participate and not losing sight of their history and function. No small task and largely they have not really had success. What you see in this clip is an attempt. Unlike MMA or Boxing or Thai Fighting, there are three aspects to every competition. One is termed as self-defense (loosely), the other is forms - Kembangan/Jurus Wajib, the other is fighting - Ohla Raga.
11. Culture plays a big role in pencak silat, even regionally. It is not uncommon that Sumatran arts have a lot of groundwork. Most other arts do as well. However, when you go to Java you'll typically see a lot more handwork, and more upright stances. In Madura there are more high kicks and wider, lower stances. In Malay silat I have typically seen pretty high stances and a good mix of Sumatran and Chinese influence as well as some Thai influence. All of that to say, that IMO, we should be considering our own culture when we perform silat. Some do and some don't. The ones that do are more in keeping with true pencak silat principles IMO.
12. Pencak Silat is a principle-based art largely. That is, that while there are specific things to learn they typically point to larger or broader principles which is why you can have people who study the same art with different movement interpretations, different applications, etc. That's what makes this art so exciting and interesting. It offers a lifetime of study within a very limited set of materials.
There’s more to say but probably few people would read it.
I do have a blog, website, etcetera if anyone of you are interested. I also have a couple of books on the market – they are mostly for students but anyone could get the gist of what we do by looking at them.
Sincerely,
Sean
Guru Pencak Silat Pertempuran
www.silat.us
********
A note to those still interested.
I am a pencak silat practitioner and I just wanted to address a few things.
1. No one really knows the origins of pencak silat. It seems to have been influenced by Indian MA, Thai MA, Chinese MA, and anything else that has come along.
2. There are MANY MANY different styles probably in the thousands. Pencak silat is typically very syncretic (as is the Indonesian culture) in nature and individualistic. I have seen teachers of the same style who have performed the material so differently that they would appear to be different arts - yet in principle they are the same.
3. Much of pencak silat is weapons oriented but not all of it. Indonesia is still a weapons culture today.
4. In self-defense you do not need to be attacked before you can respond if you can show/prove imminent danger. This probably varies from state to state but every state I have lived in agrees with this.
5. In ALL MA including MMA there are those who aren't very skilled and those who are very skilled. The art is only one part of the total equation.
6. It is probable that not all pencak silat started from animal fighting and not specifically the monkey. There are animal styles and there are non-animal styles.
7. Pencak silat has had much influence historically with various religions. It is largely the product of the spiritual nature of Indonesia. For instance, many Indonesians are Pantheists, many are also Muslim, some or Christian, some are Hindi. If you look at history, Indonesia has had several stages of cultural change. Each of these have left it's mark on the culture. Few have been abandoned. Therefore, you have silat with lots of mysticism, no mysticism, religion, no religion, and just about every conceivable mix including tenaga dalam, which is akin to Chi or Ki. Some of these practitioners are into the whole no contact self-defense belief (I find this funny normally but it’s out there).
7. Most pencak silat includes some form of spiritual practice or philosophical study. This is what separates bullies from the rest of us. It serves little purpose if you're only good at killing or self-defense in a culture because you WILL tend towards what you are good it. Therefore you must have balance IMO.
8. I know pesilat who can and have used their pencak silat for "self-defense" in the streets, against weapons without having their own weapons. Pencak silat is as capable as any other art. Likewise, it is as incapable as other arts too. There just isn't any magic bullet martial art out there or combination. Anyone can suck on any given day lest you think that you are all that.
9. Some of pencak silat was purposed for combat against many people simultaneously, so though they may go to the ground you will probably not see many submission holds. Of course, this is changing because Indonesians want to do what the rest of the world is doing.
10. This brings me to another point, what is on the video is not combative. It is demonstrasi. It is meant as demonstration. Pencak Silat leaders (not all by any means) have been trying to produce a sporting method for this art. They have been working since the early 70's to come up with a good blend that is indicative of the wide variety of pencak silat that is out there while still making it appealing to youth who want to participate and not losing sight of their history and function. No small task and largely they have not really had success. What you see in this clip is an attempt. Unlike MMA or Boxing or Thai Fighting, there are three aspects to every competition. One is termed as self-defense (loosely), the other is forms - Kembangan/Jurus Wajib, the other is fighting - Ohla Raga.
