The mother of all martial arts Kalari Payattu

[fist of fury]

Anybody have any experience with this art?
here's a few websites
http://amritha.freeyellow.com/

This site has some video clips
http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/tnd/kalari/kalari.html

 

[Cthulhu]

Originally posted by fist of fury

Anybody have any experience with this art?
here's a few websites
http://amritha.freeyellow.com/

This site has some video clips
http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/tnd/kalari/kalari.html

I think very few Westerners have had any exposure to this art, much less experience.

I've seen articles on this art in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. With that resource, and the link to the videos that you've kindly provided, I can't see this as being anything than really fast yoga. I can't see it being effective as a martial art hundreds of years ago and I certainly can't see it being effective now.

I don't see how this system could be considered the 'mother of all martial arts'.

Thanks for providing the vid clips link! It was interesting to see the system in motion.

Cthulhu

 

[fist of fury]

Yeah it does seem like fast yoga. I had heard that this was suppsosedly the art that most m.a. system derived from, but I wasn't real sure on the subject. Thats why I posted it here hoping someone here might have more insight.

 

[Rob Broad]

I recently seen and taped a great documentary about this art. It required the limberness of Yoga, but it is fierce, while retaining beautiful fluid motion.

 

[Zepp]

Those websites are no longer around. Mind giving us the 411 on this art? Is it from India?

 

[Rob Broad]

The art is from India, and starts off with students learning basics like all other arts, but inthis style the basics are really limbering, then there are open hand combat scenarios, and finally weapons.

http://www.kalaripayattu.org/

http://www.kalari-koeln.de/

http://www.kerala.com/sivasakthi/

http://www.ernakulam.com/kalari.htm

Here are some active links which are full of great information.

 

[pailyn]

For everyone's information

Kalaripayatt is still practised and is not a dead art.

Kalari originates from Kerala India.
Since all sorts of martial arts were banned from India by the British during Colonial times, it had to be practised underground by only members of the family who taught the art.

Only when India got independance, about 50ish years ago, did kalari centers arise again.

If your looking to study Kalari, good luck. either you have to go to find a few handful of schools in europe, or go to india. You are probably never going to find any books or self-help videos, since everything is taught by spoken word (viatharia in malayalam, the langauge of keralites)

The best way to learn the art is to go to Kerala and look for a kalari school.
Also keep in mind there are two different types of kalari, northen and southern. Northern concentrates on weapons and footwork, while the southern style concentrates more on unarmed combat and pressure points, although both styles has elements in both fields.

I myself have went to study in one of these centers myself. In Cochin, Kerala, there are C.V.N Kalari (the kalari where Jackie chan visited when he was working on his fim, the Myth, which was in the 2005 cannes film festival), and there is E.N.S Kalari in Nettoor, Cochin, Kerala. I studied at E.N.S Kalari, and was supprised since they taught both northern and sothern styles of the art.


for more information you can go to my master's site:
http://www.enskalari.org.in/index.htm

or watch the demonstration for ENS Kalari videos at
http://video.webindia123.com/art/kalari/basics/index.htm


The videos show a good selection on staff fighting, dagger fighting, differnet types of sword fighting, spear and mace fighting, and several excersizes practiced as well.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

It is a great art and alot of fun to practice. While I have had the opportunity to train in Kerela I would not call myself an advanced practitioner of Kalari Payattu. Needless to say it is a dynamic martial system with lots of weapons, kicking and hand techniques. Generally long time practitioners are very flexible and have tremendous back flexibility. There is also a massage/healing portion to the art, vital points and more. Since my extended family lives in Kerela I have the opportunity to go there and train once in a blue moon. Needless to say if you can ever make it there you will definately enjoy it.

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com