Special Limited Time Offer!

Hi Everyone! We're pleased to announce that our newest course A Prison Without Bars: Campus Stalking is now online! Use coupon code Stalk21 (use coupon code at checkout) to get this course for FREE. But don't wait – this offer expires June 20th! This course is specifically designed for teens and college age kids to reduce the risk, identify, and overcome stalking. Statistically around 21% of college students have been stalked! We also know that stalking is often a precursor to other forms of abuse within a relationship. We want your child to know how to intervene, reduce risk, and survive a stalking situation! In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out the Free Stalking Course: Fear Follows Me: Stalked This is a good starting point for yourself and others. This self-paced learning identifies key behaviors to stalking, guides you on where to look for resources, and more importantly provides methods you can use to intervene on behalf of someone else. This course is not just for those being stalked. This is a great course for anyone wanting to reduce the risk for themselves, their loved ones, or for others in their care. Sincerely, The Firebrand Alliance Team Firebrand Alliance, Global Don't like these emails? Unsubscribe or Manage Email Subscriptions Powered By FluentCRM

New Self-Paced Course!

Hi Everyone! It's rolling into the end of the school year and we know that some of your kids may be preparing to enter into high school or even college. We want you to be prepared and to help them improve the quality of that time in their life. At Firebrand Alliance we are focused on developing curriculums and courses that are suited specifically for those transitional and impactful times. Our newest COMING SOON is a self-paced learning course that is specifically designed for teens and college age kids to reduce the risk, identify, and overcome stalking. Statistically around 21% of college students have been stalked! We also know that stalking is often a precursor to other forms of abuse within a relationship. We want your child to know how to intervene, reduce risk, and survive a stalking situation! In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out the Free Stalking Course: Fear Follows Me: Stalked This is a good starting point for yourself and others. This self-paced learning identifies key behaviors to stalking, guides you on where to look for resources, and more importantly provides methods you can use to intervene on behalf of someone else. This course is not just for those being stalked. This is a great course for anyone wanting to reduce the risk for themselves, their loved ones, or for others in their care. Sincerely, The Firebrand Alliance Team Firebrand Alliance, Global Don't like these emails? Unsubscribe or Manage Email Subscriptions Powered By FluentCRM

New Post on Firebrand Alliance

Coach Sean here! I wanted you to know that the third and final blog post of the series centered around making our children exploitation "proof." This is a great read for parents, caregivers, coaches and mentors. We know we can't make our children exploitation proof but educating ourselves on what it truly takes is an excellent piece. We are our children's first line of defense. Check it out! Leave a review. Take the course. Enjoy your weekend! Firebrand Alliance, Global Don't like these emails? Unsubscribe or Manage Email Subscriptions Powered By FluentCRM

New Blog-Big Three Part 2

Firebrand Alliance Blog Post

Hey Everyone! There's a new blog post on the Firebrand Alliance website. This is part II of III! The second installment dropped today. This one is specifically for parents who want to know how to deal with the changing world. https://www.firebrandalliance.org/the-big-three-2/ Give it a read! Then leave a comment so I know it helped. Coach Sean Firebrand Alliance, Global Don't like these emails? Unsubscribe or Manage Email Subscriptions Powered By FluentCRM

New Blog Post

Firebrand Alliance Blog Post

Hey Everyone! There's a new blog post on the Firebrand Alliance website. It's a doozy so I'm breaking it into 3 parts! The first installment dropped today. This one is specifically for parents who want to know how to deal with the changing world. https://www.firebrandalliance.org/the-big-three/ Give it a read! Then leave a comment so I know it helped. Coach Sean Firebrand Alliance, Global Don't like these emails? Unsubscribe or Manage Email Subscriptions Powered By FluentCRM

Firebrand Alliance

Hello! This past year has been a ride. Kind of like those spinning tea cup rides at the fair.... Thank you. I don't mind if I never get on one again! During that time a new thing was underway. The Firebrand Alliance We are a small collective of select personal safety coaches with real-life experiences that make us particularly passionate about the topics we choose to teach. We hope to continue to grow this collective of passionate thought leaders to better serve the global community but also our local communities. Our mission is to arm community leaders, coaches, teachers, mentors, parents and individuals, with the skills to encourage identification and resistance to predatory behavior. To that end, we are committed to providing resources to give you the best possible opportunity for success in that mission. If you haven't stopped out and checked out the website please come by! Take a look. It's still a little dusty and there will continue to be changes, additions, new courses and resources added regularly. From the coaches at Firebrand Alliance—Thank you!! Firebrand Alliance, Global Don't like these emails? Unsubscribe or Manage Email Subscriptions Powered By FluentCRM

Firebrand Alliance

Hello! This past year has been a ride. Kind of like those spinning tea cup rides at the fair.... Thank you. I don't mind if I never get on one again! During that time a new thing was underway. The Firebrand Alliance We are a small collective of select personal safety coaches with real-life experiences that make us particularly passionate about the topics we choose to teach. We hope to continue to grow this collective of passionate thought leaders to better serve the global community but also our local communities. Our mission is to arm community leaders, coaches, teachers, mentors, parents and individuals, with the skills to encourage identification and resistance to predatory behavior. To that end, we are committed to providing resources to give you the best possible opportunity for success in that mission. If you haven't stopped out and checked out the website please come by! Take a look. It's still a little dusty and there will continue to be changes, additions, new courses and resources added regularly. From the coaches at Firebrand Alliance—Thank you!! Firebrand Alliance, Global Don't like these emails? Unsubscribe or Manage Email Subscriptions Powered By FluentCRM

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!

Silat in the movies

So you may have already seen this and been approached by Kellie Madison but, if not, check this out: The Gate

With the success of the RAID movies, others are looking at pencak silat too. Consider supporting the idea.

Pencak Silat For Living

It occurs to me that pencak silat is all about the present. Though we may practice things that have historically worked, it is up to the pesilat to be fluid enough, personal and relational enough to apply that historic information in the present situation-in relationship with the opponent.

In addition, the pesilat's path is a perfect connection to the yogi's path. Both the path of destruction and healing. Both are required. Together THAT is love and Combat.

Similar to the idea of fitness, where both catabolism and anabolism are needed. Both are necessary for health.

There can be no boundary between you and the opponent, not between life and death. Pencak Silat is about communion, relationship, adaptation, and acceptance.

Moving Beyond Technique

The study of Pencak Silat, depending on the system, can be a process of personal discovery. It can be an amazing journey to help you discover life. It confuses some people because all they see in martial arts is the destruction. However, it has been my journey that the point of martial arts is about prolonging life, and what value is prolonging life without at least addressing the idea of quality of life? In fact, through the process of learning about life's destruction, you can, also learn to develop and improve life. However, only if you put the principals of pencak silat to action on a consistent basis outside of the aliran and perguruan.

Pencak silat is not a game or a hobby to be turned on and off.

It IS a way to step. Langkah dari batuan ke batuan.
It IS the act of stepping from stone to stone.
It IS learning to act, not react.
It IS fluidity, not rigidity.
It IS simplicity, not complexity.
It IS beauty, not ugliness.
It IS natural, not contrived.
It IS relationship, not autonomy.
It IS sync, not difference.
It IS a path to life AND death.