11. Culture plays a big role in pencak silat, even regionally. It is not uncommon that Sumatran arts have a lot of groundwork. Most other arts do as well. However, when you go to Java you'll typically see a lot more handwork, and more upright stances. In Madura there are more high kicks and wider, lower stances. In Malay silat I have typically seen pretty high stances and a good mix of Sumatran and Chinese influence as well as some Thai influence. All of that to say, that IMO, we should be considering our own culture when we perform silat. Some do and some don't. The ones that do are more in keeping with true pencak silat principles IMO.
12. Pencak Silat is a principle-based art largely. That is, that while there are specific things to learn they typically point to larger or broader principles which is why you can have people who study the same art with different movement interpretations, different applications, etc. That's what makes this art so exciting and interesting. It offers a lifetime of study within a very limited set of materials.
There’s more to say but probably few people would read it.
I do have a blog, website, etcetera if anyone of you are interested. I also have a couple of books on the market – they are mostly for students but anyone could get the gist of what we do by looking at them.
Sincerely,
Sean
Guru Pencak Silat Pertempuran
www.silat.us
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Pencak Silat Training Camp - Keluarga 2007
KELUARGA 2007
Date: August 3rd-5th, 2007
Theme: No. I don't play nice!
Location: Des Moines, IA
Length: 3 Days of training
Cost for Training: $180
Hotel: Heartlands Inn - link: http://www.heartlandinns.com/loc_DesMoinesAirport.php
Room Rate: $67.50 per room, per night, plus tax for a traditional room with one king size bed or two queen size beds.
- 10 Rooms set aside (8 Doubles, 2 Singles)
- Group name: Keluarga (ask for Keluarga Rate when you book a room to get the special rate. Also, please let Jay know if you book a room so if we need more we can add some AND you must book them at least 2 weeks before the event to get the special rate. You can't wait until the last minute.)
- Complimentary Breakfast Daily 4:30-10am (hot and cold items)
- Wireless Internet
- Pillowtop Mattresses in Every Room
- Indoor Swimming Pool and Fitness Center
- Complimentary Evening Snacks
- 24 Hour Airport Shuttle Service
Airlines:
- American,
- Comair,
- Continental,
- Midwest Connect,
- Northwest,
- Skywest,
- United,
- US Airways
Car Rental:
- Recommended by Jay - Enterprise (at the airport)
Plan on tuning up your pencak silat. We will work on:
- PSP fundamentals
- jurus-jurus,
- harimau-monyet,
- applications - bela diri,
- understanding and doing pencak silat movement,
- connectivity of fundamentals to create techniques,
- training methods,
- weapons work,
- Explosive Entries,
- Level Testing,
- various adhoc discussions on strategy, psp, philosophy, spirituality, pencak silat, leadership, teaching, and growth.
- bonfire at Jay's
It's going to be a great three days of training to introduce people to PSP and help those who are midway and nearing the end of the general curriculum. As always, it's a great time to test. Don't wait for Keluarga, but if you can push a little to test in person is a great opportunity.
We will probably work play harder this year than in past years.
Equipment to bring:
- MMA style training gloves,
- Full face headgear,
- kicking shields,
- focus mitts,
- training and "sharps" (pisau - knives),
- Golok,
- Looped sarong
Pay for the event by sending payment to pesilat@combat-silat.net via paypal to reserve your spot. We are looking to have around 20 people this year so get in before it's full.
If you have questions about ammenities, training location, car rentals, or event resources, contact Jay at ksmaguro@hotmail.com .
Event particulars, equipment, and questions related around partiicipation in the event should be sent to Guru Stark at pesilat@combat-silat.net .
Hormat saya,
Guru Stark
Friday, January 26, 2007
Pencak Silat Observations
Rocco and I had a private class last night. It was really good. Mostly because I got to see Rocco put some things together, which as a teacher, is always cool.
