FIRE HAWK
06-22-2001, 09:56 AM
GLOSSARY OF KUNTAO SILAT TERMS
copyright Chas Clements, 1992
This glossary is drawn from many sources, including: The DeThouars Family, Maha Guru Maurice, Pendekar Agung Paul, Hai-Deng Sifu Willem, Bapak Victor, Pendekar Willem Ingram,their wives and family friends and relatives, the absolutely sterling work by Donn F. Draeger, and due diligence from other literary sources and interviews.
The mistakes are mine. No great scholarly attempt was made to find a consistant spelling or to identify from what language root a term derives. Specialty idiom is treated as part of the language. Many words have multiple meanings; a literal meaning, an idiomatic meaning in the general populace, a place name, a particular technique, a particular meaning within its context or in conjunction with another word.
This work is in the area of martial art and reflects the cultural aspect, the traditions and history of the teachers.
Pukulan:from'pukul'or'bukul',to strike or to collide, 'an':the study of, the study of striking. A Dutch Indonesian slang usage. It is not the idea of striking with the fist, but the colliding of bodies. Also 'poekoelan' (archaic)
Pentjak: also, pencak, pentcak, pentcha, etc.(pent ju ta:"strike, kick, block' Chinese usage) Choreography, the study and practice of movements that may be useful for fighting, or practiced for their own uses. A means of practicing combative movement with a partner without killing.
Pentjakkers: active fighters who study by seeking competition. A Dutch-Indonesian usage.
Silat: lit.'lightning' Combat usage of pentjak movements, the study of the lore of combat. 'Blade' There is no silat without knives, there is no knife work without silat.
Serak: The fighting style of the Family DeThouars, embodied in the Pendekar Agung Paul DeThouars. Also known as the Decoy Style, taken from the name Bapak (Father) Serak, the founder. Bapak Burung (owl) Serak was one-armed and one foot was clubbed; his insights into distancing, exchange, multipart striking, etc. were codified by his senior student, Mas Djoet into an art for two armed practitioners. Bapak Serak and Mas Djoet lived, practiced and died in the Kramat section of Batavia (Betawi).
KunTao: Originally a Chinese art, it shows great influence from Indonesian sources. Hsingpo, paqua and taikek (tai chi quan) have all been synthesized and influenced by contact with, primarily, Western Javanese (Sumatran) stylings. The Hai-Deng Sifu Willem DeThouars is the KunTao stylist of the DeThouars family,and Bapak (founder) of KunTao Silat KunLun Pai, having gained advanced teaching rank in several representative arts of KunTao and Silat. Implies 'internal' stylings, although the 'hard' concepts are also addressed.
Tongkat: lit. carrier stick. Also, the style of Maha Guru Victor DeThouars, "the carrier of the movements (knowlege-pencak) of Serak, for the American market. Also, the fighting stick of the family style; measured from the ground to the bottom of the groin. The three sizes of stick are Tongkat Keciel (short stick) Tongkat Setengah (half stick) Tongkat Panjang (long stick)
Bukti Negara: lit. 'evidence of a continent' The existence of the art is evidence that the greater continent of Serak exists. The mystical style of Pendekar Paul. It came to him, in a flash of enlightenment in a single night, as a full blown system, unlike anything seen before. Major aspects of the art center on the use of the fighting floor; positioning and angles of incidence, meridians of weakness and of power, the use of levers and fulcrums, mental preparedness-tenacity and ferocity. It is an art of great subtlety and sophistication.
Malabar:(lit."Voice of the Eastern Facing Mountain)
The Kendang Silat Kuntao styling of Westerners; greater size and physicality, modern defense stylings to sophisticated attack, translators and archivers of the Dutch Indonesian culture to Americans. Given in Grace to Senior Lineage Student and First Practitioner, Steve Gartin, by the entire DeThouars Family.
Kilap: also: khilap, kilat,others. lit.: The thunderclap. an aspect of all fighting styles and the center of others. The hand of thunder, displante by percussion, hitting of weak points; implies centered, focussed striking. It is an aspect of Kendang Silat, implying grappling technique as well as percussion technique. Petjut Kilat is the action of the whiplash kilat punch. Pukulan Pentjak KunTao Silat Kilap Betawi is a derivation of the grace of the DeThouars family Petjut Kilap Silat as it is practiced by Chas Clements and gives hormat to that lineage alone.
Tji: lit.: 'flows from a river' The prefix that identifies a styling from Western Java. It is taken to mean 'style' or school, and the 'river' is a river of knowlege - it has nothing whatsoever to do with low river valleys. Tjimande, Tjikalong, Tjimatjan, Tjimonjet and others are examples. It also would imply a 'village' system; restricted to the inhabitants of a particular locale and maybe to the members of a particular family. A great rivalry exists between the various systems with long standing feuds in blood.
Betawi: lit. proper place name. also; 'Batavia' Located on Western Java, Betawi is the place that Sunda speaking Sumatran peoples settled after crossing the Strait of Sunda over the past twenty-five thousand years. These people had brought their fighting styles with them and the word properly discribes Menangkebau tribal stylings. The history is of a particularly brutal place with a lot of commerce between peoples of vastly different heritage.
Bugis: The particular tribe of Orang Menang from which Pak Serak came. They are known as the Invisible People of the Mountain Forest. They cultivate the single hand punch of startling ferocity, kill with poison, distract the mind and have never been conquered. They live in the territory called Gunung Kendang (Drum Mountain) near Bandung, Ngangdong, western Java. Their name for Pak Serak was Bapak Burung (Father Owl) for his mystical, clairvoyant powers. The kebatinan of these people is very strong; personifying power, projections (tujuh), ipoh ('poisonings'), invisibility of intention, training the animal, withstanding discomfort, etc. Village of Tjibeo (Forbes,1885)
Sumatra: Island Northeast of Java, separated by the Strait of Sunda. A very old culture ranging from very sophisticated traders to cannibalistic pirates and bandits. A very combative peoples made up of the Menangkebau, Atjehnese and others. Our lineage is of the Orang Malayu, the Bugis people of the Menangkebau, Sunda speaking transplants to Western Java. A Muslim professing people with Persian cultural overtones (Northern Indian Mohguls) and Bramanistic Hindu roots.
Majapahit: "bitter fruit" Empire of Indonesia which challenged Kublai Khan, controlled much of the available landscape in the 12th through the 14th centuries. Supplanted the Menangkebau Empire of Sumatra.
Kendang: lit. great drum. The fighting floor, challenge floor, of village oriented silat. At festivals, the village champion appears and dances his 'kambangan' and makes his challenge. If the challenge is answered, the contest is to sweep the opponent. The loser of that contest has the option to continue to the death or to retire from the arena. Combatants are required to bring to the contest: sweet herbs, cloth to wrap the body and burial money. Also; the practice floor, the masters house/school. Kendang Silat is combat styling specifically for the challenge floor; a martial art specifically to fight other martial arts
Sunda Silat:also:Bandung Silat, Main-po, po, Silat Betawi,(Betawie is also known as Batavia).Bandung is the birthplace of Uncle Willem (11 Jan 36) and one of the centers for martial art on West Java. A mountainous region remeniscent of the Gandung Kendang of eastern Sumatra, their place of origin.
Djuru: short styling form, short hand form. Styles may be composed of any number of djurus from six to ten to twenty five or more. Tricks, techniques, timing, breath and distancing are all remembered while doing the djuru.
Langka: A series of djurus strung together to teach a particular aspect of silat. A 'platform' or grid to cut the fighting area into usable sections. A form/style of Silat; as in Langka Blekok, the crane style. Langka Tiga Luar (inside triangle langka) Langka Sliwa Luar (crossing interior (square) langka) Langka Sekurum Luar, Langkah Pancar Luar, Langkah Lima, Langkah Djuru Sepak, Langkah Djuru Combinasi. L.Tiga, adoption of torque and proper positioning of your space. Langkah Securum, three hundred and sixty degrees of sight. L. Sliwa, accepting of total elusiveness. L. Pancar, concept of constant change and awareness of your own space and that of your opponent.
Pukul: to collide; a short fighting technique, made up of movements from djurus, taught as fighting combinations for separate practice and also codifying anddemonstrating martial principles that can be studied in greater detail.
Sembut: Short, formal, two-man combination for the understanding of skeletal principles; clearances, meridians and levers, movement on the langkah with martial purpose.
Sat: percussive hit or blow, breath technique (chiku)for explosive internal power. A true meeting of Chinese internal practice with Indonesian explosive intention. A series of sats precedes the pli-tok.
Tangkis: interception (block) strike to stop opponents' hitting power by jamming or pain to the body or strikes to deaden body members.
Sapu: ankle sweep, torqueing throw for repositioning. Inside sweep-sapu luar, outside sweep-sapu dalem; practiced on the tiga, djurus on the top give hand technique options by body positioning.
Beset: rear stepping sweep or tripping obstacle. Inside sweep-beset dalem, outside sweep-beset luar. Beset is the recovery and alternative for sapu as the throwing mechanism of the feet; practiced on the tiga, djurus on the top give hand technique options by body positioning.
