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Many Asian countries have each evolved their own system of martial arts, and Malaysia is no exception. Most Westerners are familiar with Karate, Judo, Tae-kwondo and Kung-fu thanks to action movies from Hollywood and Hong Kong. Yet there is also a graceful, yet deadly, martial art called Seni Silat that is deeply rooted in Malay culture. This art of self-defence is practised not only in Malaysia but also in Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and in varying degrees even in the Philippines and Southern Thailand. In Indonesia, Silat is referred to as Pencak Silat, while in the Philippines it is called Kali Silat. The late Bruce Lee, Hong Kong’s martial arts legend and founder of Jeet Kwon-do, was also known to have been learning Silat to prepare for his next movie prior to his untimely demise.

The word Silat is coined from the term “Si Kilat”, meaning “one who moves like lightning.” However, the origins of Silat are hard to trace because of lack of written records; nevertheless, it is believed that Indonesia is its birthplace. This martial art resulted from the observation of the fighting tactics of animals such as monkeys, tigers, eagles and cobras. Such movements were slowly built up into an elaborate system of self-defence. The turbulent history of the Malay Archipelago made fighting ability a much-valued asset; thus, silat spread far and wide throughout the region.

Archaeological finds indicated that formalised fighting systems had existed during the 6th century in the Malay Archipelago. Warriors from the ancient kingdoms of Srivijaya in Sumatra (4th to 7th century) and Majapahit (13th to 16th century) displayed effective Silat skills that enabled them to overrun what is now Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. According to Hisbullah Rahman in his book titled “History of the Development of Pencak Silat in Indonesia”, many Chinese went to Srivijaya’s University of Nalanda to learn both Silat and Buddhism. Early trade and migration from other countries also brought foreign influences to Silat. As a result, many Indonesian Pencak Silat systems feature Hindu weapons such as the trisula (forked truncheon), Indian grappling styles, Siamese costumes and Arabian weapons. Early migration by settlers from Indonesia fleeing from clan wars and, later, Dutch domination gradually swept Silat to the Malay peninsula.

Malaysia’s legendary Silat experts were Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat who lived during the reign of Sultan Mansur Shah (1459-1477) in Melaka. Today, though the Multimedia Super Corridor is paving the way for the IT era in the country, Silat is still alive and kicking. Both rural villages as well as cities have Silat schools. Silat performances are incorporated into wedding ceremonies, official functions and the performing arts. The national organisation for the promotion of Silat is the Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) or The Malaysian National Silat Federation.

Silat has many styles, and they are named after the region of origin, an animal, its founder, a spiritual principle or a physical action. An estimated 200 styles are currently practised. Among the two most popular styles are Silat Seni Gayong and Silat Cekak. Silat Seni Gayong was founded by the late Dato’ Meor Abdul Rahman bin Uda Mohd Hashim (1915-1991). It has practitioners in the Middle East, America and Europe. A Bugis, Dato’ Meor was a direct descendant of Daeng Merewah, a famous silat expert from Sulawesi. Silat Cekak has is roots in Kedah, and was developed by the late Ustaz Haji Hanafi bin Haji Ahmad. During the reign of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin (1854-1879), it was widely practised by his senior warriors. While many Silat Gayong moves are acrobatic, Silat Cekak techniques are mostly executed with a straight posture. A third school of Silat that also has a huge following in Malaysia is Silat Lincah.

Silat Gayong Fatani is infused with influences from Muay Thai or Thai kick-boxing. Silat Chikalong is based on the wing motions of a flying bat while Silat Harimau feature techniques similar to that of an attacking tiger. From Kelantan comes Silat Kelantan which is similar to Japanese judo as it incorporates a lot of throws and locks. In East Malaysia, Silat Betawi (named after Batavia, the Dutch name for Jakarta) has a strong following. This style is similar to Chinese Kun Tow (martial arts) and originated from Java. Silat Medan emphasizes weapon techniques, while Silat Setia Hati is named after a flower, which is beautiful yet deadly poisonous. Distinguishing the various styles of silat is not easy, and only experts can do so.

Irrespective of the style, silat consists of two dimensions: the pulut and the buah. Pulut is soft glutinous rice that is eaten at wedding receptions and gatherings. Therefore, Pulut simply refers to the aesthetically beautiful moves that are executed for entertainment purposes. Pulut is also referred to as Bunga (flower). On, the other hand, Buah, (which literally means Fruit) alludes to the practical aspects that are not displayed to the public. In actual combat, however, both the Bunga and Buah are combined with devastating effects. Bunga will distract and confuse the opponent with its graceful moves, which will suddenly change into explosive strikes at lighting speed -the Buah. In this strategy, the Flower leads to the Fruit.