We were working on explosive entries last night. This isn't really new, Rocco has been working on explosive entries for many months now. He's come a LONG way in being able to put his martial arts background into use.
Through this process of teaching Rocco and having to communicate the same things in many, many different ways, I've had the pleasure of learning myself and it's been real rewarding to see Rocco spring board off of what he's learned and be able to draw other conclusions about it. Most of them are not necessarily new conclusions but they are, for the first time, HIS conclusions and that makes all the difference when you are trying to understand something.
Last night the practice and the discussion ranged quite wide. It started with the hierarchy of combat that I've spoken about before, at least with some of you.
The hierarchy of combat is the recognition of the various possibilities that the initial combat relationship can start with and the various paths it can travel. There are at least seven major starting points for the hierarchy of combat within Pencak Silat Pertempuran.
1. Run Away - Able to see the escalation and avoid it altogether
2. Attack - Able to see the escalation and interupt it
3. Evade and simultaneous counter - Able to read an opponent and counter
4. Evasion with no counter - Able to read an opponent but not counter
5. Block with counter - Slightly behind in timing but able to counter
6. Block with no counter - Further behind in timing but able to stop attack
7. Get hit - Completely behind in timing unable to stop attack
To people outside of PSP some of these may not make sense or the order may seem out of whack, but for us, that is not the case. Within the context of operable combat, there are primarily 5 possibilities. You can see them by taking away the first and the last from the list.
From the perspective of training, PSP is primarily working at the level of option #3 - Evade and simultaneous counter. This is where the majority of what I teach is started at. Why start here? Because in reality, it is the highest form of defensive engagement you can be in. To move to #2 is to move to aggressor. That is not to say that #3 is passive and non-aggressive. To say that would confuse people - make no mistake you must be willing to take control in order to effectively work within the context of #3. However, it is still defensive in the sense that the attacker has initiated the attack - even though we are moving to take over the timing of the encounter immediately.
This can be confusing to people and the balance of intensity in training can be difficult to keep. On the one hand, someone is attacking you in a way that makes you defensive and you must react, however, if it is to fully have the effect it should, you need be agressive and moving in to the opponent in most cases and have the mindset of the agressor rather than the victim. This is often hard to simulate in training. One way to simulate is to put on headgear (full face cage) and gloves and do the drills with the intention of "clocking" each other. Doesn't need to be full power, but enough power to cause that little bit of adjustment necessary to bring the training up a level. I've seen it make a BIG difference in Rocco and Doug's training and it's really good for me too.
Now on with the rest...
You might be wondering why #4 is evasion but without a counter? Evasion is kind of whimpy and defensive isn't it? Very passive and risky. Well, it can be BUT imo, evasion doesn't have to be defensive, it can be offensive if you evade with purpose and if that purpose is to create the proper angle for a follow-up attack or to nullify further attacks by the agressor. In PSP we have one over laying principle for the system. Langkah dari batu ke batu or Stepping from stone to stone. So it's not always relevant that we get the thing we're after on the first go. Sometimes we have to be patient and play until it becomes available which can be 3,4, 10 moves later. (So what is it that we are after? Domination of the timing and the agressor - essentially the win - not the fight.)
So how does evasion do that? To answer, in my experience it is sometimes easier to evade an attack than it is to evade and counter. It is the matter of reading your opponents movements and having only enough time to evade but not enough time to do so well enough to counter in the most relevant way. It's the matter of hunredths of a second probably as it regards recognition of the relationship between yourself and the attacker. Yet, it is enough difference to make countering too slow. In these cases, you are best to evade in such a way as to cause the opponent to become unbalanced or over-extended. By doing this, you by yourself time to develop your counter. It may just be the thing that makes up that few hundredths of a second that you need. In that regard, it is a better situation than any block if done well.
This will need to be continued at a later time....
Hormat saya
Guru Stark
We were working on explosive entries last night. This isn't really new, Rocco has been working on explosive entries for many months now. He's come a LONG way in being able to put his martial arts background into use.
