Happy Teacher's Day.

In conjunction of Teacher's Day here in Malaysia, I would like to wish Happy Teacher's day to Guru Jak Othman, and dedicate this Belati knife fighting video to all Silat Gurus all over the world.



Hope you all enjoy this. Do share it with your Silat buddies and leave some comments.

Salam.

Kerambit. Weapon of Silat video is up.

 Please accept my apologies for the extremely long silence. So bad.

Anyway, I have recently been tasked to produce some Silat weapons video. Please spend some time to watch the first one that just came out.


I'll be back! Soon.

Salam, :)

Silat Tomoi

I just had an AHA moment. Nothing big, but it is related to the video in the previous post. I just realized where I saw Guru Ed demonstrated a counter that looks similar to the Filipino combat knife fighting moves shown in the video from the previous post. Yeah. You can see him demonstrating it in the video above at 1:09. I gave up trying to count how many hits he delivered in that one single move.

The video above is a little trailer for a DVD on Silat Tomoi, a collaboration between Guru Jak and Antonio Graceffo, The Brooklyn Monk. which is coming out soon. Hopefully very soon, I can't wait. This video shows the many elbow applications in Muay Thai roots back to the ancient art of Silat Tomoi. Well, I might not explain it 100% accurately, I just say it as how I understood it from talking to Guru Jak. The only way is to get the DVD and watch it for yourself.

Besides the elbow devastating moves, what excites me the most would be the weapons part. The weapons that will be featured in it are the kapak kecil (small axe), Sakti Pencawangan (bladed mai sok), and I'm pretty sure I remember some kerambit demonstrations were shot during production too.

I'll give you an update when I get news about the release of the DVD and where you can get it.

Salam.

The Small Axe

This is going to be a quick and small post. I am just going to announce to you that my Guru have written an article on the Kapak Kecil (small axe).  It is the first part of a series of articles that he would produce this year in 2010.

Let me list down some of the few things that he talked about in this article on the Kapak Kecil.

• History of the Kapak in the Malay world
• Famous battle
• Kapak Bungkus, or axe wrapped in a piece of cloth used by the Malay assassins of Kelantan and their Modus Operandi
• Kapak Terbang, or flying axe used by specialist hitmen
• Kapak kecil, small axe used by Srikandi (lady warrior) and Pendekar of the Harimau Berantai clan.
• Anatomy of the Kapak Kecil
• Carrying and Concealing
• Methods of handling
• and lastly, two BUAH (attack & defense combos) taken from the Harimau Berantai kapak syllabus.

I'm sure you can't wait to know more about the Kapak kecil. Now, do not delay any longer. Go read it up at his blog.

Salam

Takraw After Working Hours

Image via Wikipedia

 

Before Silat training last night, I had a session of Sepak Takraw at the office after working hours. I think I played three games. Did I tell you about that little accident I had the first time I participated in this game with my colleague? Maybe about a month ago, or more, my teammate, who is two an a half size bigger than me, stepped on my ankle as I fall, and I think it felt as how my Guru taught me how to crush someone's ankle in a silat class. I could even hear the sound of my ankle cracking that precise moment. Yeah, scary.

Speaking of takraw, a year ago, probably March 2009 or earlier, a group of students, including me of course, helped my Guru shoot a documentary about the game Sepak Takraw. (In the old days, we in the Malay world call the game Sepak Raga. Sepak Takraw is a modern version of the game.) So, we drove to the foot of the legendary Mount Ledang (Ophir), where the national Takraw teams are training, and our role was for a little segment which reenacts how Silat in the old days were related to the game.  Each of us were given one or two silat moves that have resemblance to how the game is played nowadays.

The moves were awesome! I don't remember much, but I remember a move that involves one dropping down to a low stance and give a headbutt to the groin after a one-two exchange and another one, probably mine, that ends with me clinching the opponent's head and smash it to my shoulder. My takraw at that time, sucked big time! Hehe.. Not that it is good now, but a little bit better I hope. That takraw part, we leave to our skilful national players. After all, they are the main attention of the documentary. That documentary I think was about our attempt to bring the glory of Takraw back to our country. It was not about Silat.

Not too long after the shoot, our national team got thrashed again. I didn't care to find out if it was by Thailand, or by some other country not known for their Takraw talents. I remember in the 80s, it was either Malaysia or Thailand that rule the Takraw world. Both of these countries would meet in the finals of any Sepak Takraw championship, and no others.



