Of abilities and possibilities

The late Ustaz Hanafi Haji Ahmad had a talent for couching life learnings in the most beautiful of verses. Among his more famous expressions are captured in his pantun which I've documented here: http://silat-melayu.blogspot.com/2008/05/pantun-silat-cekak.html

However, he also had the penchant for coining controversial proverbs. Controversial because they used the basest of language to deliver the most fundamental of messages.

For those of us who studied any of the Silat Cekak variants from his lineage would most probably have heard some of these. In some, they mirrored paraphrased ayatul Qur'an or Ahadith, in others, recognisable nasihat from the Auliaullah of old and others still, original spouts of wisdom of his own crafting.

Throughout my short life on earth, I've found that during the direst of moments, his pearls of power gave me strength to continue my battles against my nafs and to use my head instead of my heart when deciding on the most crucial of matters.

This is my favourite, transmitted to me by my teacher Tuan Guru Md Radzi Haji Hanafi:

"Nabi saja kita tak boleh jadi. Lain, semua boleh"

There's nothing you can't be. Only the door to propethood has been closed by Allah. Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was the last Prophet and Messenger. The meaning is straightforward and motivational. If ever I feel that I can't go on, I remember this and, like a key that opens a door, I remember all the ayat and ahadith that attest to its truth.

Seven years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to helm Malaysia's premier martial arts magazine (which then became its only MA magazine soon enough) and the experiences I gained there enriched my life and continue to enrich it still.

Unfortunately, life didn't seem to be progressing for me. My family had been moving around for years, renting others people's homes. I was looking to settle down, but didn't have the finances to do so. So, life's hardships forced me to move on for the sake of finding greener pastures. I left the magazine, but not the world of martial arts writing. I continue that love here on this blog.

I moved on to something wholly unfamiliar and scary, marketing and corporate training in fitness. When that proved unpromising in the long term, I made my way to something equally unfamiliar, public relations. An error in judgement saw me part ways with the PR firm, a mistake I regret to this day, but has served as a costly lesson to me.

Even though that provided me the opportunity to do freelance work and run my own business, it also proved to me that I wasn't ready for it. I fell into a deep depression and woke up every day not knowing how the next day would play out.

Had I knew then the truth that Allah never leaves His Servants when they are most in need, I would taken what happened next more seriously. I was given the chance to meet an amazing human being by the name of cikgu Jeff Davidson, a Silat Kuntau Tekpi instructor from the USA. With nothing more than chat messages, we supported each other during our common blue periods.

This was the time when Ustaz Hanafi's words rang true for me, day after day. It gave me the impetus to move forward and after six months, I landed a job that paid almost 50% more than the previous one, doing something scarier, corporate training in documentation. Five months later, barely out of financial strife, I got married.

Two years later, a large consultancy firm called me up and asked if I would like to be part of their regional training centre team. A few months later, my daughter was born. In short, what I thought was impossible three years ago has already happened.

As I look back on those few short years, I realise that there was nothing to worry about, as long as I believed that I could be what I wanted to be. Ustaz Hanafi's words weren't my amulet, but they sure as well might have been.

So, to all those friends out there who have yet to make it, believe me, every man has his day, and I believe it will come for you too. Salam persilatan. Ila ruhi al marhum al mudarris Hanafi ibn Ahmad. Al Fatihah.

Maal Hijrah 1430

It's the new year again, and Muslims rejoice because on this day 1430 years ago, the Holy Messenger Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was ordered by Allah to commit to the Hijrah, the migration from Makkah to Madinah.

In some nomenclature, the Hijrah is termed the Flight, which means the Muslims were fleeing from their tormentors. In a way, this is true, as they escaped torture and persecution by their own people.

In other conceptions, the Hijrah is the moving on, the development, the continuous cycle of existence. Of finding greener pastures to graze in, of finding a better way of doing things, of becoming a better self.

As for me, I have my plate full with a new baby, a new home and a new environment to adapt to. I often get calls and sms's from friends and fans who read the blog who ask me, "What silat are you doing now?".

My canned response is "Silat Kehidupan" or "Silat Mencari Rezeki", because in a world where financial uncertainty and personal security issues run rampant, my first priority is always my family.

A quick survey amongst friends from my former training group proves that I'm not alone. Everyone else has committed their own Hijrah. Some have new children to feed, travel hundreds of kilometers to work every day, struggling to make ends meet, finding the funds to keep those ends together and more.