Through this process of teaching Rocco and having to communicate the same things in many, many different ways, I've had the pleasure of learning myself and it's been real rewarding to see Rocco spring board off of what he's learned and be able to draw other conclusions about it. Most of them are not necessarily new conclusions but they are, for the first time, HIS conclusions and that makes all the difference when you are trying to understand something.
Last night the practice and the discussion ranged quite wide. It started with the hierarchy of combat that I've spoken about before, at least with some of you.
The hierarchy of combat is the recognition of the various possibilities that the initial combat relationship can start with and the various paths it can travel. There are at least seven major starting points for the hierarchy of combat within Pencak Silat Pertempuran.
1. Run Away - Able to see the escalation and avoid it altogether
2. Attack - Able to see the escalation and interupt it
3. Evade and simultaneous counter - Able to read an opponent and counter
4. Evasion with no counter - Able to read an opponent but not counter
5. Block with counter - Slightly behind in timing but able to counter
6. Block with no counter - Further behind in timing but able to stop attack
7. Get hit - Completely behind in timing unable to stop attack
To people outside of PSP some of these may not make sense or the order may seem out of whack, but for us, that is not the case. Within the context of operable combat, there are primarily 5 possibilities. You can see them by taking away the first and the last from the list.
From the perspective of training, PSP is primarily working at the level of option #3 - Evade and simultaneous counter. This is where the majority of what I teach is started at. Why start here? Because in reality, it is the highest form of defensive engagement you can be in. To move to #2 is to move to aggressor. That is not to say that #3 is passive and non-aggressive. To say that would confuse people - make no mistake you must be willing to take control in order to effectively work within the context of #3. However, it is still defensive in the sense that the attacker has initiated the attack - even though we are moving to take over the timing of the encounter immediately.
This can be confusing to people and the balance of intensity in training can be difficult to keep. On the one hand, someone is attacking you in a way that makes you defensive and you must react, however, if it is to fully have the effect it should, you need be agressive and moving in to the opponent in most cases and have the mindset of the agressor rather than the victim. This is often hard to simulate in training. One way to simulate is to put on headgear (full face cage) and gloves and do the drills with the intention of "clocking" each other. Doesn't need to be full power, but enough power to cause that little bit of adjustment necessary to bring the training up a level. I've seen it make a BIG difference in Rocco and Doug's training and it's really good for me too.
Now on with the rest...
You might be wondering why #4 is evasion but without a counter? Evasion is kind of whimpy and defensive isn't it? Very passive and risky. Well, it can be BUT imo, evasion doesn't have to be defensive, it can be offensive if you evade with purpose and if that purpose is to create the proper angle for a follow-up attack or to nullify further attacks by the agressor. In PSP we have one over laying principle for the system. Langkah dari batu ke batu or Stepping from stone to stone. So it's not always relevant that we get the thing we're after on the first go. Sometimes we have to be patient and play until it becomes available which can be 3,4, 10 moves later. (So what is it that we are after? Domination of the timing and the agressor - essentially the win - not the fight.)
So how does evasion do that? To answer, in my experience it is sometimes easier to evade an attack than it is to evade and counter. It is the matter of reading your opponents movements and having only enough time to evade but not enough time to do so well enough to counter in the most relevant way. It's the matter of hunredths of a second probably as it regards recognition of the relationship between yourself and the attacker. Yet, it is enough difference to make countering too slow. In these cases, you are best to evade in such a way as to cause the opponent to become unbalanced or over-extended. By doing this, you by yourself time to develop your counter. It may just be the thing that makes up that few hundredths of a second that you need. In that regard, it is a better situation than any block if done well.
This will need to be continued at a later time....
Hormat saya
Guru Stark
Pencak Silat Desa Forum
Well, if you're a visitor of the Desa forum on my website you'll probably be unhappy to know that spammers have forced me to update the forum.
The past few days I've had to remove spam from the forum and the last time this happened it didn't stop and I was forced to remove a link builder for pesilat.