Tempiling: Slapping (hard)
Dempe: low posture attitude
Chekeh: Choking
Buka: opening
Buca: interior wipe, trap/throw, nerve punch applications
Displante:"displace" by collision, cut the line, off-balance opponent, take his ground from him. Surprise his spirit, distract his martial intention.
Sodok: jabbing as with the tip of a stick or sword.
Bakthi: internal spirit; as in 'chi', but without the Taoist subjectivity/objectivity- useful power as would be 'jing' in Chinese with active animist aspects. The taking of heads, cannibalism, trophy parts, the generation of the spirit animal, express the taking of the internal spirit of the opponent and the expression by the practitioner.
Kebatinan: spiritual study,kerochanian, djasmani (spiritual studies in martial art.) The training of the martial spirit to withstand pain, overcome fear and confusion, intrude upon the opponent, personalize martial power, etc.
Ilmu Sehat: Internal power
Sa-Lu: breathing, stepping, palm waving excersize
Buntut: lit.:'tigers' tail' pommel end of weapon, the end of a technique, the technique of delivering the end of the weapon.
Gubu: handle of a(weapon)
Matjan: lit.:'tiger' , blade end of weapon, long end of stick. 'Tjimatjan' is the Javanese tiger style; standing tiger.
Kumbag: Elephant (as in Pamur silat)
Puter Kepala: lit.: 'turn the head'. The throw series utilizing the arm bar/ head turn.
Kuda Kuda An: Horse styling, kicks, flicking, lead exchanges and repositionings, the prancing and reversing method of cutting the fighting floor taught in Langkha Tiga Lima,
Sidongkak: 'He kicks' as a horse (after the Pajakumbuk area of Sumatra, horse-breeders)
Sembah: Bowing posture, starts sicar dalem response to ambush attacks.
Selamat: lit.:'peace' as in Salaam, Shalom, selamat pada tua, peace to you (plural)
Hormat: respect/loyalty/indebtedness. Gift of Hormat is the gift from the student in appreciation and respect for his time, ability and generosity in teaching the art. Ma'afghan Hormat is the deepest gesture of respect for the head of the system. The gifts of Hormat for the entering student are: a sharp knife, a chicken, tea, tobacco, a length of cloth and 'the gift of gold'. The gift of Hormat for the continuing student and for the practitioner is to show his respect and appreciation for the gift of the guru to him. If a job needs doing, do it.
Adat: laws of conduct; In the village system, it is expected that people will comport themselves with regard for certain basic laws. It governs the seniority system in an art, the political hierarchy of the village and surrounding land, the respect due age and special talent, the gift of madness and power.
Menangkebau: lit.:'people of the ox-horn' . Originally identified with Sumatra and specifically the SouthEastern end near the Straits of Sunda. They have, for centuries, provided a culture from which were drawn artists, craftsmen, holymen and councelors, fighting men and strategists, dancers and musicians, poets and explorers. They are identified with the mountains, Gunung, and are known for supple, strong leg tactics and deep postures. The kris is the knife of the adult male.
Orang: man, member of a group,Kita Orang (we Men together.)
Orang Menang: man of the Menangkebau
Orang Melayu: other Maylaysians
Orang Utan: old man of the jungle, the orangutan is revered as a sentient being whom it is wrong to murder, he provides the model for the ape style (kalong) along with the rock ape. He teaches the techniques of invisibility, great strategic and intuitive awareness, deep strength, 'long arm, short leg'.
Pendekar:also 'pandekar', Champion; implies spirituality and self mastery to the level of a holy man. The word may be a corruption of the Menangkebau words 'pandai akal' (clever mind). The self discipline and willingness to submit (as a fighting man) to the requirements of a holy pusaka are awesome and command the deepest respect imaginable. 'Agung' is a modifier meaning 'great'.
Ahli: Expert
Pendetar: Non-fighting priest
Agung: Great-as in Pendekar Agung, 'Great Champion'
Guru Tuan: 'prince' teacher, uncle
Maha Guru: Senior Teacher,Professor
Guru: Leader of Practice Guru Muda (young instructor) Guru Satu (student instructor) Guru Dua (assistant teacher) Guru Tiga (teacher leader) Guru Empat (Master of Fist)
Bapak: Father. Used to convey affection to a mentor, or founder of a style. Comes from the Bugis (Sunda) usage.
Chan Man Ran: Man Who Opens the Door of Knowlege, a very close teacher relationship discribed by a student, an honorific to the teacher.
Tangan: hand
Tobrok: colliding technique for displante, a major study in all Pukulan styles.
Sepah: kick
Buong: underhand strike with a long arm.
Sang-sat: palm up strike from underneath with the short hand.
Sang-Sat Tinge: High Sang Sat
Ten Dung Kakhi: Fighting Cocks' kick, a spurring kick of movement around a defense or from an unexpected angle of incidence.
Te: kick
teratai: Shaolin "lotus flower" kick
Gedjelig: downthrusting kick (stomp), may be delivered from any height to any target, intrusivley climbing opponent steps.
selosor: front snap groin kick scoops up to move sarong.
sabit: frontal instep kick (side to side kick)
Puntiar: to jump
Pintuh: door
Pau: explosive breathing expansion block with shoulder, a reply from sicar dalem to ambush.
Sabit Tumit: heel thrust kicks
Susulan: reverse sickle heel kick (the hackysack kick)
Tji Monjet: Monkey styling (Hanuman sized monkey)
Dit Da Jao: Iron Hitting Wine medication for healing bruises.
Majapahit: Hindu-Buddhist empire of Southeastern Asia from about 1250 to 1389.
Atjeh: Formidably combative people of Sumatra, never conquered.
Batak: a cannibalistic people of Sumatra. They were in subservience to the Menangkebau and paid them tribute. Their recipe is Chili, Peanuts and a little lemon juice.
Combinase:Combinato,Combinate, others. A combining of the stylings of several martial styles; Serak, Tjimande, Okinawate, KunTao, etc.
Hilot: Healing art for martial arts injuries, similar to Kappo. An expression of the ChiKu; massage, stroking of the spirit, infusion of spirit, Known as healing in the bloodstream.
Pak Serak: Founder of Serak system (1790-1860(?) A member of the Badui tribe of the Menangkebau of Sumatran Sundanese extraction. He was a practitioner of nine martial styles, offering proficiency in three; five Indonesian, two Indian and two Chinese. Challenged at birth by having only one arm and a clubbed foot, he was able to see strengths and weaknesses in martial arts and to formulate his own. Known as Bapak (Father) Burung (Owl) for his clairvoyance and discernment, he killed tigers and wild water buffalo with his hand.
Pak Serak was a widely employed martial trainer, bodyguard to Sultans, political activitist and martial consultant to nobility. Died in Kramat, Batavia, Djakarta.
Mas Djut: (also,Djoet)d.1930(?).(Kramat, Betawi) Senior Student of Pak Serak and the man responsible for organizing the system from the teachings of Pak Serak. As Djoet had two arms, two legs, he saw the utility of the one armed mans' style as practiced by himself. Passed the art to Johan DeVries and to his nephews, John and Ernest DeVries. The present Pendekar (Paul DeThouars) was the student of John DeVries, his Great Uncle by marriage. Mas Djut was bodyguard to the Sultan of Ponti Anak on Borneo.
Pisau: A short, single edged utility knife. The basic fighting knife of all cultures. Other small knives; sewar, sakin, pisau belati
Kris: A double edged dagger of various sizes and shapes. The main weapon of the Menangkebau people.
Golok: A broad single edged cleaver, very heavy.
Parang: A cutlass style, single edged sword.
Kelewang: A broadsword type. Other swords; pedang, rudus, pamandap
Arit: a sickle; often used in pairs or with another weapon.
Tombak: A spear with a removable blade. The blade is used as a separate weapon when the spear is inconvenient to carry. Other spears;lambing, kujur, kunjur
Tjaluk: a sickle bladed short knife .
Rante: rante ber gangedug, rante delima, rante kembok, others, Long chain weapons with weights (6 to 9 ft.)
Pajung: umbrella (used as fighting weapon)both folding and full umbrella styles are practiced.
Rantjau: Punji Stick, rolled bamboo sliver covered with poisons, bamboo stake buried at one end.
Pusaka: Heirloom, holy legacy- The Serak is a pusaka to be conserved and passed on intact to the next generation.
Beladiri: A personal protection art that emphasizes practicality, it is updated and refined at every opportunity. It has no 'sparring' applications and the principles can be very simple.
Tjimande: Brother art to Serak,founded by Mas Kair (perhaps Mas Djoet) passed to Pa Atma of Tjimahi near Bogor, West Java, to Carl van Deerns,the father in law of Guru Tuan Willem and so to Joyce and Willem DeThouars.
Tjikalong: Brother art to Serak. Known as Bat Style but only from the fact that it comes from the village of bats, involves no hanging upside down. Actually a style drawn from the large primate actions; Rock Apes, OrangUtan, etc.
Longar: long arm movements
Tjimatchan: Javanese Tiger style, fights upright with long sweeping movements; skin attacks, long bone traps, precision striking, ferocity.
Harimau: Sumatran Tiger Style, low to the ground, creeping movement to upset opponent.
TjiOeler: Snake Style, nerve center attacks, muscle splitters, organ attacks, bone displacements, evasion.