I don't know what happened to the documentary. Did it went through or not, I do not know, but I do know some problem arised after that particular shoot. Nevermind. To tell you the truth,  I was not in a fine mood that day. I had some 'issues'. No, I don't have PMS, and, no Babe, I was not mad at you, just a little bit sad. It was all good and great after that babe :)

Yeah, back to training last night, I'm glad that last night's class we went back to the basics. The Langkahs (footwork) and learning the Pelampas (sticky hands drills).

First, Guru showed us two types of Langkahs. Langkah Segitiga (triangle) and Langkah Ladam Kuda (Horseshoe).  According to Guru, Langkah Segitiga is for close range, suitable for hand strikes while Langkah Ladam Kuda is used for longer range which is good for kickers. Later, Guru Ed showed us a three-point stance. It is a very low stance where one leg, the knee and the ball of foot on the ground and the other leg, only the flat part of the foot is on the ground. Then, we move around the gelanggang in that three-point stance. The leg which only the flat part of the foot on the ground will drop the knee to the ground and the other leg will then step forward and rise the knee and have only the flat part of the foot on the ground. Repeat the process and you'll find yourself moving around in that three-point stance. Do you get the picture?  It's late and maybe its hard to explain in words but its so easy to demonstrate. I'll show you when you join the class. :)

Pelampas was fun. I miss doing the pelampas. Guru corrected my pelampas last night.  I hope that we do pelampas for warmup in every class.

Salam.

Before you leave, you might want to watch this documentary featuring our biggest rival, the Thai's Sepak Takraw team. Enjoy.

Scary Urumi

Image via Wikipedia

Many came for training last night. The seniors are back to train Silat. Good for me as their return would make our learning environment more lively.

Tonight, I did some warm up with some belati moves, did a quick revision on the eight Belati Buahs, the eight Tekpi Buahs, and four Sakti Pencawangan Buahs.

During training, I asked Pendekar Scott, his opinion about Merantau, the latest Indonesian Silat movie that is currently playing on Malaysian cinemas which features Silat Harimau. Well, his opinion matters because he and Guru Ed is a Guru in this system. His comment was something like, if you like watching Tony Jaa, then you'll enjoy the movie. I think he also said that there are more knees than what they usually do in Silat Harimau.

After class, as usual, had a quick tea session with Guru Jak and fellow students. Interesting topic that Guru Jak talked about was something about Bodhidharma and his possible origin, (a theory that would probably shake the entire Martial arts world). He also said something like Kalaripayattu being one of the most deadliest Martial arts in the world and described how Urumi, a Kalaripayattu weapon, would be a really terrifying to go against, as it is a long sword made of flexible steel, sharp enough to cut into flesh, but flexible enough to be rolled into a tight coil. A Kalaripayattu practitioner wielding an Urumi would probably laugh at our own Ekor Pari (Stingray's Tail) flexible weapon used in Silat Harimau Berantai if they were to go against each other in a duel. He probably says so to describe how devastating this Urumi can be.

I looked up Wikipedia.org and Youtube.com about this particular flexible weapon, Urumi. Take a look.



What do you think? Scary? Share your thoughts and leave some comments.

Salam.

Tendangan Sila in the Sixth

Guru Ed did not come for training last Monday night. Probably down with a fever, or a flu bug. Anyway, I get to train with the other students doing the empty hands.

We revised five Buahs tonight, repeatedly. Still a lot to be done. All of us have to train harder to get better at this art. After doing those revision throught the training session, Guru Jak ask us to show him our moves, one by one, with a partner. I was the first to demonstrate and immediately he told me that I was too slow. Yes, I agree. Well, if I lived my whole life doing things slowly, and moving slowly, how can I be fast in Silat? I have to train myself to move faster. Silat is supposed to be done in blinding speed. Lightning speed! Remember Si Kilat? One of the many theories of the origin of the word Silat.

Before the class is over, Guru Jak showed us Buah Enam, or the Sixth Buah. Yes, he showed me previously. The others were not around at that time. Did I mentioned that this used to be my favourite Buah, but somehow, it got lost from my memory bank? It was slightly different last time. The approach was different, hence, the application.

One thing Guru Jak mentioned about this Buah, that I wanted to take note is the Tendangan Sila. Sila comes from the word Bersila, which describes how the Malays sit on the floor cross-legged. .

This Tendangan Sila is one tricky kick that the receiver will find it hard to determine where it came from and where it is going. According to Guru, this kick is similar to a kind of kick used by Tae Kwon Do practitioners, only not as fancy. The application in this Buah is very short and don't look very impactful but target is a quick delivery to the groin, which explains why it does not have to be so hard in its execution.