Although my time has shrunk down to the rare post on this blog, every time I pass my trusty sword Saiful Azraq or my sturdy keris Al-Bahr, I can't resist unsheathing them and going a few rounds of imaginary wounding. I miss those days, and those days miss me.

My only consolation so far, is that friendships last longer than training arenas, and even though keeping in touch with silat mates has become more difficult, the odd sms here and there gives me the strength to carry on with my Hijrah.

To all pesilat around the world, Maal Hijrah to a better us. Wassalam.

Of dreams and seminars

The TekpiWorks 2008 Seminar has seen a lot of response with interested participants contacting me from all over Malaysia, and even one from Singapura thus far.

The whole thing took an interesting twist a couple of days ago when a would-be participant called me (you're probably reading this blog right now) and told me of a strange coincidence.

The night before he called me, he claimed to have dreamt of the late founder of the silat style he's currently affiliated to. This style was one of the variants that stemmed from Allahyarham Mahaguru Yahya Said's (Pak Yah) teachings.

In the dream, the founder advised him to study the tekpi in order to complete his education in the style. To do that, the founder told him to track down Yahya Said's heir.

Imagine his shock the very next day, when he reads of the TekpiWorks Seminar being conducted by guru Pak Jaafar, Pak Yah's own nephew, who coincidentally claims to have inherited his knowledge from the old man himself.

That phone call wasn't just eerie for the caller, but for me as well. I told him how hesitant I was to even post the article but Allah works in ways we can never understand. After the call ended, I was left dumbfounded. The coincidence of the dream and the blog post was uncanny.

Sometimes, a small decision can make a big impact to another person's life. But, as much as we would like to think that we only do what we want, it was then I realised how little power we have in our lives, and how much Allah truly owns us.

An Aidilfitri Visit

Over the last one week, emails, SMSs, chats, phone calls and wall comments were exchanged by a group of friends we call the Bukit Mas team, a group of silat-mad folk who bounce around looking for masters to study from. Together.

The gamut of communication was to arrange a trip to visit several of our masters for Aidilfitri.

I know, I know, Aidilfitri lasts for only a day in Makkah and most of the world, but this is Malaysia, where we love a celebration and will absorb as much fun from it before it passes. Therefore, Aidilfitri lasts a month over here.

Unfortunately, only 3 of the original 9 members of the team could make it as we live closer to our masters. We had no contact with one, another is in Sarawak, 2 are in Johor and another one simply too far away to make it in time. Our ninth member, Mahrizal, passed away several years ago. May Allah bless his soul and relieve him of his burdens in the hereafter.

Several days before, I represented the group to arrange a visit to guru Dahlan Karim's (Silat Setiabakti) house. I called him again just as I was leaving the office at 6pm, and he confirmed that we should be arriving at his home at 8pm. We normally wouldn't visit him that early, but he had a 9.30pm class last night and we didn't want to impose on him.

We did a virtual roll-call. Who would be attending? Myself. Cikgu Norazlan Wahid of Silat Kuntau Tekpi (and also administrator and co-founder of SilatMelayu.Com - yes... there are plans to rehabilitate that site) and cikgu Zainudin Ismail, whom we call 'ustaz' because of his penchant for religious coffee table talk (which we love, by the way).

Tagging along, is the mercurial cikgu Firdaus, whom we call Maulana for his facial similarity to the sheikhs of old and cikgu Yazid Abdul Rani and family of Lian Padukan Pak Mat Kedidi, who would be meeting us there.

I left Putrajaya a little after 6, made my way through the mad traffic and heavy rain along the MRR2 and managed to land at Surau Al-Taqwa in Keramat (where I studied Silat Kuntau Tekpi) an hour later. After Maghrib, I intended to stop by my instructor's house, but it was dark inside, and I didn't want to be late. It was already 7.30pm.

I called cikgu Norazlan, whom I call 'Coach' and requested that he begin making his way to cikgu Dahlan's house while I rush over to ustaz's house to pick him up. The traffic was worse than I thought. It was already 8 when ustaz jumped in my car. At least, Coach and Maulana would be there early.

It took us another half hour of wading through cars and water only to be shocked by a phone call by Maulana asking for cikgu Dahlan's address! They weren't even there yet! In all the confusion, I got lost and it took the two of us another 30 minutes to find his house. It was now 9pm.