The traditional attire of the silat exponent is a pair of loose pants and top. A sash completes the outfit. For exhibition purposes, a tengkolok is usually worn. Silat instructors are categorized according to the following levels: kang (lowest), guru, pendekar and mahaguru. In the olden days, finding a Silat instructor was extremely difficult as each teacher used different criteria in selecting students, though the prime consideration was always character and moral standard.

Training with weapons plays an important role in the advanced stage of silat. Depending on the curriculum of the school, a student is expected to master the following: kris (a short wavy dagger), pisau (a short knife), tali (rope), belantan (cudgel), pedang (sword), lawi ayam (a sickle), tongkat (a walking stick made of hardwood), tekpi (trisula), and badik (dagger with straight cutting edge and a back curving at the tip)..

Silat offensive moves are usually executed with the arm, knee, fist, elbow and legs. In addition, there may be a combination of claws, tear and pokes to the vital points. The Silat exponent practises with a combination of Juru-juru (or upper body manouevres) and Langkah (or footwork). The amount of emphasis on one or the other depends on the style and tactical approach.

Silat is not just a system of fighting techniques. There is also the spiritual and moral dimension that complements the blows, locks and kicks. Most Silat instructors in Malaysia are Muslim so their spiritual systems reflect the tenets of Islam. However, Silat transcends religion. In the Philippines, for example, Kali Silat incorporates Catholic ideals in its spiritual dimension, while in Bali, Hindu teachings are prevalent in its spiritual component. This religious aspect of Silat is aimed at personal development.

The future for Silat is exciting. Though, The Netherlands, by virtue of its historical association with Indonesia already has a strong following, Silat schools and interest groups are expanding in Japan, USA, France and the United Kingdom. The establishment of Pencak Silat Federation of the United Kingdom, Silat Federation of United Kingdom and Pencak Silat Bongkot of France are testimony of the growing popularity of this art of hand-to-hand combat.

In a startlingly unsurprising fight, Joe Calzaghe completely dominated Roy Jones save for a well placed first-round Jones forearm to the face of Calzaghe.

Jones Jr. vs. Calzaghe is a fight that should have happened 5 to 7 years ago. Calzaghe is still in his prime and Jones is well past his. But is it Calzaghe’s fault that Roy got old? Not really. The fight never took place back when it should have because Calzaghe was busy selling out arenas in the UK and couldn’t see coming to the States to fight for less money. Jones didn’t feel that he should have to make the multi-tectonic plate journey to Calzaghe’s ‘hood to fight him. But let’s be realistic here. Roy was without question the king of the mountain in those days. And if you (aka Calzaghe) want to be the king of said mountain you need to go to the mountain. You can’t expect the mountain to come to you.

So what’s next for these two?

Joe Calzaghe seems to have slightly backed off of his promise that Jones would be his last fight, saying that he would think it over before making a final decision. But who is left for him to fight?

Some, including HBO’s Max Kellerman are saying that his last bit of unfinished business is with Chad Dawson. Dawson, the young, fast handed and talented IBF light heavyweight champ is fresh off of a convincing win over the aged, “legend in his own mouth” Antonio Tarver.

But is there any clear and convincing reason why Calzaghe should give Dawson the opportunity? I don’t think so. Dawson is anything but a household name. The public is certainly not clamoring to see it, which means it is not a huge money fight. And at 36 years of age and having been super middleweight champion for more than a decade, Calzaghe has earned the right to either retire or to fight only big names for big money at this point in his career.

There is still some chatter among boxing fans that Calzaghe has never beaten a truly mega-talented fighter in his prime. I disagree. I believe that Mikkel Kessler is the best super middleweight and possibly the best light heavyweight in the world behind Calzaghe. And Calzaghe schooled him.

So walk away Joe. And take your 0 with you.

On to Roy Jones. Is there any doubt that he is but a shadow of what he once was? His hand speed is still excellent, although not what it used to be. The issue with Roy is his legs. He used to use them to leap in, throw power shots and then get the hell out of the way before his opponents could retaliate. He is no longer able to do that.

There is near unanimous consent among fans and insiders that Roy is long overdue to bronze his jockstrap and focus on his beloved cockfighting, but I think there is one more fight out there for him. And I expect to be met with a cacophony of jeers when I say that Bernard Hopkins is his next and last logical opponent.

I can hear you all screaming WHAT??? Well, allow me to make my case. For one thing, this is a rematch that is more than 15 years in the making. Roy is the only fighter to have soundly and convincingly beaten Hopkins. Granted, that was when Roy still moved like an electron circling a nucleus. But stylistically, I see this as a good matchup even today.

Roy still has the hand speed to contend with Hopkins. And Roy really doesn’t need the legs of Seabiscuit to deal with Bernard. Although Hopkins uses his legs, he won’t be confused with Big Brown at the Preakness. He tends to move “smart” rather than swift. Roy still has enough left to make this an interesting fight.