We ended our class after a few rounds of trying this Buah Enam, and quickly headed to a food court in 223 PJ for a light supper, which I had my nasi lemak, otak-otak and Iced Neslo O Kosong.

Image via Wikipedia

Salam

Elbow Techniques in Silat

Earlier during the day, I was casually going through Youtube not really looking for anything. However, I stumbled into an interesting find, and I find it worthy to be kept as a reference for personal study and to share with you.

Below is a video of elbow techniques as taught in the Cikalong Silat system, demonstrated by Guru Bambang Suwanda and Guru Bobbe. I find it interesting because of the variety of techniques and applications of the elbow alone. I can say that there are much similarity to the elbow techniques and applications that I have learnt in the Harimau Berantai system, eventhough the entries are not as similar.



I hope, together, we can benefit and progress in our Silat studies from the efforts of our Silat brothers who created and shared this precious video.

Salam.

Weapons From The 'Other' Side

Last Monday night training, Guru Ed and I started our training with our Belati Buahs. Quick revisions on all eight, each of us did two rounds.

No Sauh training that night. Instead, we did our 5 Buahs of Sakti Pencawangan throughout the remaining session. I did not know why, but I felt really sleepy during training. Probably, I was getting flu, but sore throat was the only other symptom besides fatigue.

Before we end our session, Guru Jak showed us a new Buah, the Sakti Pencawangan sixth Buah. Impressive as the others, only that, I being much vertically challenged when put against Guru Ed, I think I do have to adjust some moves a bit to compensate my lack of height advantage. Despite the fatigue, we tried on this new Buah for about five minutes.

After class, Guru Jak unveiled to us some old weapons, several variations of the Tumbuk Lada. They looked gorgeous I would say, their Pamor, the pattern welding work, one is called the 'Tapak Gajah', which translated as, Elephants Footprints, while the other takes another pattern, called Pucuk Rebung which translated, as Young Bambooshoots. Simply beautiful piece of work they are. There were another two, both of which looked like a combination of a Keris and a Tumbuk Lada. This is due to their forms, which displayed characteristics of the Keris, curves at the end of the blade and I also saw what looked like the Belalai Gajah, or the Elephant's Trunk, a common characteristic of a Keris, at the other end of the Tumbuk Lada. Within these two interesting Tumbuk Lada, I could also see that there are a smaller Keris within their core body. Simply amazing.

I asked Guru Jak how do we use these weapons. According to him, it is used as how we use our Belati. He also told us that, these weapons, two of the earlier mentioned, came from the 'other' side, and needed to go through a process of orientation or familiarization before they are ready to be used for whatever purposes on 'this' side.

Wallahualam. God knows Best.

After class, went out for a quick supper, some bee hoon soup and two glasses of hot lime tea. Having them with a good company, a good chat, and receiving my first ever Christmas gift, certainly satisfied the tummy, soothed the throat, the fatigue miraculously disappeared, and not to mention, warmed the heart too.

Salam.

A Story by Jack, Not Guru Jak

Today, I came across a story  titled My Special Child by a writer named Jack, in the Starmag, Heart & Soul section of The Star newspaper. It tells me about Jack, a parent who remembers the moment when his daughter who has Down Syndrom was born, how he felt, and how he reacted.  Anger, disgust, frustration, clueless, mixed in a myriad of emotions that suddenly came gushing in, not long after the Doctor told him of her condition, describing her newborn baby as a bit 'Mongoloid'. What a word to describe a newborn baby. A word that hurt him so much.

According to him, the doctor said that Mongoloid is a term used to describe babies with Down Syndrome. A kind of genetic disorder whereby an extra chromosome exists during the foetus' development. Among the characteristics of a Down Syndrome baby are slanted eyes, fat fingers, clubbed feet, a weak heart, simian crest on the palm and a protuding tongue. 

I remember when a close personal friend of mine who had a baby with Down Syndrome.  However, the baby did not live long due to the baby's heart condition. I recall times when this friend's Facebook status displayed her sadness remembering her loss not too long ago.

I too remember times when I asked myself what would I do, how would I react, if I am to be given a child with Down Syndrome. I can't say for sure but after some thought, I told myself that I should accept his special child with love and total acceptance as a gift from the Almighty God.