Tjiwaringen: brother art to Tjimande, emphasizes long-arm techniques and exquisite balancing as a martial technique.
TjiPadang: A horse style emphasizing a multitude of kicks, stomps, rakes, toekicks, heeling, etc.
Raja Naga: King Snake Dragon, highest expression and most advanced animal form, combines aspects from all forms; animal, human, spirit and immortal.
Oelar Sendok: King Cobra
Setria: patriot (a martial attitude)
Setria Hutan: patriot forest ( a martial attitude)
Putri: lit.a lady: Styles derived from the actions or attitudes of women. putri bersedia, ladies in preparation Putri Sembhyang, ladies worshipping Putri berhias, ladies dressing Putri sepasang pair of flowers
Siku-Siku: also, Tjabang, Trisula, Sai (Okinawan) Three Branch Iron truncheon, main weapon of Serak (Alexander the Great) Originally a treebranch used to picket animals, later a weapon of the privileged classes, associated with animal ownership and metal.
KunLun Pai: lit. 'focused animal hand of Kun Lun Brotherhood'- Kun Lun is a region of the mountains of Hukien, one of the centres of Shaolin temple boxing.
Lineage of KunLun Pai is as follows: Li Po Chang, scholar of the Neijia Chang, Po Qua Zen- his student, Liem Ping Wan of Doasim, founder of Chuan Chu Ie Shing-I, his students; Tan Tong Liong, Wim Chen, Buk Chin of the arts, Que Moi Shantung Kung Fu Chuan Fa, Kwantung Po Kwa Zen and TaiKek and Pa-kua Zen Kun Tao, the art of Fuekchin Kun Tao and Hukien KunTao. The Silat is drawn from the Family Styles, Kendang Silat of Sardjono Guru and Raden Djuaggan, Ganjung System of Mahil Atmo, the Pamur of Madura and Pecut Silat, the Silat of Bondo Waso of Guru Besar Tai Ing. The influence of European Boxing and European Fencing are also very stongly represented. These arts are embodied in the person of Hai-Deng Sifu Willem DeThouars, God Grace him. The KunLun Pai also discribes the cigar dalem group (a Pai) ' a group of men going about doing honourable work' The fingers of the animal hand are separate but joined in the doing of honorable work.
Tulen: lit.purity- close to the source, the old Tulen Styles are: Silat Serak, Tjimande, Silat Kemango of Edgar van der Groen , TjiKalong, Tenje'kan and Silat Betawie.
Pamur Silat: Silat from the Island of Madura. Characterized by bladework, no sparring application, minimal foot shifting, good old mans' style. Emphasis the "harimau" tiger.see also Pamor.
Isi: lit. 'feeling'
Tangkapan: to catch the enemy
Bantingang: th throw the enemy
Sambut Pukui: to evade, parry, and strike
Pombas Mian: to kill as a final decision
Dasar: fundamentals (12 of each)
Djurus: step by step elements
alis plarian: to dodge & escape
kamasukan: the successful entry into the enemies defense
To Count:
Satu - one
Dua - two
Tiga - Three
Empat - four
Lima - five
Enam - six
Tujuh - seven
Delapan - Eight
Sembilan - nine
Sepuluh - ten
Sebelas - eleven
duabelas,tigabelas,empatbelas,limabelas, enambelas,tujuhbelas,
seratus - one hundred
seribu- one thousand
Setengah: one-half, as in Tongkhat Setengah.
Murid: Student
Pandai: skilled craftsman (martial arts rank-practitioner)
Gilap: lit.:'brightening' The training and action of instant response to attack. An aspect of the training of the intention.
Tiga: lit.:'three' Basic platform for fighting one person, angle of attack and defense utilizing meridian theory. The concept of 'three' runs through the art constantly, breathing, meditation, structures of concepts, etc.
Ma'aaf: prefix word of respect
Sudah: "Yes, I understand."
Kinjit: squatting elbow directed throw
Siloh: Cross-legged offensive/defensive seated position for warriors. Also the means for going to the ground while supporting the weight of the opponent to control his body, or to seat next to the opponent as he is thrown to the ground so as to continue in groundfighting. A very strong part of Harimau tiger styling. Sempok is front seated siloh, Depok is back seated siloh. Siloh satu (warriors seat) Siloh Dua (tailor style) Siloh Tiga (kneeling seat)
Tangkis Garis: Blocking cut, a jam to the thrust or punch.
Tendangan: to kick (or knee) and the displante resulting.
Totok: foreknuckle punch to sternum that attacks throat without withdrawing (slides upward, presents elbow).
Tepisan: to parry (not a block, more finesse).
Meliwis: Swallow (a bird), a style that accepts PoKwa readily, very evasive with intercepting strikes, locks and throws.
Lingsang: Otter; an agile grappling presentation style
Kuda ayer: Hippopotamus (water horse)a rushing, overwhelming presentation style.
Garuda: mythical bird, the mount of Agni (bringer of fire), eagle, associated with the aspect of the phoenix. Very scholarly study.
Tekken: walking cane, hooked staff, as weapon. The hook points forward.
Tangkapan: to catch the enemy while positioned to throw.
Bantingang: to throw the enemy (mid-throw actions)
Kamasukan: the entry into the enemies defenses.
Tangkapan: control the wrist of striking arm to use as a handle
Pombas Mian: the decision to kill as a last resort of defense. This is the previous decision as well as the effecting of the action.
Sambut(s): practice techniques for evasion, parry/counterstrike. A method of practicing specific technical responses in a string. A form of sparring against one or more opponents.
Kambangan: lit.:'Flower Dance'. The movement of the dance is a non-threatening means of practice, a way of meeting girls and a form of challenge to observers to see the techniques of a rival. The 'palm waving' movements train footwork, breathing, attack positions, skeletal interception, body torquing, positional changes to various directions, etc. It is performed with a scarf, a candle, a saucer of water with a floating flower, etc. The music is provided by the Gamelan orchestra which also accompanies the fighting contests. Also, 'randai' saucer dance
Tjio Bakh: lit.:'try it', a challenge
Shiapa Brani: lit.:,'Who has the guts to fight?', a challenge
Kita Brani: lit.:'I(we, my group) have the guts to fight', challengers response
Amas Adrai: DeThouars family motto: With God, We Prevail (We shall survive)
Pukul Turush: lit. straight in punch, to fight until the end
MahdJiu: lit.:'Go Ahead' a challenge
Nje-brang: crossing sang-sat, to cross-over (a platform direction from Langka Sliwa), a kuda exchange. Training the ankle positions to effect major torso repositionings. ankles/angles.
Tiga Lima: Langkha Lima- walking the tiga in djurus, sapus, besets-eighteen count, Kuda to reverse.
Pamor Silat: from Madura, sandy beach style- good platform, stepping in, hand traps, minimal jumping to the side, attention to footing-good 'old mans style'. Very direct knife attacks. see also Pamur
Latihan Matchan: Stick (tongkat style) in a tiger modality, presents as a blade.
Dalem Lan Sup:lit.:'Sour fruit' Outside response technique against the knife.
Kraton Guards: guardians of the Kraton (palace,armed enclosure). The central Javanese bodyguards of the Sultan of Jogja who were the standard by which warriors were measured, instructed by Pak Serak. The Visayan (southern Phillipino) styles are derivative.
Kerojok: the fighting of one against many, a continuing technical practice
Petjut: The action of a whiplash, a forward punch, Silat Kilap Petjut is a beladiri style of the DeThouars family.
Guntung: scissor blow with stick.
Gatok: butterfly blow with stick
Pentjakkers: people who are part of the martial arts community, Dutch Indonesian slang. Also,"brawlers"
KunTaoers: people who practice KunTao, Dutch Indonesian Slang.
Potong Leher: knife defense ending with the reversal of the weapon to the throat.
TjiNgkrik: Brother art, springing, evasion, siloh, monkey hands, started by woman observing monkeys fighting.
Silat Kwitang:Big mans art, chinese influence on indiginous art, vicious. Mustapha Kwitang is one of the expressions (as taught by Pendekar William Ingram).
Arbir: five foot bladed weapon, a groove in the staff orients the blade edge for the user at all times.
Gowakang: Breathing (a study in all martial arts)
Bathin: spirit (internal)
Hantu: "Spirit" (external) an expression of the Animistic heritage of the Sumatrans.
Kailat: Closing on the target
Kilat: Speed of precise execution, not just quickness- celerity. Another spelling of Khilap; connotes thunderous percussion without warning to vulnerable targets.
Panggau: Warrior
Cigar Dalem: Inner Circle, the close guard. The inner area of body defense.
Ratu Duri: lit. to take the intestines of an opponent. King of Thorns, The T***** King, Kingly Power of a Continent. Emphasizing the ChiGung action of making the body hurt the opponent when he hits it. The action of the Indonesian Continent showing its' martial power to the world by a style that includes wisdom from many sources.
Pai Yun: Tiger Descending the Mountain. The first tiger form of KunLun Pai KunTao; a standing tiger form of the Shaolin style with aspects of TjiMatchan.
Ling Sing Toy: a basic form in KunTao
Wu Kung: The 'strong warrior' art of Shaolin and others. It conditions the body to war and privation, the mind to stress and the spirit to the power that war requires of the participant.