Cikgu Dahlan was gracious as ever. He invited us in. Coach and Maulana were already there, browsing through the dozens of Silat Setiabakti books cikgu Dahlan had written, but had yet to publish. As we entered into his humble double-storey terraced home, signages, logos and weapons hung on the wall greeted us, the Setiabakti brand adorning all of them.

Cikgu Fuad, SENI BELADIRI's current editor, was also present to visit cikgu Dahlan.

"I'm getting old," cikgu Dahlan told us over a bowl of sumptuous noodles. "I worry that no one wants to continue studying silat," he confided to us. "But I will continue doing what I'm doing to keep this art alive."

"Quick, simple and effective," he declares, as he quotes Setiabakti's motto.

"That's why I can produce instructors in a short time. The system that I've spent years to build is now complete. Anyone who wants to be an instructor, I welcome wholeheartedly," he baited us.

Just then, his student, Tengku Musa, walks in. "Nadzrin, right?" he asks me and we greet each other. We recognised each other immediately. Tengku Musa is the elusive TM of http://gayanglima.blogspot.com/ and http://silat.tv/.

Tengku Musa recently appeared in SENI BELADIRI magazine with his master, Pak Atan "Air Batu", master of Silat Gayang Lima. Tengku Musa was given permission by cikgu Dahlan to teach Gayang Lima under the auspices of the Akademi Silat Setiabakti in the bangsal he built. The roofed gelanggang cost him RM18,000 to build and includes basic amenities like electricity (by generator), running water and male and female toilets.

"I'm open to anyone who wants to use the gelanggang to teach their styles. I pity those masters who depend on an open air gelanggang. When it rains, they're forced to cancel their class. I built the bangsal for that reason," he sighed.

"Now, I don't hold anything back. If anyone wants to come and learn, I will teach. I'll show them the most effective techniques, nothing kept. Come one day," he said excitedly.

Coach suddenly asked cikgu Dahlan, "Are there no more gendang classes?"

"None. The kids aren't interested. I paid for the lessons," he replied with a sad smile as we chatted over cups of black coffee.

To be continued...

All in Silat?

I got an interesting SMS (that's a text message to you Americans) yesterday from a young friend of mine. It read:

"In the knowledge of silat, is there an 'amalan' (spiritual practise) to have the girl that we love, love us back sincerely and honestly, followed by marriage and be together until the hereafter? Is there an 'amalan' to have her express what she keeps hidden and what she truly feels? How does one remove doubt in what she feels?"

I expect my international readers should be scratching their heads right about now. Allow me to try explaining. The Melayu view their culture as an integrated whole, religion, customs, dress, martial arts, all included. For many, it's difficult to draw the line between them.

Young Melayu are socialised in this culture through various different channels. Parents, the masjids, old folk in the villages, etc. However, the strongest and most organised channel is Silat. If you asked a traditional Melayu what silat is, be prepared to get a definition that covers every single thing under the sun.

Manners, customs, dress, religion, philosophy, spirituality, medicine, magic, music, dance, weapons, combat, life. Long time practitioners of Oriental and Japanese martial arts will recognise this concept. It exists the same way in Silat. So, don't be surprised that my young friend actually asked that question.

I was just surprised it came from a city boy in an SMS over my handphone. Then it hit me. This is exactly how I began. A city boy with searching for his lost heritage, and I found my first footing in Silat. This is true for so many of us now in Malaysia. Cut off from our roots by the rise of globalisation, we are forced to find dependable channels to help us rediscover them.

Ironically, the many things I found in Silat are hardly what I found in it, but through it. I am no where near my journey's end, but I feel that I have passed that stage where Silat is an all-encompassing field of study. It is to me, now, a key to open those other doors. Doubtless, those young Melayu who are taking their first steps in Silat would still view it the way I did.

No problem there. Just make sure you don't miss the point.

As to my young friend, I told him no, there isn't such amalan in Silat. But there is in Islam.

Beach Training

Silat Seni Gayong practitioners undergoing a khatam keris ceremony on the beach.

In 2003, I joined a journalistic excursion with SENI BELADIRI magazine to the beautiful state of Kelantan. We were there to interview guru Pak Su Noor of Silat Terlak Empat and guru Awi of Silat Jawi. The group we assembled were all Silat Melayu Keris Lok 9 practitioners who studied with guru Azlan Ghanie, also the magazine's publisher.

Although we spent our first night there at a hotel, we later decided on staying at a beachside dorm at Pantai Cahaya Bulan (formerly Pantai Cinta Berahi), better known as PCB. Being a group of silat-mad practitioners, it wasn't long before someone suggested we practice some forms on the beach under the moonlight.