Now, let's get back to Jack's story. He brings me to a scene at the coast near Batu Maung in Penang. While sitting by himself on a rock, looking out to the horizon during a hot sunny day, watching the sampans dance with the tide and life seemed ordinary when his own world collapsed and nobody else seemed to care. Realising nothing much he could do and thoughts of ending all his despair came to being as the sea looked.. inviting..

..when suddenly, he heard a voice: "I'm sending you a special child to cherish in my name. For you to love with all your heart and teach her just the same. For she is not like other babies, nor will she ever be. You'll cry a million tears, but I promise when she smiles at you, the pain will dissapear. Love her just the same and take good care of her for me."

Coming out of shock and confusion, hearing a voice that was authoritative, yet peaceful and assuring, Jack gathered himself together and chose to be strong and face the future.

Fourteen years later, Elizabeth, Jack's special daughter attends a special school. Tall as Jack is, without heart defect or any major problems, she speaks a rojak of English, Malay and Cantonese, can dress herself, perform simple household tasks like washing dishes. She is as pretty as Jack says she is, as there is a picture insert of her wearing a Santa hat standing by a Christmas tree, in the four-columned, half page spread. And every time she smiles, all Jack's pain and anguish shall quickly disappear.

I myself had a personal little voice talking to me experience which I wrote about in my other blog, Kickboxing Jom! which is delivered in Malay.

To Jack, thank you for a heart-warming and inspiring story that you share with us Malaysians. I wish you, your beloved Elizabeth, and the rest of your family members a very merry Christmas this coming Friday. As a Silat Student, and a Muslim, I believe there is a lesson to be learnt here, of patience, courage, acceptance and LOVE.

Love, came to you in a form of a special child, Elizabeth. Love came to me too, maybe I'll see her tomorrow in Facebook.

Salam.

Picked Up My Weapons Again

Guru Ed was back in training last Wednesday night. So, it was time for me to pick up the Belati,  Sauh, Sakti Pencawangan and the Bokken again and start training weapons again after several nights of empty hands revisions.  So, that night we did eight Buahs and three Pecahans of Belati, eight Buahs of Sauh, and five Buahs of the Sakti Pencawangan.

My knee hurt a bit from a collision during a very light kickboxing sparring session earlier. Not that I am complaining but I felt a bit uneasy during my Silat training last night, especially when I was going for the low attacks. It was my left knee that collided, but my right knee felt strained too due to my shifting most of my body weight onto my right leg.

Hmm.. to ease the pain on the left knee, I allowed the right knee to suffer too. Reminds me of a Malay proverb, 'Cubit paha kanan, paha kiri terasa juga', which translates, 'Pinch the right thigh, the left thigh aches too'. What the proverb really means is 'If one cause hardship to one's own family member, one will only cause hardship to one's own self ultimately.

Well, the proverb and its meaning bear no relevance to the circumstances that I went through, but, the proverb itself, in relation to my mishap, do bear some degree of similarity.

 Salam.

Recollection of the Lost Buahs

Last Monday night training, it was down to two persons only who came. Nick al Yabani and me. Well, both of us trained the five empty hand striking Buahs that we had learnt previous nights. Nick, being a Japanese middle age guy, performed his silat very karate like, especially during the Sikap Pasang. Well, I think, its interesting to have some sort of variety. If its wrong to do it that way, Guru Jak would have madesome comments to correct it. So, i think its ok.

Before the end of the class, we were shown the Sixth. I forgot how this Buah looked like until everything came back slowly to me when I was at my parent's home last weekend. It was my personal favourite Buah when I was first introduced to all eight empty hand striking Buahs.  Maybe because this particular Buah looked like it can end a fight immediately after one is being attacked. Well, at that time, this looked like the fastest to end a fight. Now, with the slightly varied version I'm learning now, all the Buahs looked potentially effective to end a fight immediately.

It has been a while since my last weapons training, but its okay. I'm making the best out of it. I never want to lose the empty hands striking Buahs ever again.

Salam.

A Visit By The Brooklyn Monk

On August 3rd 2009, a martial arts traveller, writer and filmmaker Antonio Graceffo, also known as the Brooklyn Monk in Youtube.com where he has a webdocumentary series called Martial Arts Odyssey visited our Silat studio to conduct an interview with my teacher Guru Jak.  Our studio was one of the few martial arts schools that he stopped by, in his quest to gain some insights about martial arts in Malaysia.

The interview with Guru Jak on Silat is broken up into three parts.  Throughout the videos, Guru Jak explains about Silat Harimau Berantai and demonstrated some of the Silat weapons that are used by the Harimau Berantai clan.