I didn't wait to find out. I've got a new forum posted but there's no content yet. I'm going to try and port over some of the content or post it on the blog here so it's available some place.
For everyone else, it's time to create a new account. It's a great forum and will more than serve the needs of our little group but has some wonderful new features. Check it out by clicking the title of the blog here or go to the combat-silat.net website and follow the links to the desa.
I haven't had a chance to change the looks yet so it's out of the box fresh.
hormat saya,
guru stark
The past few days I've had to remove spam from the forum and the last time this happened it didn't stop and I was forced to remove a link builder for pesilat.
I didn't wait to find out. I've got a new forum posted but there's no content yet. I'm going to try and port over some of the content or post it on the blog here so it's available some place.
For everyone else, it's time to create a new account. It's a great forum and will more than serve the needs of our little group but has some wonderful new features. Check it out by clicking the title of the blog here or go to the combat-silat.net website and follow the links to the desa.
I haven't had a chance to change the looks yet so it's out of the box fresh.
hormat saya,
guru stark
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Pencak Silat Class Tuesday 1/23/07
The Tuesday class was mostly a private lesson for Doug. He and I got to work out together which was nice for me. I don't get to workout as often as I'd like with a training partner so that was reall good.
We started out with more Harimau Monyet work trying to get the legs going, hips going, knees going, whatever... We did about 30 minutes of this type of work, but rather than just do a single thing or two with lots of repititions, we worked a bunch of variations of things with sets of 10 or 15 each. Enough to get the feel of it but not enough to get bored with it and not really burn out on it either. It was good to be able to do it this way because we flowed various harimau monyet things together in little min-series. I like doing that and we'll probably do a lot more of that.
After that we went right into Level 3 work which is where Rocco and Doug are. Doug and I worked pretty good at the Exchanges, Trapping, and catching. About this time Rocco showed up. It was probably almost 8 or even later. (Shame Shame). Of course I had to stop showing Doug all the secret stuff then because Rocco came...
Then we caught Rocco up on most of the Level 3 stuff of course Rocco strategically misses the conditioning portion and he probably thinks that's a good thing but in reality, the little bit of workout he could get by doing it would probably do his knees a ton of good over time and build a lot of strength and flexibility... but what do I know...
Anyway, then we finished off with checks and worked Jurus Tiga. For a moment these guys were actually looking like silat pesilat. It was startling. A few tweaks here and there and Doug was "striking a pose." Rocco followed and with a little work they could meet the deadline of testing this Saturday. It's up to them, but just about 1/2 hour a day of jurus tiga would probably do it for each of them.
Hormat saya,
Guru Stark
We started out with more Harimau Monyet work trying to get the legs going, hips going, knees going, whatever... We did about 30 minutes of this type of work, but rather than just do a single thing or two with lots of repititions, we worked a bunch of variations of things with sets of 10 or 15 each. Enough to get the feel of it but not enough to get bored with it and not really burn out on it either. It was good to be able to do it this way because we flowed various harimau monyet things together in little min-series. I like doing that and we'll probably do a lot more of that.
After that we went right into Level 3 work which is where Rocco and Doug are. Doug and I worked pretty good at the Exchanges, Trapping, and catching. About this time Rocco showed up. It was probably almost 8 or even later. (Shame Shame). Of course I had to stop showing Doug all the secret stuff then because Rocco came...
Then we caught Rocco up on most of the Level 3 stuff of course Rocco strategically misses the conditioning portion and he probably thinks that's a good thing but in reality, the little bit of workout he could get by doing it would probably do his knees a ton of good over time and build a lot of strength and flexibility... but what do I know...
Anyway, then we finished off with checks and worked Jurus Tiga. For a moment these guys were actually looking like silat pesilat. It was startling. A few tweaks here and there and Doug was "striking a pose." Rocco followed and with a little work they could meet the deadline of testing this Saturday. It's up to them, but just about 1/2 hour a day of jurus tiga would probably do it for each of them.
