The format of your class

[Sadiqwarriorarts]

I always find interesting the contrast of peoples class routines.

Would you please share what a normal class is like in your system?

1. We like starting with either footwork drills or with a training set (Juru)

2. We then break the training set down, emphasizing certain principles and concepts from the set for the class.

3. Once we introduce the principle or concept for the class, we then train in different ways to use the concept or principle thus leading us to

4. The applications utilizing the previous used concept or principle

5. Finally, we encourage to students to "play" and find things on their own.

This is our basic format. Of course things vary from class to class.

Peace & Blessings!

Darrell Sarjeant

 

[jks9199]

General class format is:

Warm ups; about 15 to 20 or 30 minutes. Preparation for class & teaching exercises that students can do in their own time.

Drills; review of basic drills to remind ourselves what we're supposed to be doing. Sometimes class becomes review of drills...

Lesson; variable. Sometimes it's forms. Sometimes it's drilling a principle or working a technique. I generally try to do partner work for at least part of class, and sometimes sparring.

Wrap up & close of class; just what it says.

Classes generally last about 2 hours, sometimes a bit longer.

 

[Antara]

Modern silat organizations have standard curriculum and fixed training schedule, typically three times a week, two hours each, where students have clear lesson plan to progress with. However, traditional communities such as my perguruan (school) still retain the old way of practicing, or mixed with modern method to some degree.

In typical traditional perguruan, there is no standardized curriculum, hence no rank. Each student is tended by the guru personally. Student needs to practice his/her lesson until the guru think he/she is ready to take the next lesson. Hence, each student progress differently.

Usually we started with massed jurus practice, the more jurus you know, the longer you stay in rank. Newer students leave the line once they have performed all the juruses they know.

After the most senior students finished, everybody practice his/her own lesson separately. The guru will call each student in turn to show his/her progress. It could be jurus performance, sambut (isi practice) with partner, spar with other student, or even sambut/spar with the guru. The guru then gives feedback on the student’s performance.

In my childhood, class usually lasted the whole night. Started around 8 pm after night prayer in mosque, until about 4 am, right before the call for morning prayer is sounded. Typically class is held in pelataran (open space) in front of local mosque. Of course the class is very relax, you don’t expect people to keep practicing for 8 hours every night. Some even take sometime to sleep.

Children finished at 10pm. They may choose to either return home or sleep in the mosque. Usually children aged 6 and up are expected to sleep in mosque, so they learn not to miss the morning prayer.

Students are expected (but not obliged) to bring food or snack to share. Coffee is always available. Those who are in ronda (night watch) duty take tour around the village every one hour.

So much for the old days, most of us were no longer farmer … so class is usually held until 10 pm. Except for weekend… sometime we still practice for the whole night, for sake of nostalgia. Still, I know some perguruans that retain such old practice, usually deep in countryside.

Salam hormat,

 

[jks9199]

Interesting; during the group juru practice, when students step out because they don't know the next, what do they do? Stand on the side & watch? Practice what they know off to the side?

 

[Antara]

There is no rule...

some people don't like their body cooling down waiting, so they use the time to practice on their own... some just watch, trying to appreciate the higher juruses (people say that watching your senior or guru performing juruses is as important as any part of your training)... while other helping prepare the coffee...:lol:

Those junior students usually have the first chance to perform in front of their teacher, so they don't wait for too long.