Why Silat?

[infinite beginner]

It all to do with why I like this art. one thing is damn fun. Never has anything exhausted so much effort to do something effortlessly.Its
like you walk in the door and see someone walking on a tight rope
and they make it look easy.and then you try it after a few years
you might make it across and then the wire is raised and you take the same skills you learned on the low wire and you walk across the high wire the only thing that changes ,is the danger.

 

[infinite beginner]

The hardest part is the measure of too little or too much.measure of distance, measure of pressure,measure of timing,measure of ballance,measure of force,measure of resistance

 

[infinite beginner]

What some call silat others call martial science.Human genius finds its way thru every culture.thru spiritual beliefs,nature, hunting, warfare, feasting, art,music and dance,all seen as one thing conected inseparable silat evolved.or to put it this way how can you seperate the art from the culture with out affecting both.

 

[infinite beginner]

Like Jim Morrison says "Dance on fire"," Untill The End"You have to hear the silat music of your style in the back of your mind when you train.

 

[infinite beginner]

There is almost a symbiotic battle between the music and the dance
as if the musicians were trying to throw off the dancers, to challenge them always breaking their timing.

 

[infinite beginner]

when every jurus feels like the same move you know your art, but the hardest part is finding enough pieces to put it all together with out bastardizing mixing systems twisting traditions.you dont learn technique you are technique.you move in head to toe sychronicity,and since it is a full body response, it shouldn't much matter which jurus that you choose.against any attack.you move like an animal, as one ,aware of all your weapons and weaknesses at once.your mind is clear with out fear.
only pure awareness and cautious confidence

 

[infinite beginner]

fear comes in many forms could courage exist with out fear.fear is always
ready to fight you like a perpetual opponent with in that never surrenders.physical fear thrives on tension create's division in motion
and seperations in timing.The problem is silat wont work unless you are
calm and relaxed no chi etc...it as much mastery of emotional management as physical discipine.if you are calm, confident in your matterial and focused it will increase your skills tenfold

 

[Tensei85]

Based on my limited training in the following Silat Serak & Haramurti Silat.

Take note, I train when ever possible but my interactions were limited.

But I've always had a lot of respect for the various styles of Silat, the techniques are perfectly applicable to virtually every scenario.

The training was truly awesome as well!

Its definitely something that one day I would like to persue in more detail.

 

[infinite beginner]

silat is like a huge umbrella .of all the arts, it might be the most impossible to define,certainly the most mysterious and misunderstood.under the premise that there are many many varieties of silat practitioners viewing sights like this the objective has been to boast generalities in order shed light and discover similarities.Im trying to provoke contradiction.your silat is not my silat even if we have the same teacher. to refine skills you must personalize them. this the way Ive been taught to look at it

 

[Glycerine0160]

I probably won't be doing it this summer, maybe next summer. But definitely once I get my Bachelors degree I want to spend some time to train elsewhere.

The place I am at right now doesn't really offer the more intense training one would really desire. The price is quite the bargain, but in my 18-20 months of training, I feel its time to start taking things seriously. (we probably train 10-20% in our training, and our sparring is probably about 50% while pulling almost everything off the punches and kicks)

I'm looking for a silat or silat/kali mixture.
ATM my school is (jkd, kali, silat)

My one friend told me he knows this great place in minnesota if I'd be willing to live out there (I'm from jersey)

Obviously Cali would be great with inosanto out there and all, but I'd prefer a relatively closer place and wouldn't mind a cheaper standard of living while im out there. (despite jersey and cali are similar in that regard)


My friend said his personal opinion is he likes learning in a mixed silat environment, although he has been to places with one strict type and said they were good.
I don't really have thoughts on this, perhaps maybe someone here can offer that.

But out of all the knowledge anyone has here about a great place to train, what would your insight be on that? What would be your favorite suggestion for a place to learn silat?

 

[doc D]

You can find some Pencak Silat Mande Muda Instructors on www.suwandaacademy.com. Rob Mckay is up that way or check out www.pecahan.com
I list some Texas folks on www.texassilat.org
The JKD schools are easier to find here in the USA and often offer some silat ( Maphilindo silat) . In many cases other forms of silat are still hard to find. Getting training might require relocation or be as simple as developing a "long distance training relationship" with a teacher .
With Respect,

Doc D.

 

[Glycerine0160]

You can find some Pencak Silat Mande Muda Instructors on www.suwandaacademy.com. Rob Mckay is up that way or check out www.pecahan.com
I list some Texas folks on www.texassilat.org
The JKD schools are easier to find here in the USA and often offer some silat ( Maphilindo silat) . In many cases other forms of silat are still hard to find. Getting training might require relocation or be as simple as developing a "long distance training relationship" with a teacher .
With Respect,

Doc D.

Thanks.

Rob Mckay seems like he knows his stuff while just looking at the website.

I also checked out this Minnesota Kali Group which teaches Maphilindo Silat like you said.

The thing I really like about the MKG is they teach throughout the day, and if I'm staying at a location to learn, that seems more ideal as opposed to Mckay who only teaches tues/thurs. for 90 minutes.

That's how I see it so far. Cause I really just want to spend my time training where ever I travel.