Roy has been clamoring to restore his image since his first loss to Tarver. With Hopkins coming off a schooling of Kelly Pavlik, this is his best chance. Hopkins would be favored and rightfully so, but if I’m Roy, this is the fight I would try to make.

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One thing that becomes painfully evident to anyone who has been studying the Ninja’s warrior arts for any length of time is…the shear impossibility of being able to practice all that you’ve learned. After even a short time in training, the number of skills, technique models known as “kata,” and weapons hits a point where, even if you wanted to, you could not consistantly practice everything in the same way that, say, a practitioner of other arts might be able to do so.

However, in the martial art of Ninjutsu, you don’t have to. For the Ninja’s perspective does not limit itself to the building blocks of the art in the same way that is seen in other conventional forms or styles. Instead, the Ninja aspirant focuses not on technique but on principles and concepts. And, by concentrating on winning in combat from a higher level or viewpoint – like a blimp overseeing a football stadium – he or she is free to exchange techniques, skills, and weapons freely without ever changing the focus of the lesson itself.

Focusing On Concepts & Principles Instead of Step-By-Step Technique

One such concept or principle that forms part of the core of the Ninja student’s training from the very beginning is that of distance. Also known in Japanese as ma-ai, distance is a crucial aspect within any given encounter and varies according to such fight variables as:

size or height of each combatant, especially where there is any significant difference

type and length or reach of any weapons involved

number of combatants, including multiple-attacker to single defender scenarios, and…

environmental considerations or limitations

In my seminars and classes, we have a saying…

“He or she who controls the distance, controls the fight.”

And, while this may sound obvious, it is often far from it. What I and my instructors under me see time and again, is the student’s tendancy to learn one particular distance and then attempt in vain to use that as their default, regardless of the situation they’re working on. Difficult, if not impossible to describe addequately using the written word, here are a few examples to convey this very powerful concept:

1) A knife-wielding attacker will have a difficult time getting at me if I stay farther away and out of his reach, however…

2) An assailant armed with a handgun will find it easier to shoot me at the same distance. Instead, he will have increasing difficulty the closer I am to him and his weapon.

3) If a guy is trying to shoot at me with a high-powered rifle from a rooftop, I want to be visiting my friends in another town, but…

4) If the same lunatic has the trigger device for a nuclear weapon, unless he has a death wish, I want to be standing right next to him!

Now, I know that those last two sound a bit far-fetched, but they illustrate the point. And that is that…

…distance is dictated, in large part, by your opponent or opponents, his or their tactics, and any weapons involved.

Knowing and understanding the concepts of ma-ai, or proper distance, allows the Enlightened Warrior to step out of the narrow, limiting “box” that knows only preset techniques. It allows him or her to adapt freely to the situation – change as change is needed – and to always be in the right place with the right defense to overcome the adversary and…

…win.

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Boxing is a very rough sport. It’s been around even before the birth of Christ. It was depicted in ancient times to be a sport of men. The sport has been dominated by men ever since the sports was invented. But does that mean that women are ineffective and weak boxers? Let us examine the facts closely and see if boxing girls are really inferior boxers.

There are essentially four factors that make a great boxer. The first is the power behind each punch. Second, the speed or agility of the body. Third is the pain tolerance to take a punch from the opponent. The fourth is the ability to predict the next movement of the opponent will be and thus counter punch the enemy.

For the first key factor which is power, unfortunately, women are designed to be weaker than men given the same amount of training. But this does not mean than a boxing girl can not be stronger than a man. She can become stronger than a man through better and proper training regimen. What she lacks in genetics she can surely make up in hard work.

The second factor that is crucial in boxing is speed or agility. That is one aspect of boxing where a girl can train harder to be better at boxing. She can even surpass a man in speed if she trains right and regularly.

The third factor is pain tolerance. I believe this is an aspect where we can not judge or even fathom the pain tolerance of a girl (they are the once that give birth remember?). On to the next factor.

The fourth and the last factor is the ability to foresee or to predict the next move of the opponent. Now, this is a matter of experience and mental judgement. A boxing girl can definitely achieve the experience level of a male boxer because experience is only dependent on time and the number of fights she makes. As for mental capacity, this should no longer be questioned because females have proven time and again that they are as capable as men or even more capable in more than a few occasions.

So, we have analyzed the factors one by one, and led to a conclusion that indeed, boxing girls are not inferior to men and they can be as effective boxers as their male counter parts.