Tan Lung: a basic practice in KunTao. The "Trackless Art". An individual expression of the understanding of the Art, its' principles and techniques expressed as solo movement.
Djuru Satu: lit. "First Hand Form". Introduction to basic principles of KunTao Silat.
Guru Besar: lit. "Great Teacher". An honorific to a respected fellow teacher of another style.
Bunga: Ritualized greeting style that includes self defence options.see also, Sembah
Rahasia: The teaching of the vital points, how to attack and defend them.
Bedok: a meat Axe
Buka: the covered fist, "open to all things"
Tarik: Open hand invitation to attack
Lawan: a signal of having experienced combat. cat stance, palm to face, fist to hip.
Andeka: surpassing in quality
Menarik Napas Dalam: deep breathing techinque-chiku
Rasa: intuitive inner feelings
Sujud: self surrender
Batin: within the heart
Ingsun Sejati: true self
Tapa: ascetic practices
Semadi: Meditation
Berok: a monkey styling
TjiKak: a monkey styling
Maccacque: A monkey styling
Sikap Kuda Hormat: Horse stance in attention.
Tongkat Langka Monyet: Tongkat monkey form for footwork.
Kaki Besi Kanan: Turn foot to the right (kick)
Kaki Besi Kirie: Turn foot to the left (kick)
Puter Sembilan Belas: Turn 90 degrees left.
Jalan Puter: Step and turn.
Naga Dimulka: Full Frontal Dragon
Sepak Naga: Low Front Dragon Kick (full)
Kuda Sepak Blekok: Horse up Crane kick
Sepak Dimulka: Snapping Frontal kick
Tukar: exchange (as of hands, or feet) Kuda
Puter Naga Diblakang: turning back dragon stand
Sapu Harimau: Tiger sweep
Sepak Blekok Didalam: inside Crane kick
Beset Diblakang: 90 degree Backsweep
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Adat of Hormat
copyright 1993 Chas Clements
As a student of Silat;
Who is your teacher?
Well kids, first --he is a hell of a fighting man, you give him respect because you have no choice - to associate with him is to show respect for the danger of him.
In addition, he is a man that has learned something that you don't know; how to save your life and the life of your loved ones. That knowlege has come at a cost that you don't have to pay, men died to learn the knowlege that is given to you and conserve it for you.
Your loyalty to him extends to his family, his lineage,his home, his reputation, his time and effort with you.
Why do you give him respect?
Because he has taken time out of his life to help you save yours. There is nothing in your life that is as important as what he teaches you, because, without his teaching everything that you have and are is in hazard.
He not only owes you nothing, you may be a thief or a bandit, a coward or a fascist. He owes the rest of us that he screens his student and that he takes responsibility for him.
For compassionate love of his fellowman, your teacher has accepted the hazards of teaching, the responsibility of teaching and a responsibility to history for your actions in the Pai.
What is his gift?
First, it is Trust. He trusts that you will not embarrass he and his associates. This terrible craft that we do is fraught with pitfalls for the practitioner without deep character values. When we teach this intimate moral and philosophical activity, we want the student to act in the best interests of humanity and society.
Secondly he gives you the gifts of knowlege bought with blood. Men have died learning the body of knowlege to which you now have access. Our secrets, bought with blood are not for sale for money or power. It is your character and committment that is required. The money just keeps the lights on.
Thirdly, he entrusts the safety of his family and friends to you by sharing with you the secrets that keep them safe.
What do you owe for that?
The deep gratitude for the gift of life, pain, intimacy and trust, example, history & tradition. You owe the gifts of comfort, security, assistance, support, consideration.
When you see something that needs being done, Do It ! Make it look easy. That is the style of a man and a martial artist. Any man who has progressed enough to have something to teach to you has accumulated injuries, pain, enemies, memories; don't require that he carry you in addition to all the rest of it. Some things are beneath his notice- nothing should be beneath yours. The least student owes the carrying and cleaning; the senior owes the conservation of the masters time and effort with the administration of the group.
In the Family/Village systems, the leading practitioner didn't charge his neighbors for helping them to learn the Silat used for their common defence. The masters' retirement plan was to grow old with his family and friends. In America, no such security exists. As a student in America, it is incumbent upon you to be the good neighbor. If cash is your only commodity, spend some! If you are a carpenter, get to it! If you fix cars, fix one, now. Do not mistake that this knowlege has ever been 'free', it is not free. It calls a feeling of gratitude and a responsibility to discharge that obligation.
You owe the effort to learn and practice what he teaches; you must be on time for class, if he calls you to be somewhere- be there! A teacher is measured by the quality of student that he produces. If you are a man of honor and integrity, of discipline and dignity, you owe your teacher for that example.
Pukulan Pentjak KunTao Silat Kilap Betawi DeThouars
Copyright 1993 Chas Clements
The KunTao Silat of Betawi Kilap is an art of rich history, deep sophistication and an art of change and adaptation. It is an art formulated to fight with other martial styles, not with untrained opponents. The response to the attack from ambush by multiple armed opponents, the strategies of defense and offense in many different situations and responsibility to the neighborhood community are center to the study of Betawi.
Human history on the Indonesian Archipelago dates to one and one-half million years of continous activity, much of it Martial. The indigenous culture has a continuous social history that rivals Egypt, Rome, Byzantium or South China. They built among the largest buildings in the world, and then they carved pictures all over them about the cultural disciplines that they practiced! The Balinese are among the holiest people in the world, along with the Tibetans and the Irish. It is a spiritual center for humanity.
The Sunda speaking peoples of Sumatra and its attendant islands, especially those of the Bugis tribe, have long been leaders in the practice of martial art in Indonesia. They are of the Menangkebau, the men of the ox-horn, keepers of the Kris. Speaking many languages, they travel broadly 'farming the sea' and trading, while defending their own land from encroachment. Their culture cultivates the portable skills of music, literature, medicine, mechanical engineering and so forth. They are a people of great humor and joy, deep spirituality and culture.
The Empires of the Majapahit, the Suravayjan, the Menangkebau, the Kraton Guards of Jogja, the Sultanates of Atjeh and of Ponti-Anak, have benefitted from the protection of the people of our lineage. The Bugis of the Menangkebau have been artists, statesmen, warriors, explorers and magicians since forever; the De Thouars family is the fruit and flower of that lineage.
Pukulan comes from the word 'Pukul', meaning 'to strike' or 'to collide'- the suffix 'an' connoting a field of study. The word, then, means 'the study of the colliding art'. This usage is primarily Dutch Indonesian. It is roughly equivalent to common handfighting or boxing/wrestling. It also doesn't necessarily have an adherantcy to style lineage as in the idea of a Pusaka (holy legacy/heirloom).
Pentjak (pencak, pentcak, other spellings) denotes the "choreography of movements that are useful in combat". Pentjak may be practiced for its own ends; performance, health, yoga physicality, etc. There is a strong thought that the word has Chinese antecedents as in "pun, cha, te- punch, kick, block". A Dutch Indonesian slang word for all martial arts practitioners is "pentjakkers"(also as in 'karatebrains'). Our pentjak is the flower of our art, in that your personal practice keeps alive the combat technique and reflects it to the descerning eye of your practice leader.
Literally, Silat means 'lightning', the further meaning being 'the combat usages', also, 'the blade'. Silat teaches the methodology of combat application of the Pentjak movements; psychology, tactics and strategy, mental discipline and control. Silat teaches the aspects of the Lightning. Silat is the "buah", the fruit of our practice. Silat cannot be practiced, only experienced; it is your combat experience, refined by study.
Kilap (khilap or kilat) is the Thunder. The aspect of the thunder is the product of the lightning. It teaches a hand of power, striking weak points, crashing and overwhelming the enemy, power in spirit and character. Its' scholarly study is the anatomy of distruction; how to 'break that meat house down'. The study is not so much 'train the frame' as it is 'train the brain'. If mind will lead, body will follow. The study of martial art is not restricted to the athletic of body at all, it is the people of lesser physical presence that need martial art the most.
Betawi (Batavia)is an area on Western Java settled by Sundanese Sumatrans in the distant past. It is considered a very dangerous place. In addition to identifying the Sumatran origins of this Silat, it connotes the the study of the techniques of response to attacks from ambush, fighting multiple opponents- armed as they may come, vicious response to attack, and a preoccupation with personal freedom and responsibility to the community, the Family.
The KunTao is reflective of the martial arts practiced by the ethnic Chinese living on Java for more than five hundred years. The Chinese in Indonesia arrived much as the Dutch did; trading, practicing needed professions and crafts, networking into a market for Indonesian products. They were very insular in their culture, they did not marry into the indigineous peoples as the Dutch did, nor teach their professions or crafts. The Indonesians were not permitted to study the Chinese arts (as a general rule).
The original practice in China has been massively modified by the long exposure to the Indonesian concepts of Silat. Honor is given to the Shaolin practices of Honan, Fuchien, Shantung, Kwantung and Fukien, as well as the Three Crowns of TaiChi, PaQua and Hsing-I. The modern,of the last two hundred years, eclectic arts of China combine the 'secrets' of the original arts and add to the knowlege whenever they can, and they had new fields of study in Indonesia.