 

[infinite beginner]

It matter's not how many times you can hit ,only how many times you will not get hit.every deflection is a deception of perception.

 

[infinite beginner]

to grab with the wrist is a refined skill

 

[Jimi]

To type with the hand is a grand skill of the will. Never to be triffled with. Hi Infinite. Just wanted to keep in touch. A touch is a punch or a kick or even a shove to off balance is the key to the universe. Universal interception is the deception of the wise, or smart @$$.

Steve Braun in Maryland has quite a bit of experience with Mande Muda and I belive Bukti Negara as well. He should not be hard to find.

 

[infinite beginner]

I am glad some people don't understand what I write

 

[Jimi]

I understand, but I believe it is pretentious to behave so enlightened as if your opinion/words are Silat Gospel. You think I do not understand because I am not wrapped up or charmed in your musings. You would not believe I do not understand Silat if we simply crossed arms/shins. I just don't believe your writtings are specific to only Silat and it is just word play to sound insightful. That is unenlightened.

I simply believe you try to write over peoples heads in short vague segments to feel superior to those who do not get it from your word smithery (?is that a real word?) As I have said before Silat is engraved upon my heart until the end. Otherwise I will discuss Silat in a manner which most can try to understand rather than speak as though I were the high and mighty Silat Grand Inquistitor. LOL.

I trust your Jurus, Sambuts and words have brought you up to a plane of consiousness not unlike ascending to Silat Heaven and we down here can not understand the Divine Language of the Infinite Beginner. If you truely think I do not understand Silat or your expressions simply because I am not enthrawled by your choice of fancifull wordings of nuggets o' wisedom, then I am glad you think I do not understand.

Many have said before that your wording throws people off, not that what you write can not have deep meaning. I feel that your words can have much meaning just not specific to only Silat. Previously when you and I discussed this you threw an Authors name at me as if to insult my writting (Childrens book Author maybe) as if I were beneath you. LOL. I see that you may be an aspiring writter (just from that engagment and your posting) so is this true Silat insight or practice for your Novel or Obituary/Movie Critic columns? I jabbed that at you on purpose man.

I expect some sort of sharply worded retort belittling and degrading my understanding of Silat and the beauty of the written word or something of the like so you can stand as a superior word smith and keeper of Silats Sacred knowledge. LOL.

I wish I could BS as well as you, but my words are much more grounded than that of the Grammatical Weavings of the Infinite One.

BTW, the Indonesian, Malay and Filipino languages of differing Silat systems origins do not express the same as the well worded written english lanuage. Such charming musings would carry much more effect if drawn from the language of origin and then translated for us unenlightened. Otherwise many will choke on the Fortune Cookie Speak. LOL.

Yours truely, this lost soul of Silat, Jimi

 

[Glycerine0160]

hahaha.


You two should get married in Indonesia.
Although, I think the miscommunication will end it in divorce.

 

[infinite beginner]

As far as I can tell silat is above all our heads. I like to train I like to write tryin stop me.

 

[Jimi]

Not trying to stop you. I simply expressed my opinion of your postings and the relation between other peoples opinion of the way you post = sounding like your insights are inspired by the divine. LOL. It is clear you care for Silat, just think your writtings are not worded well for those who want to discuss Silat below the Philisophical spiritual ehterial aspects as insinuated in your postings.

My own belief is that Silat in many of its differing systems is DAMN combative. While training in a few systems myself as well as Shooto Shoot Wrestling i have seen that the weapons (stick, blade=barong karambit etc...) work aside Silat can tear a body asunder using many techniques that Shooto would find illegal in practice or competition. this i absolutely believe is quite a compliment to Silat. You can word you posts as you wish no doubt as can I, but neither of us can expect that no-one will have something critical to post in response. (We will never get married in Indonesia nor divorced, LOL)

I do believe you have some experience in Sliat, how much time in, what systems & under which Pendakar or Guro is undefined as far as i can tell, but that does not mean you can not have an opinion. i just find the way you write to sound like a high schooler trying to sound like they have a college philsophy professors insights. Grew up with calling professors of philosophy & public policy by their first names as I was a campus rat.

If I could interact here about Silat with you without it being a battle of wills as to who is the better (More spiritualy deep insightful poster) and discuss technique without it being about us, i would be quite pleased. It is not about pleasing me though, it is about why Silat?

Trying to discuss tech/priciple here. In Mande Muda, the typical stance is a forward leaning stance for balance and pressure. i was instructed that the founder of Mande Muda had a physical condition effecting one of his legs and maybe more and this stance was his adaptation to ensure his forward crying on the shoulder pressure.

For other practitioners of this system not affected by such a condition, and specific aspect to training the stance has been shared. it invovles a string, i worked this quite a bit more than a decade ago. i respect it for it helped.

Anyone else familiar with this? i would like to discuss.

i apologize for my long winded post, just want to clear the air between infinite and myself so maybe we all, including infinite can discuss this on a level the rest of us can be down with.

Infinite, you can respond as simply or as philisophical as you wish, just as before simply hoping for more discussion of Silat than hearing someones (In my opinion) high handed writtings.