Hormat saya,
Guru Stark
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Pencak Silat mealtime
Saturday after class and videoing I went home and started preparing a shopping list for the Saturday evening meal. I invited Rocco and Doug over for a, primarily, Thai meal. We had shrimp Pad Thai, Tom Ka Gai, Lumpia (Filippino spring rolls), Pisang Goreng (Indonesian Fried Bananas), and some wafer thingies with Ube in them for dessert.
Everything came off pretty good. Rocco and Doug talked a little silat while I finished off preparing the meal. I thought it was good. Rocco apparantly likes Sambal (I think that's how you spell it...) which is Red Chili paste. He kept putting it on heavy enough that it caused him to have mild coughing fits. Pretty funny.
This is a meal that my family has enjoyed over the years but my girls have grown weary of the soup at least. We've had it for the past 6 or 7 years and they just aren't interested in it that much anymore. It was delicious imo. The pisang goreng and the lumpia are new additions and the girls pretty much like them. I am surprised that some people don't like pisang goreng.... it's wonderful to me. I had A LOT of it when I was in Indonesia a few years back.
So what does this post have to do with pencak silat? Well not much if you're looking for technique or training tips, but lots if you consider your brothers in silat to actually be brothers, friends... family.
Having meals with students was a thing I did many years ago and then stopped, largely because of financial issues, but I see a need for students and teachers to do it. It helps us to understand each other more, appreciate each other more, care about each other more and, dare I say, invest in each other more.
FYI - It would be wonderful to try and do something like this at Keluarga, but even if that is not possible, to be able to regularly share a meal together is a great thing.
Pencak silat is not like every other martial art. Oh, of course it can be, and some seem to be pushing it in that direction but that was not the original intention imo. The original intention of pencak silat was to protect first your family, then your village, and then your region, and then your country. It was never meant to be a place of selfish intent but of community.
Family is more important than commercialization - even if the art dies out IMO. Even if THIS art dies out. Of course, I don't want it to and I believe that when people really understand this art, it won't because it will become THEIR art. In order for that to happen, it must be family and it must be real.
When you are leading a group do you act like the untouchable master on the mountain or do you lay your cards down in front of your students to be examined as is? My vote is for the cards...
hormat saya,
Guru Stark
Everything came off pretty good. Rocco and Doug talked a little silat while I finished off preparing the meal. I thought it was good. Rocco apparantly likes Sambal (I think that's how you spell it...) which is Red Chili paste. He kept putting it on heavy enough that it caused him to have mild coughing fits. Pretty funny.
This is a meal that my family has enjoyed over the years but my girls have grown weary of the soup at least. We've had it for the past 6 or 7 years and they just aren't interested in it that much anymore. It was delicious imo. The pisang goreng and the lumpia are new additions and the girls pretty much like them. I am surprised that some people don't like pisang goreng.... it's wonderful to me. I had A LOT of it when I was in Indonesia a few years back.
So what does this post have to do with pencak silat? Well not much if you're looking for technique or training tips, but lots if you consider your brothers in silat to actually be brothers, friends... family.
Having meals with students was a thing I did many years ago and then stopped, largely because of financial issues, but I see a need for students and teachers to do it. It helps us to understand each other more, appreciate each other more, care about each other more and, dare I say, invest in each other more.
FYI - It would be wonderful to try and do something like this at Keluarga, but even if that is not possible, to be able to regularly share a meal together is a great thing.
Pencak silat is not like every other martial art. Oh, of course it can be, and some seem to be pushing it in that direction but that was not the original intention imo. The original intention of pencak silat was to protect first your family, then your village, and then your region, and then your country. It was never meant to be a place of selfish intent but of community.
Family is more important than commercialization - even if the art dies out IMO. Even if THIS art dies out. Of course, I don't want it to and I believe that when people really understand this art, it won't because it will become THEIR art. In order for that to happen, it must be family and it must be real.
When you are leading a group do you act like the untouchable master on the mountain or do you lay your cards down in front of your students to be examined as is? My vote is for the cards...
hormat saya,
Guru Stark
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