The Family DeThouars have been nobility in both the West and the East for a long and honourable time. Both of the lineages that meet in the brothers have been prominent and honored in their cultures as educated, artistic, martial in spirit and courageous in action.
The European family of Holland and Northern France have been the nobility of Tours for hundreds of years, constructing the cutlery and armaments factories for which they are so famous. They owned their own farms, mines, factories and craftsmen, ships and crews, traders and businessmen. The DeThouars family were swordsmen and horsemen, colonels of the military and advisers to the King.
The Indonesian forebearers have been nobles, landowners and confidants of Sultans while maintaining a family system of Silat that has made them champions to all comers for over one-hundred fifty years. They were village elders, chiefs and leaders, landowners, merchants and warriors. They met the Dutch as equals; they were never conquered, not to this day.
The Pendekar Agung, Raden Mas Paul DeThouars, is an undefeated champion on the kendang, the formal challenge floor. His guidance and leadership of the holy pusaka legacy of Serak Tulen has always been to the honour of those that entrusted it to him. He is the first and most senior of all Silat in America, having given the U.S. a continuous teaching and guidance for over thirty-five years-unchallenged by any.
The Guru Besar, Hai-Teng Sifu Willem DeThouars has given his life to two things; his family-his Art. In his expression of his love of Him, Uncle Bill has gone into the world- to study, to learn and compare and challenge and sustain. His humble compassion comes from a lifetime of adversity, his teaching from a lifetime of study and practice, and his punch, I understand, from his Grandfather.
Pendekar Bapak Victor DeThouars is the sustenance of Serak, and the Founder of Tongkat. As he proceeds into his life of service to the family, he conserves the body of knowlege. He will, in the fullness of time, be the Pendekar of Serak. His practice and teaching is a gift to be a part of, all of his students are appreciative of that.
Guru Chas Clements has been privileged to study with three of the brothers DeThouars, holding certification in KunTao Silat and Pentjak Silat. Commencing in 1978, his association with the family has been ongoing. Prior to his entry into the Pukulan association, his background in martial art dates to 1953.
Silat Kilap Betawi is practiced under the guidance of the family DeThouars; hormat is given to the family and to the tulen legacy and lineage of Pak Serak and Mas Djoet, and the lineage of the KunTao that results in the art of the Ratu Duri of the KunLunPai. Honour is given for the gifts of all the teachers and practitioners who have contributed to the state of this art.
The Kendang Silat, from which these expressions derive, is a traditional fighting art of Western Java. The Kendang is the great drum of the Gamelan orchestra, the word also applies to the fighting floor, and to the region of the Gunung Kendang ('Drum Mountain') range, from whence come the Bugis people of the Menangkebau Sumatran forebears. This is the arena of the 'drum fighters' style. Aspects of the style derive from the Indian influence, the Muslims, the Chinese, the Europeans and the indigenous arts of the animist magicians. Our art is formulated to defend against other martial arts, including those unknown to us.
The Champion defending comes to the floor and dances with his female partner an intricate demanding dance, joined by the holding of a scarf. The dance shows footwork with a partner, passages of hand and the use of rhythm, then he performs his 'kambangan'. This 'flower dance' is his expression of pencak, free-form, to the music of the gamelan. The 'flower' (kambang)of a style is its' performance form, the 'fruit' (buah) of a style is its' combat expression to an actual enemy- there is no 'sporting' or 'sparring' application. He challenges: "Kitai Brani?"-Who has the guts to fight? The answer comes from the challenger: "Shiapa Brani"- I have the guts to fight!
The challenger; having seen the footwork, practice patterns and physical expression of the Champion, and being Champion of another village and style, feels that his style will prevail. The pair meet on the floor and try to sweep one another with the foot, keeping the hands behind them. This is a very legitimate test of combat capability, testing footwork, timing and intention. The loser of this contest has the option of retiring from the floor or continuing the contest, unfettered, to the major maiming or death. All contestants are required to bring to the contest a packet of sweet herbs, a sheet to wrap his corpse and transportation money back home. Kendang Silat is an art with which to fight other arts, a battlefield art with which to fight for the village.
The Serak is the legacy of Pak Serak. Born in Sumatra in 1790, of the Bugis people, he was a one-armed, club-footed practitioner. Nicknamed Burung Serak,'Owl', for his clairvoyant powers and spiritual being - this in a culture of very spiritual people known as the 'Invisible people of the Mountain Forest'. He studied nine separate martial arts; 4 Indonesian, 3 Chinese and 2 Indian, felt himself proficient in three, utilizing them to lead as the Champion, undefeated in his time. He traveled very widely as a bodyguard and later as a teacher and a political activist. His synthesis of the stylings and diverse technique of nine studies and the unique view of a physically challenged practitioner gave him an art with which to fight other arts. He, and his senior student Mas Djoet, formalized the art Serak and it has been passed down unchanged, given by all the status of Pusaka- a holy legacy.
The Kuntao Silat of Ratu Duri is an expression of the mastery of a number of styles and influences. The western Java arts of Pamor, Kwitang, Tjimande- the Quemoy Kuntao- pakua chang- hsing po- tai kek, western boxing and the art of Legrands' combat fencing, and others, have, in the person of Uncle Bill, built on the early teachings of the family elders. It is an art of change, synthesis and adaptation. It is responsive to the needs of the practitioner; his body, attitude, convenience, spirituality. The Hai-Teng Sifu Willem DeThouars has crystallized the Ratu Duri,"T***** King", techniques out of the crucible of fifty years of concentrated intention and study of the most difficult arts in the most dangerous places in the world.
The physical art of Pukulan Pentjak KunTao Silat Kilap Betawi is secondary to the intellectual and spiritual teaching embodied therein. Our first reverence is for God, the only Master. Our lives in the world must reflect the discipline and teachings of the art. Our practice of the art is for its' own sake. The gifts that the art has to give are far past just the fighting aspect. The tactics and strategies taught in the art give power and success in all facets of ones' life.
The symbol of the Kilap Betawi is two lightning flashes of three parts each, arranged as a triangle, the siku-siku in the center, all arranged within a triangle and the words Silat Kilap Betawi on the sides. The repetition of the tiga reflects the grouping of the knowlege and is used as a mnemonic to facilitate remembering difficult material. The siku-siku, center weapon of the style, is indicative of the armed aspect of the art, we are not foolish enough to assault anyone without bringing tools. It is a three weapon- parts, uses, symbolic aspect. It honours the arts Serak, Ratu Duri, Bukti Negara/Tongkat and the three brothers that have given us the honour of practicing in their presence.
Another aspect of the art is the personal loyalty and group identity, 'pai', fostered by the intimacy of the teachings. A 'pai' is translated from the Chinese as 'animal hand' as opposed to 'chuan', a human fist. A pai is idiomatically, ' a group of men going about doing honorable work', the fingers of the pai are individual, they support and form the 'hand'. It also connotes the utilization of the animal ideoform to teach martial precepts, techniques and attitudes. The KunLun Pai is the 'animal hand of the fighters of KunLun' (a mountainous region of Hokkien, well known for political activism and advanced combat practitioners).
Silat Betawi is taught as a 'beladiri' a personal defense art, rather than a 'pusaka' or formal legacy art. As there is no sparring aspect to the art, all techniques are learned by one practitioner submitting to the technique of the training partner. This submission can test the trust of the partner as all techniques are viciously invasive. To deal with the most interior of emotions and philosophies is the nature of the practice of martial art, to let a stranger into that intimacy is another matter.
Many of the techniques and applications of the art come from the morality of another culture not our own, their application is a matter for philosophical exploration in the context of study and intellectual expansion. The questions stem from the focus of the art which is death, pain, ambush, mayhem, subterfuge
The art is presented as a cultural artifact of scholarly interest, and any participant is enjoined to pick and choose those aspects to which his life experience is responsive. The art and its practitioners also choose with whom they will share their lives.
Martial Arts for the Handicapped
copyright 1994 by Chas Clements
Everyone is in danger. Tolerance is at a minimum. No one is safe. It is the responsibility of all people, of whatever physical condition to protect themselves, their loved ones and their own property. Just because you cannot see or walk or run away does not give you a special "pass" from thugs and bandits, they were looking for an easy hit when they first saw you.
Complete martial arts systems have a special tradition for handicapped people. Often it is referred to as "The Old Mans' Style" or is taught as a womans' style. Generally it is an art of finesse and sophisticated, requiring great courage and a dependance on misdirection and evasions. The arts always include weapons training (a good sharp knife will replace track shoes for almost any occasion), anatomical weapons and targets are a deep source for study, as are the arts of mental domination and perception.
The first lesson in any martial art is to reduce your 'target time'. Don't be a target for any longer than can possibly be helped. Good personal awaremess and overcoming your resistance to being inconvenienced will reduce a great percentage of your hazard exposure. In military terms: a good perimeter defence, good patrol discipline and proper equipment will reduce your KIA's. Pay attention to who is around you and where you are, look for places for assailants to hide, prepare your defences and responses to attack. Pay bills and bank by mail or computer, go places in groups and armed, don't do sleazy things with people that you don't know.