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In our Combatives, we utilize a number of different low-line kicks (i.e. below the waist). As with our other striking techniques, we focus on kicks that are not highly technical, nor do they require tremendous flexibility. I was reading somewhere recently about making techniques yours, and how it still takes practice to truly acquire a skill or technique, and I must agree with this mentality. Just my two cents, of course, and though these kicks are fairly easy to learn, they still require some training. We like front kicks, o’ou tek (hook or roundhouse) kicks, low destructive kicks (sometimes called a stab kick), shin kicks and stomps. We do not work Thai kicks very much in class because they are more technical, in our humble opinion, and those students with previous training in other arts tend to turn them into snap kicks anyway. On rare occasion, we work the side kick. This has never been one of my personal favorites, but it is just a preference thing. We have probably worked the push kick (teep) once or twice.

Front Kick

We use front kicks pretty regularly, with the groin being a common target. We also start beginners with front kicks whenever we do the o’ou tek series of combinations. It is just a little bit easier for them to pull off technique-wise. We often train the lead leg in combinations, but there is no reason why you cannot use the rear leg and kick a field goal right into the groin. Some folks point their toes up (dorsiflexion) when they snap the kick, others keep the toes pointed out (plantar flexion). I guess it all depends. If I were wearing big boots, as I sometimes do, and I was going to kick to the groin, I would probably dorsiflex. Then, my kick would look more like a spike kick, with a little or no snap in the lower leg, as well.

O’ou Tek

We take this from JKD. It is basically a roundhouse or hook kick, and we use it below the waist with the lead leg. When I began training it, I also used a Pendulum Step. We do not generally require the students to use that footwork, but it is important for them to plant the ball of the foot of the rear leg at the right angle to open up the hips. Some students have a hard time grasping why they need to turn the toes away from the kick. I had “lift and pivot” burned into my brain. In any case, we often train this kick with a combination series. A typical combination we use leads off with the o’ou tek, follows with a Cross – Hook – Cross and ends with the o’ou tek. I love the flow of these drills.

Low Destructive Kick

With this kick we are usually aiming for a knee from various angles. I think of it as a stab kick because of the way the leg is chambered and the way kick is applied. From the front, I crouch my body a little bit as I chamber my leg, with my instep facing upwards. I throw the kick down, towards the knee joint, just as if I was thrusting a blade towards the target. With enough force, I can make his knee hyper-extend. I retract the leg just as I might retract the blade after stabbing. I can also do this directly from the side, pushing the knee inward towards the opposite leg. It takes a lot of force to break a knee. It is a hinge joint, and therefore is not intended to move from side to side, nor even hyper-extend by very many degrees. Having said that, even if it is hard to break the knee, with the right mechanics, I can cause a lot of pain and probably inflict some damage by making it move in ways nature did not intend!

Shin Kick

Unless people train to deaden the shins and calcify the bone, this area of the anatomy does not have much protection between skin and bone. So naturally it is a very nice place to throw a kick. We train with the rear leg only. Lifting the leg slightly, the side of the foot accelerates towards the shin-the hip is open. We use the instep instead of the toe for the striking surface because it is tricky to make contact with toe to shin, especially under duress. Sometimes we scrape or drag the foot a little bit across the ground until we get close to the target, (like kicking up dirt) then explode with the foot into the shin bone. Once the foot is planted to the side, after the kick, there is a nice opportunity for a downward elbow strike. We train this on one of the Slammer pads, but you could also train this on a piece of PVC pipe with a wide diameter. Very nice, indeed.

Stomp

Okay, now I want you to pay attention about this one. People already think they know how to stomp, but I want you to stomp BETTER. Bring yourself directly adjacent to the target. Lift your body up and lift your knee. Now, bring all your bodyweight to bear on the target, like you are squashing a humongous cockroach with your foot. BAM! No love taps or nudges, here. Think of your leg as a powerful piston. A stomp is nice insurance. You triumphantly got him to the ground somehow, and you want to ensure you have stopped this threat. Maybe you want to keep him from getting up and running after you. Maybe you want to destroy the weapon-retaining hand. Perhaps he is just kneeling, and you want to make sure he does not jump back up to try something stupid. Expect that you might break the ankle, or if he is prone and his foot is dorisflexed (toe pointing towards ground), you might do terrible things to the Achilles–same thing if he is kneeling. I see this one as a finishing move IF I STILL FEEL HE IS A THREAT. Obviously, only you can make that determination within the context of your situation.

I will avoid getting into the mechanics of the Thai kick, side kick or push kick-we do not use them very much in our Combatives. They are awesome tools, and if you train in Muay Thai or other arts, they are definitely worthwhile, but they require much more training to master, in my opinion. I recently found an interesting article about high kicks, and it discusses whether or not they are “worthless.” A lot of folks say they are too risky for the street, but you know, there are probably some out there with the timing and speed who can actually pull them off with relative ease. It is up to the individual and his/her training. We have never said that our way is the only way-that is flawed thinking. Nevertheless, we do know that these particular kicks are quick to learn and easy to retain. It is a good thing to have techniques that are not overly complicated and are fast to acquire-if the fight finds you tomorrow, you can use them immediately!