Enjoy.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Salam.

Empty Hands for Warm Up, and the Sakti Pencawangan Night

Last monday night, we had two more new students joining in our Silat class. Both of them are girls, one who has been with us in Kickboxing class and now going through apprenticeship to become a new instructor, while the other, i met for the first time as she flew in from Australia. The latter is a Kickboxing instructor in her home country and has some experience in Filipino Martial Arts.

We started our session with a warm up session doing the empty-hands combat Buahs. I'm so glad that I get to revise those Buahs again, together with the new guys.  This is my chance to recollect all the Buah that I have lost. Note to self, "Must Write Down". The unarmed combat Buah is slightly different from what I have learnt, but the gist is still the same. The approach is slightly closer to the moves that has been taught to Guru Ed. Parry the jab, cut the incoming cross with an immediate eye jab, destroy the arm by breaking the elbow, multiple blows to the body with hand and leg attacks, go behind the opponent, grab the balls, destroy, follow through with more attacks until he or she is rendered immobile. Well, that is to give some ideas on how some of the Buah looks like. I guess the keyword here is, Overkill. Don't settle with only one or two counters but with multiple blows. Besides the Buahs, we also get to do some Pecahans, which are combat moves derived from the main Buahs.

Then, Guru Ed and I do our usual drill with the Sakti Pencawangan. Last night Guru Jak briefed the new students about this weapon. He said Pencawangan means suggestions. Must be an old Malay word, because currently, the Malay word for suggestion is Cadangan. Then he explained to us that the tonfa-like part of the weapon, is not a Tonfa. He used a Thai traditional weapon  where the tonfa-like weapon has two handles, one to hold and the other one in front is to protect the fingers. A rope is attached around one end so that it stays still on the forearm.

Mai Sok. Image grabbed from http://www.tonyjaa.org/muaythai_ongbak.shtml

I looked up the Internet, and found that the said Thai weapon is called Mai Sok.  Well, last night, Guru Jak pulled a blade out of the modified Mai Sok.  Our traditional Malay weapon, or Javanese weapon to be more precised, he did mentioned Javanese, Sakti Pencawangan has one handle with the length of the main shaft extending slightly behind the elbow, with a concealed blade, that can be pulled out of it. From one or the other end, depending on where the owner of the weapon wants it, I guess.

That night, I could see that many of the new students were amazed. Me, personally, I still am.

Salam.

Keris in a Rembrandt, Silat in Fine Arts

As I was browsing a book on knives in Amcorp Mall today, I found a mention about the Keris, a traditional Silat weapon being depicted in a painting by Rembrandt titled The Blinding of Samson (1636).

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15, 1606 – October 4, 1669) was a Dutch painter and etcher. He is generally considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art history and the most important in Dutch history. His contributions to art came in a period that historians call the Dutch Golden Age.

Rembrandt, role-playing in Self-portrait as an 

oriental Potentate with a Keris, etching, 1634

Rembrandt being a Dutch artist during the time of Dutch presence in the South East Asia through the Dutch East India Company (V0C), is also a collector of exotic artifacts such as the Keris, which lend picturesque credibility to his biblical subjects like The Blinding of Samson. Using a Keris to puncture Samson's eyes probably shows his fascination with the exotic looking Silat weapon.

It is an interesting fact to know that a Silat weapon is admired and owned by a great painter such as Rembrandt. So, I had to own this book titled The World Encyclopedia of Knives, Daggers & Bayonets by Dr Tobias Capwell. The sad thing is, I as a Malay and a practitioner of a Silat, has yet to own one myself, this Malay dagger called the Keris.

According to my teacher, Guru Jak, the Keris is used more as a weapon of duel by the Malay noblemen, instead of as a weapon of war. I have a very little knowlege on how to use the Keris as a weapon and the only opportunity I had to learn was during the shooting of the documentary Inside Silat : Weapons of Destruction which one of its segments is on the Keris.  It was based on Silat Hulubalang Melaka at Gelanggang Anggerik Jingga in Melaka and thought by a Silat World Champion of the 80s, Guru Eddy.  Very different to the system that I am learning and hard for me to grasp as I have no prior experience in handling this weapon.

Later in the evening, I went to Suria KLCC mall and stopped by the Galeri Petronas where they are showcasing the artwork by  one of Malaysia's foremost contemporary sculpture, Raja Shariman.  The show is called Rhythm of the 21st Century - Monologues of Raja Shahriman.  It is his sixthe solo exhibition and his largest to date, bringing together 20 new large-scale sculptures, 25 drawings and 15 paintings in a compelling show that symbolizes the destructive nature of man.