More people get seriously hurt because of their mental state than because of their physical condition. Many people in this culture find it hard to believe that they are actually in hazard of being assaulted, and that kindly 'Officer Friendly' is off doing SWAT penetrations on crack houses. In point of fact, the police are not responsible for your safety, only that of 'society'. You cannot depend on anyone but yourself, your family and friends, and they have no one to depend upon but you. The acceptance and reaction to 'threat' is a matter of mental preparation. Work it out in your mind: fantasize your worst fears and figure out a good reaction while you have plenty of time and can fail for free. The more complete your ideation, the more your preparation will work when the chips start to fall.
Another preparation that you are responsible to do is to figure out what your religious or philosophical posture is about conflict. In an assault you have no time to philosophize about the karmic ramifications of defending yourself by doing force on your opponent. You won't make him more angry by fighting back, you will inconvenience him enough to go away. If you rip his tongue out; he was the one that brought it on. A Lakota saying: "A Thief is Shot in the Night, Whose Hand is on the Bow?
The reason that there are so many martial arts styles is that different people have different bodies, clothing/armor, topographical surroundings and so on. We need to choose the type of martial art that suits our physicality. Kicking arts are not suitable for all people, balance arts or 'juggling' arts mightn't be appropriate for others, but there is an art for you somewhere.
In our tradition, when the Sultan prepared to learn his lifesaving martial skills, he would call the advanced practitioner and that man would analyse the Sultan and teach him the useful arts that fitted him.
To acquire a martial skill is not to give ones' life to the art; it is to learn a skill as one would do with any finesse action. There is the body and there is the mind, to understand the action of combat and accomodate ones' body to the event.
The key to any art is practice. You can practice in 'reverie' or meditation- you can get good practice just moving through the world remembering your martial body attitudes.
Most schools will open themselves to you for your consideration. Distrust teachers or schools that will not let you observe their training, you are not going to learn their 'secrets' in one short exposure.
Choose your weapons. Our debilities and challenges are enough to put up with, that meeting a thug in his arena without a weapon is entirely too much. If he had any respect, he wouldn't be bothering people who already have enough to do; he deserves no consideration whatsoever. Your weapon can be as benign as you care for it to be, but it should be effective. Let him be in hazard for offending you for a change. He was happy enough to chance an assault on a stranger, let him carry the consequences.
One of the secrets to the study of any weapon is to live with it for thirty days. Eat, sleep, bathe, carry the weapon with you always. It will share its' secrets with you if you coax it. Own the best weapon that you can afford, show it to no one (o.k., maybe your Mom- but only once and don't show her your best trick!)
Make your martial skill part of your life. Read books in the interest area that you have. Get some tapes and see what the opponents are learning. Talk about it with your friends, practitioners or not, find out what they think about the philosophical questions. Join a group of practitioners, work out with them,(let them work out their defenses against someone doing wheelies on their chest). Choose a tradition that honours people for their mind or art or craft, not for their abilities to divorce themselves from their compassion. Martial art is the true path of peace, we know what the alternatives are.
Having taught handifolk for over twenty-five years, I have identified some consistencies: Hand/arm strength likes Southern Chinese stylings, Kilap Silat, Hsingpo- Balance strength likes TaiKek, Silat Bukti Negara, PaQua- Leg strength likes Northern Chinese stylings, Pentjak Silat Menang- Intuitive response in short body movements like the Silat Betawie, Pamur, Petjut Silat, the Wing Chun and PaQua. Names are mentioned only to give you a place to start looking, offering the wide variety of Martial Arts schools. All styles have attributes that can be modified to serve people of whatever variety, you must learn to trust your own strengths and enhance them.
It doesn't take a long time. Let me repeat that for the gentleman in the last row: It Doesn't Take A Long Time! Martial skills are different from martial art in the same way that one can do a little necessary plumbing without becoming a Water Engineer. When the emphasis in martial arts change to the Do form, a Way of Enlightenment, from the combat practice of the military soldier, an emphasis was lost.
One can become a competent spearman in about six months; a good spearman in three years and a great spearman in some five to seven years. If what you need is fodder for practice, you can give about six months or a year to learning a 'form' that will give you movements to answer most problems. Your own practice is what will make the difference in whather you survive an encounter.
Martial Arts for the Handicapped
copyright 1994 by Chas Clements
Everyone is in danger. Tolerance is at a minimum. No one is safe. It is the responsibility of all people, of whatever physical condition to protect themselves, their loved ones and their own property. Just because you cannot see or walk or run away does not give you a special "pass" from thugs and bandits, they were looking for an easy hit when they first saw you.
Complete martial arts systems have a special tradition for handicapped people. Often it is referred to as "The Old Mans' Style" or is taught as a womans' style. Generally it is an art of finesse and sophisticated, requiring great courage and a dependance on misdirection and evasions. The arts always include weapons training (a good sharp knife will replace track shoes for almost any occasion), anatomical weapons and targets are a deep source for study, as are the arts of mental domination and perception.
The first lesson in any martial art is to reduce your 'target time'. Don't be a target for any longer than can possibly be helped. Good personal awaremess and overcoming your resistance to being inconvenienced will reduce a great percentage of your hazard exposure. In military terms: a good perimeter defence, good patrol discipline and proper equipment will reduce your KIA's. Pay attention to who is around you and where you are, look for places for assailants to hide, prepare your defences and responses to attack. Pay bills and bank by mail or computer, go places in groups and armed, don't do sleazy things with people that you don't know.
More people get seriously hurt because of their mental state than because of their physical condition. Many people in this culture find it hard to believe that they are actually in hazard of being assaulted, and that kindly 'Officer Friendly' is off doing SWAT penetrations on crack houses. In point of fact, the police are not responsible for your safety, only that of 'society'. You cannot depend on anyone but yourself, your family and friends, and they have no one to depend upon but you. The acceptance and reaction to 'threat' is a matter of mental preparation. Work it out in your mind: fantasize your worst fears and figure out a good reaction while you have plenty of time and can fail for free. The more complete your ideation, the more your preparation will work when the chips start to fall.
Another preparation that you are responsible to do is to figure out what your religious or philosophical posture is about conflict. In an assault you have no time to philosophize about the karmic ramifications of defending yourself by doing force on your opponent. You won't make him more angry by fighting back, you will inconvenience him enough to go away. If you rip his tongue out; he was the one that brought it on. A Lakota saying: "A Thief is Shot in the Night, Whose Hand is on the Bow?
The reason that there are so many martial arts styles is that different people have different bodies, clothing/armor, topographical surroundings and so on. We need to choose the type of martial art that suits our physicality. Kicking arts are not suitable for all people, balance arts or 'juggling' arts mightn't be appropriate for others, but there is an art for you somewhere.
In our tradition, when the Sultan prepared to learn his lifesaving martial skills, he would call the advanced practitioner and that man would analyse the Sultan and teach him the useful arts that fitted him.
To acquire a martial skill is not to give ones' life to the art; it is to learn a skill as one would do with any finesse action. There is the body and there is the mind, to understand the action of combat and accomodate ones' body to the event.
The key to any art is practice. You can practice in 'reverie' or meditation- you can get good practice just moving through the world remembering your martial body attitudes.
Most schools will open themselves to you for your consideration. Distrust teachers or schools that will not let you observe their training, you are not going to learn their 'secrets' in one short exposure.
Choose your weapons. Our debilities and challenges are enough to put up with, that meeting a thug in his arena without a weapon is entirely too much. If he had any respect, he wouldn't be bothering people who already have enough to do; he deserves no consideration whatsoever. Your weapon can be as benign as you care for it to be, but it should be effective. Let him be in hazard for offending you for a change. He was happy enough to chance an assault on a stranger, let him carry the consequences.
One of the secrets to the study of any weapon is to live with it for thirty days. Eat, sleep, bathe, carry the weapon with you always. It will share its' secrets with you if you coax it. Own the best weapon that you can afford, show it to no one (o.k., maybe your Mom- but only once and don't show her your best trick!)
Make your martial skill part of your life. Read books in the interest area that you have. Get some tapes and see what the opponents are learning. Talk about it with your friends, practitioners or not, find out what they think about the philosophical questions. Join a group of practitioners, work out with them,(let them work out their defenses against someone doing wheelies on their chest). Choose a tradition that honours people for their mind or art or craft, not for their abilities to divorce themselves from their compassion. Martial art is the true path of peace, we know what the alternatives are.
Having taught handifolk for over twenty-five years, I have identified some consistencies: Hand/arm strength likes Southern Chinese stylings, Kilap Silat, Hsingpo- Balance strength likes TaiKek, Silat Bukti Negara, PaQua- Leg strength likes Northern Chinese stylings, Pentjak Silat Menang- Intuitive response in short body movements like the Silat Betawie, Pamur, Petjut Silat, the Wing Chun and PaQua. Names are mentioned only to give you a place to start looking, offering the wide variety of Martial Arts schools. All styles have attributes that can be modified to serve people of whatever variety, you must learn to trust your own strengths and enhance them.
It doesn't take a long time. Let me repeat that for the gentleman in the last row: It Doesn't Take A Long Time! Martial skills are different from martial art in the same way that one can do a little necessary plumbing without becoming a Water Engineer. When the emphasis in martial arts change to the Do form, a Way of Enlightenment, from the combat practice of the military soldier, an emphasis was lost.
One can become a competent spearman in about six months; a good spearman in three years and a great spearman in some five to seven years. If what you need is fodder for practice, you can give about six months or a year to learning a 'form' that will give you movements to answer most problems. Your own practice is what will make the difference in whather you survive an encounter.
IT'S NOT HOW BIG IT IS, IT'S HOW YOU USE IT!
copyright 1994 Chas Clements
Her finger knives flayed his face open, arteries in his neck spewed blood into his armor. As he stumbled, blinded, he wondered how he had made such an easy kill for her. He died with the question unanswered, his great sword still clutched in his hand.
The little man capered and danced about; now shielding behind the blade, now reaching with a slash that would fell cane by the bunch, now pounding with the butt of the big knife he knows so well- he sees the man before him as just another piece of work in the fields he has toiled in daily for thirty years.
As his opponent reached for the throat, he pulled the little knife from behind his cummerbund and slashed the offending hand, the serrated edge biting through the motorcycle glove before rendering the hand useless. He turned to pop both tires before driving away from the thug who now had something useful to do with the rest of his night.
Each story illustrates that it isn't the knife, but the style that prevails. We tend to think in terms of a 'preferred' size or style of knife for ourselves, each writer or teacher has a knife which is best for his style. But what can happen if that particular knife is not available, or not convenient to the situation or dress styling? Can we accomodate the challenge of fighting for our lives without 'Ol Betsy' riding in her usual place on the web gear? Can we use the battlefield pick-up or reverse the weapon carried by the enemy?
Lest you lose yourselves in pointless anticipation, let me now answer that question with a resounding; Yes !!
The secret with a large knife is to 'ride' the weight. Make gravity work for you by moving the inertia of the knife with the least amount of 'suddenness'. Overcoming the weight of the knife by accepting the force in your wrist will get you killed. Learn to turn the direction of the knife by dropping the weight straight down through the point and rotating the axis of the blade to the new direction. Set the point and move your body around behind it,stay behind the edge, keeping the knife between you and the opponent.
Use two hands, support the blade with your foot or with your torso. Turn the flat of the blade to your opponent as a shield and make your attack with the butt end of the weapon- pound through his defenses with the weight and inertia. By and large, the large knife is best for fighting, all other choices are a compromise.
The knife of seven or eight inches in the blade is a utility knife in whatever dress, and styles are taught in all schools. This is the knife that you most probably have with you; it is your work knife, kitchen tool, tool-box blade. Think of it as your claw, the point of the spear made by your arm, the tip of your sword.
The small knife is a compromise of stealth, fashion or utility. A small knife requires getting close to the opponent and certifies that one cut is not going to end the fight. The secret of the small knife is sharpness and conceptualizing the knife as a fighting spike. The small knife must fit the hand/fist closely (more so than the larger knives) and the weight in the handle.
The styling doesn't change much whether the knife is thin and light or dense and weighty because the combative distance hasn't changed. The ideas of distraction, decoying, multiple cuts and stabs, piercing the bone, precision targeting of weak points. Small attention getting cuts, a plant with the blade and then leaving the knife in the body and moving the body to produce a larger wound channel.
If the blade is your chosen weapon, familiarize yourself with all sizes and styles. Each style of knife has its own secrets and applications but your body styling is what is going to get you home. Trust your training and your teachers. Do your style, it was conserved for you by men who gave their lives to formulate it.
Magic in the Martial Arts
copyright 1993-Chas Clements
All advanced forms of martial art have their magical aspect. The Taoist practitioners are deeply involved with magic, Shinto has its sophisticated magical aspect as does Islam. The Animists practice ritual magical martial arts, the Hindu and the Buddhist cultures have practices and traditions of martial magic. All the European arts have long ties to magical practice, pre and post Christian era.
Everybody does magic to prepare for a fight, assist in the fight, recover from the fight and prepare for the next fight. Who can say what the affect is, but the effect is to make a warrior prepared to offer himself in the best effort he can make. To make his magic is to prepare himself in the eyes of God and his community to take on an honorable aspect and prepare himself to receive 'Luck'.
The individual warrior has his own personal magic. He may 'quest' or seek visions or dreams. He will make sacrifice, perform personal rituals and take on his talismans of power. He will appeal to his personal guardians, familiars, ancestors or such. The private practice of the warrior is the purest preparation for meeting God that there is in any spiritual practice.
His community will offer group prayer and ritual, they will declare a common cause and make him exempt from punishments, they will present him with gifts made in the attitude of prayer. His state religion will offer its prayer and support. The women will make magic for their men. His father will give his blessing and a personal weapon, his mother will give her blessing and lay hands upon him.
A warrior seeks to make his weapons more powerful with magic. He will name his weapons, decorate them with powerful symbols or talismans, imbue them with attitudes and cognitive action. The weapons may be of offensive attitude; swords, airplanes & tanks, the rifle. They may be defensive; the helmet, shield, radar, socks and mufflers from home. They may be actions of invisibility or secret listening .
The warrior uses magic to toughen his body and technique, and by extension his 'body weapons', the airplane, the ship, the horse or tank, the missle. He will resort to secret drinks or potions, special liniments, etc. He receives secret training techniques from divine origins. He will perform his training in the attitude of prayer and dedication.
The spiritual study of the warrior is more important than the physical in many ways. Combat is far past the physical abilities of any man; he acts in exhaustion, deafness, pain and privation. The cultivation of the indomitable intention is done in a posture of effecting magic. He 'calls the tiger' or eats the heart of his enemy or of the Bear, collects the heads of defeated enemy or his weapons and artifacts, in order to subjugate his opponents spirit. He pursues the ritual combat in times of peace; gaming, caravan or expedition, hunting, arts and letters, and imbues them with the same importance as the combat experience.
The warrior will weaken his enemy by magical projections and ritual against him. He will seek to understand the intention of the enemy and confuse it, to break his timing and focus. The warrior seeks to controll the weather and the environment against the enemy, to cause him sickness, foul his supplies and sabotage him. He will seek to dominate the enemy with a cloud of dispair.
The natural ally of any warrior is Righteousness. The warrior will seek Heavenly Allies. He will offer sacrifice, penance or loot. He will maintain his honour and integrity in times of no war.
The inevitable product of the warrior is death. He must deal with the departed enemy, his departed comrades, spirit assistants that are no longer useful, and defend against the spirit assistants of his opponent.
With any victory, including survival, comes the obligation to pay for magical power used.. Sacrifices are due, penances must be performed, ritual celebrations; the toast, the virgins' gift, regarding the trophies and offering them to the powers.
"Science is Magic that everyone can do." says some program for children. Someday, science will explain even more of what is now considered to be magic and people will wonder how we ever thought that projecting the ch'i was impossible and not replicable in a laboratory. At one time, poisons were thought 'magical'; predicting eclipses or weather, introducing sickness into cattle, or killing a man by hitting a 'chi meridian.
All through the ages and in all cultures, people have practiced martial magic; magic in aid of prevailing over enemies, magic of healing, magic of preparation for death of ourselves. How much was pointless and how much was a manipulation of power not yet understood by Science is conjecture, but what is not conjecture is that the field of study may yield something that saves your life some day.
If you choose to fight with only science, you will ignore a body of knowlege garnered over millennia by people whose lives depended on it. If you wait for Science to explain it, you may wait for a long time. How do you measure TaijiQuan, how does PaQua work? Is the Ketchak dancer heavier or lighter during the trance, what's a trance? Does mushin mind cause synapses to fire more quickly, then why isn't cha-no-yu done 'quickly'? Obviously, martial magic has answers for which Science has no questions and questions for which Science has no arbiter.
Religion is the place to look. Most religions seem to be systems of cosmology required to answer basic martial questions: Who am I? Who are You? Why are We Fighting? What will Happen when I Kill You? and Laugh? All systems from 'simple' Animism to Evolved Transgenderspecific Deity Identification in the Individual Expressed as Center of the Universe have answers to those and other questions from the martial practitioner, rituals to appease or consequences to punish, means to protect the warrior and to confound the Enemy.
Magic gives us impenetrable shields, Science gives us high tech shoes or slow video kinetic examination, TaiChi knew about that a thousand years ago. Animism tells us to listen to the spirit of the Tree, science tells us which wood makes good spear shafts by resonance sound produced by percussion. The list is long of magical knowlege later explained in terms of definite science and should indicate to us that there is more field for interested exploration.
THE FORM OF THE MAIDEN BATHING
Copyright 1994 Chas Clements
As in any other Silat, Kilap Betawi de Thouars is presented in the guise of animals, mythical figures, elementals, in order to practice a particular combative attitude. The "form" carries the same movements, the same techniques as with any other practice of the Pentjak- what changes is the intention of concept behind the movement.
A young maiden goes to the pool and disrobes, enters the water and bathes- secure in the knowlege that she is alone. She washes her hair, soaps and rinses her body. She hears a noise and reacts modestly. She exits the pool, towels dry and puts on her clothing.
The form, "Young Maiden Bathing", is a practice of the Sicar Dalem 'Inner Circle' or 'Close Guard' aspect of KunTao Silat Betawi. It is primarily focused at the skeleton of the practitioner. It trains the tight spacial awareness needed to combat an ambush. In an ambush, one reacts to the opponents violent attack already launched; long distance defences are already breached. The first movements receive the attack, redirect or defeat the attack, defeat the opponent.