Alang Durjana by Raja Shahriman

A very productive artist I would say. Besides the elements of ammunition and  twisted black metal in humanoid form being violent and destructive in nature, elements of Silat such as the Sikap Pasang and Keris are obvious in many of his sculptures. Another thing that I noticed is a number of his works are titled after the conflicts that occurred and is still occurring in the Muslim world. So I would conclude that his artworks are closely tied to his identity as a Malay and a Muslim. As I was doing some research on his work, I stumbled upon his series called Gerak Tempur, which are really compelling to me. Must find out more about this artist. I think I met him once before, in a tribute to A. Samad Said show.

If you happen to be in Suria KLCC, stop by the Galeri Petronas to see his amazing work. The exhibition is open to public until 24 January 2010 from 10.00 am – 8.00 pm. Admission is free.

Salam.

Lightning Fast, Bone Crushing Malay Art of War

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

This article by Guru Jak Othman was originally published in his JakOthmanSilat.com website which is now sadly not available on the Internet anymore. The date it was first published is unknown. It was found in a Yahoo! Group called silatindonesia posted on July 25th 2009.

As his student, I think I should repost this article again in this blog so that his writings will not go missing and his students like me can dissect his writings and study them part by part so that we are able to absorb this knowledge about Silat that he parted and understand them thoroughly.

Silat is often misunderstood as the Indonesian Martial Art. May be this is because most styles of Silat that reached the foreign shores are from Indonesia. We have the old styles like Harimau Minangkabau from Sumatra , Cimande from Java. American base Silat body or styles like Serak from the De Thouars family and Mande Muda by the late Guru Herman Suwanda who had taken elements from more then 20 Indonesian Silat styles into his system . We have Maphilindo Silat by Guru Dan Inosanto combining Madjapahit, Indonesia and Philippines Silat styles into his system. The styles mentioned above are among the famous ones outside the countries of origin for Silat.

Looking at the countries of origin for Silat in South East Asia, Indonesia has more than 400 styles of Silat registered with the National Silat Federation (Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia) ,more than 250 styles likewise in Malaysia (Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia), 20 styles in Brunei (Persekutuan Silat Brunei) and 25 styles in Singapore (Persekutuan Silat Singapura). There are also Silat governing body in Mindanao, Philippines and Patani , Southern Thailand which can also be categorised as countries of origin. The four National Silat Federation from the countries of origin formed the International Silat Federation (Persekutuan Silat Antarabangsa) or PERSILAT for short. Now Silat bodies from more than 25 countries around the World are affiliated to PERSILAT. Silat is not only Indonesian , but also belong to the Malays in South East Asia . As a matter of fact , Silat is the art of war of the ancient Malay empires.

 (Click here to read more..)

The Tiger is Loose!

This article by Guru Jak Othman was originally published in Silat Warrior Magazine. However, the date it was first published is unknown. It was found in a Yahoo! Group called silatindonesia posted on July 25th 2009.

As his student, I think I should repost this article again in this blog so that his writings will not go missing and his students like me can dissect his writings and study them part by part to enable us to absorb this knowledge and understand them thoroughly.


The Tiger is Loose! by Guru Jak Othman

A figure stands in the shadows, her hands moving gracefully in slow, smooth dance-like gestures as her light footsteps bring her ever closer to you. Her state of subtle grace hides any trace of danger she might pose to you.

In your mind, you see nothing but beauty in her movements. That is until you realize your eyes are hurting and before you can recover you feel sharp pains all over your body.

(Click to Continue Reading..)

Silat : My Journey

Image via Wikipedia

I find it very hard for me to write an entry, my first entry on this blog. I'm not sure why, but probably because I am still a newbie in Silat. This blog is set up to let me write about what I have learnt so far in Silat, what I have seen in the world of Silat, what i have read in literatures about Silat, and what I have heard when people with authorities or Silat Gurus when they spoke about Silat. I write them here so that can refer back when I need to, and, so that I will be able to remember.

My early encounters with Silat was probably through the idiotbox, either a P. Ramlee movie about the legendary Silat warrior Hang Tuah fighting Hang Jebat, or a short documentary about Silat in Sarawak produced by our national broadcaster. Both of which, I didn't liked much, maybe because I did not know how to appreciate Silat back then.

(Click to Continue Reading..)