The muscles protect the body at distance. The muscles deliver the skeleton out away from the body and pull it back. At close ranges, the muscles don't have the contraction distance or the extension range. The skeleton takes over as the delivery system for offence and defence.
The form teaches use of the skeletal shield; the cloture of the abdomen by retracting the pelvis, closing the shoulders and dropping the arms naturally in front of the body. The maiden brushes her hair, protecting the head, raising the elbows. She sweeps the front of the body, pivoting out of targeting direction.
How can you run with the wolves if you don't eat red meat?
copyright 1994 Chas Clements
Living just down the street from Boulder, Aspen and the New Age Centre of the Universe, (Shirley MacLaines' house), I often have had occasion to hear about the New Mens' Movement. I have been assailed by naked, chanting, drum beating, wolf-howling 'seekers of themselves' like you wouldn't believe. They deplore the loss of responsible men; honour, duty, country, the family. They see the decline of the power of men; the internal substance of strength and tenacity, the acceptance of morality and the duty to teach it to our youngsters. Well, search no longer Guys, that New Man you seek is down at the dojo- has been for years. (Dojo: jargon, martial arts study place, orig. Japanese. See: kwoon, dojang, kendang, backyard)
Since forever, the Warrior has been the highest expression of any culture. Great Warriors have been also the great philosophers, great poets, great sculptors and painters, leaders and statesmen. The Warrior has been the saviour of his family; the protector of his religion, culture, treasures and the land. He alone, of any other class, stands ready to present his integrity to his Maker on a moments notice. He alone, of any other class, stands ready to present your integrity to your Maker in defense of his people and to answer for his actions with his life and eternal soul. The Warrior is answerable for all his actions, instantly, with his own death. The sacrifice of life is arguably the supreme gift; whether that life of the enemy or ones' own.
Want to learn self-discipline, humility, dignity & reserve, tenacity, tradition & honour, assertion and self confidence? All schools of martial arts teach honour to the Family, duty to our country, brotherhood of all good people, obeying the law, resisting oppression, the freedom of the individual, personal responsibility, and respect for the Creator of us all. The practice of martial art teaches us to conquer fear, to step forward for unpleasant duty, to honour deep learning and practice, to respect age and character, to constantly expand our learning and to test its' worth.
No one values Life more than the Warrior, no one wants Peace more than the man who practices War. (Remember, if War was fun, they'd call it Fiesta) It is the Warrior that pays the first price of War. We hide the casualties away in hospitals or 'veterans' homes', we hide the hideous price that we pay for our privilege of freedom and safety. Dilletantes, secure in their own decadence, sneer at the concept of duty and 'abhor violence', as if that would make it go away. They value the opportunity to taste new fruit or enjoy sound and light and dance, but not enough to fight for it.
It is constantly amazing to me the perversion of the dogmas of religions, philosophies, 'ways' of being, to exclude the necessity of martial training and expression. Christians, Muslims, the Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Shinto, Tibetan all exhalt the Warrior; his training, character, expression in battle, prayers for his success. The Modernist expression of religion; the hope for Peace, the value of Life, the posture of ones' spiritual being, has grown in Europe and America because of their wonderfully protected status. They cling to the idea that their example will change the bandits and barbarians of the world, when all it does is excite contempt. There is no Nerf-World- whatever your spiritual posture, you will be called upon to deal with those that don't share it.
Mr. Clements is a forty year practitioner of martial arts. For the last seventeen years he has studied in the grace of the DeThouars family of champion practitioners.
Heartless Monkey Knife
copyright 1993- Chas Clements
In the KunTao Silat Malabar deThouars, the use of animal stylings derives from the Sumatran Menangkebau Silat of the Bugis tribe, the Three Crowns of China and the Five Houses of Shaolin practiced as KunTao. It practices specific martial skills, attitudes and variations by using the animal model to carry a memory of instruction. The deep training of the martial spirit is the quality of focus and visualizing that the practitioner can discipline his mind to accomplish. The activity of excersizing in the attitude of a particular animal gives us an opportunity to remember intellectual martial knowlege in a physical manner for body memory.
Many animals are taken as models for martial practice, additionally there are variations of attitude and sometimes an implication of spiritual identification. The swallow, otter, Garuda or Raja-Naga, Noble Lady of Patriot Forest, Young Maiden Bathing are some of the types of martial forms practiced in the Indonesian systems on the hundreds of islands, and in the thousands of tribes that live on them. It is not only that the physical attitude is mimicked, but that the attitude and spirit of the model is emulated and studied. Obviously, the techniques of calling the animal spirit is outside the parameters of this article. This discussion is on the very basic level so as to speak to many arts.
The Monkey/Ape attitude in particular provides a sophisticated system of footwork for virtually all other combat practices. Any weapon, body type, purpose of fighting, etc. is well served by monkey footwork. Monkey is our closest relative of the animal group and his knowlege of combat is similar to our own. Monkey's concerned with keeping his head just as we are; Tiger fights Monkey, Snake fights Monkey, RajaNaga fights Monkey, he answers them all. Man has nothing to teach Monkey, we can only learn!
The smaller practitioner of KunTao Silat (Fighting Fist Concept) can utilize the monkey called "Monjet", the smaller monkey and the larger practitioner can use Kalong, the larger ape. Berok, Mandrill, Maccaque, Chimpanzee, Ngkrik, Tjikak, another Baboon type, and the "Old Man of the Jungle", Orang Utan, are some of the other "monkey or ape" stylings. The monkey styles of Honan Shaolin, aspected by both HsingPo (IeHsing Ie) and the PoKwa Zen (Paqua) are melded to the Silat understanding of the immediate combative nature. The monkey types modeled are those indigenous to the Indonesian archipelago and not those of the Chinese mainland. This cultural aspect of the monkey can account for much of the difference in the forma of the art, the Pentjak, as opposed to the more classical and formal Chinese performance. The silat, the combative knowlege, is the fruit of the synthesis of Indonesian and Chinese experiences forged in actual conflict.
The European/American "classical" style knife fighter goes for the big cut; he waits for, or forces, an opening and commits the blade edge deeply in the slash or the point to the stab. He will use the feint to call his opponents position into opening for the major wound. He is concerned in not being touched by the opponent; overiding his armor and smashing his defense in one passado.
The Western fighter has a cultural memory of large knives, armored opponents and fighting with the presentation of a shield. Western fighters stay behind the knife, they have very few decoy moves (besides the feint), and emphasize fully committed strikes to overcome armor or heavy clothing. Ancillary weapons, the rest of the body, are not used aggressively, positional and skeletal decoys are not explored, nor is the live hand aspect. The heavy clothing of the more northern peoples, and the easy availability of metal tools very early in the culture could have had some relativity to that stylistic requirement. Piercing, not immediately fatal, is favored; the major cut to the boney extremity is next, cuts to the body, external organs, attacks to the tendons or blood system are not commonly taught.
Many of the Asian arts wait for the big cut; Japanese/Okinawan/Korean, many of the Chinese wushu practitioners, northern India (the Moghul stylists), and so on. Again, the cultural memory is of strong clothing; large, heavy, broadly made knives- thick backed with a wedge ground edge geometry. Styles depend on broad movements, sweeping cuts utilizing the swing weight of the weapon, heavy pommel strikes and piercing with the inertia of the blade as a major aspect of the thrust. These styles also have to emphasize the recovery from the swing weight of the blade and the withdrawal of the blade from the wound channel. Great endurance is needed for the heavy sword or knife and emphasis is on that training.
It is in Indonesia that we see the expression of art known as 'Heartless Monkey'; an art of small knives, small slashes and stabs, small movement and big results. Heartless Monkey has no 'second thoughts'; no compassion, no regret, no remorse, no reservations. Heartless Monkey has no respect for your Humanity; your unique status as a Human Being deserving of anything, he sees you as a Snake. Think of Monkey- he screams and capers, plucking, pulling and twisting, always in motion. He doesn't react to attack or pain or fright. He attacks heartlessly, pitilessly, without regard for his opponent. He fights to vulnerabilitys; the skin, the blood, the tendons, the eyes, the breath. He immobilizes the skeleton and carves the meat off.
It is usually a small knife; sometimes single edged, sometimes double- always very sharp, very pointed, sometimes carried in sets, sometimes in singles carried around the body. Much of the time, the knife is carried in the front of the body, on either side of the navel. The knife in sheath serves as extra armor, a closed knife can be used as a small hand stick and the hand movements to access the knife are naturally to the center of the body. The common sheathes are wood or horn with no retaining device; they slip forth the blade instantly. It does mean that one must be aware of the knife at all times. The sheath is not attached to the belt or sash, it can be positioned in any way convenient.
With the large knife, its weight does the cutting- with a small knife, your body does the cutting. The leverage of a cut with a small knife is dependant on the rigidity of the wrist and the positioning of the horizontal bones of the shoulders. The large knife seems to require a powerful wrist and the positioning of the waist for the extra leverage needed by the greater weight committment. One learns to "ride" the small edge while on the opponent, maintaining the cutting contact as long as is convenient, repositioning the body to extend the cutting action.
The monkey sylings of Indonesian
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.2 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.