We decided not to practice close to shore, where the sand was packed hard by the water, but further up the incline, where the sand was loose. It was an amazing experience. Moonlight sparring was very different. The sand kept moving under our feet and made it difficult to keep mobile. Practicing arts that depend heavily on footwork means that the more you move, you more energy the sand saps away from you.

Soon enough, our feet started hurting badly. It dawned on us that this was probably why beach training was such an important aspect of silat to those masters who had access to it in the past. If you want to put power into your legs, but can't pay for a personal trainer nor a gym membership, a sandy beach is probably your cheapest option. Oh, if you're doing this in Malaysia, keep a can of bug spray handy.

Although all of us were studying Lok 9 at the time, we were blessed by having members who had varied backgrounds in the arts. There were practitioners of Cimande, Gayong, Cekak, Sendeng, Lincah, Gayong Maarifat and who knows what else.

Thus, after we got bored of doing Lok 9 forms, we began taking turns leading the group, doing forms from various different styles. Combat-wise, I suddenly appreciated the simple buah of Silat Cekak Hanafi and Silat Kuntau Tekpi. You lost a lot less energy by not evading too much.

But I have to say, if strong legs is what you want to get out of your free beach training, Sendeng forms have got to be the toughest. It's bad enough to have to constantly balance on a single-line fencing-style low stance, but you have to shuffle instead of step, and that takes smooth balance transfer. The worst parts are the kicks, which are delivered from those same low stances.

You can imagine then, my horror when I read in the news recently that the Asian Beach Games, first ever to be held in Bali, is actually going to happen. What started out in my mind as a laughable event became a serious undertaking, with several countries committing athletes, including Malaysian and, of course, Vietnam.

I'm not laughing anymore, and I regret I ever did.

To all the athletes who will face each other on the hot, burning, shifting sands of Bali, I envy you not. This will be the toughest test ever for your skills. Make us proud and any medals you bring home will be well deserved. Then, and only then can you kick off your shoes and soak your feet into a tub of hot water for the next couple of weeks. Good luck!

The Beach Pencak Silat event will be held from the 18th to 21st and 23rd October 2008. For more information, click here.

Sam & Joel: Famous again

If I was Cikgu Sam (Sheikh Shamsudin Salim) of the United States Gayong Federation and his student Joel Champ, I'd be sore because I wasn't invited to attend the martial arts performance which had my face on its marketing material.

I found this advert in Harian Metro a few days ago, which only goes to show, that pose is amazingly famous by now. I've seen it on websites, powerpoint presentations and now, an advert. The demonstration, which is part of a larger event took place (did it actually? I don't know) at Plaza Larkin in Johor Bahru.

I was actually tempted to call Mr Shahariel (phone number listed in ad) and get him to send me pics of the event. Not so much now, though. In any case, congratulations Cikgu Sam. You've proved that a well-planned shot can take you places :)

Silat In Movies

Silat has long been considered an esoteric martial arts form by the few Westerners that have heard of it or seen it. Recently, on History channel, the series Human Weapon, gave silat an international boost by showing two Westerners, one a champion martial artist and the other a footballer turned wrestler, learning and taking on silat fighters in Malaysia.

Though some of the fights were definitely staged, the segment when the two kweilohs 'studied' silat harimau was quite fascinating.

I remember TV once screening a local production that traced the various silat forms in the country - if I'm not mistaken the series was called Mahaguru and was directed by a silat exponent named Jak Othman. Since then, we hardly see any dramas, TV series or documentaries that promotes or demonstrates true or pure silat.

Even the movies have not been forthcoming with silat. Wonder why? Are we too ashamed to show our deadly martial arts to the world? Don't we want to share our beautiful martial arts with the rest of the world?

We filmmakers seem to be too preoccupied with the muay thais (ong bak), the kungfu (any bloody Jet Lee movie), the karate and judo of Japan, the taekwondo of korea and the Jeet Kune Do of Bruce Lee.

There was a time when even silat dramas in the early 90s, produced by HVD, unabashedly promoted Hongkee style martial arts as that of silat.

I know a few film directors who strived to show silat in its original form and this include Uwei Shaari whose Keris Lok Tujuh was one of the best TV dramas that exhibited Silat Melayu exquisitely.

In the early days of Shaw Brothers, the silat shown was basically silat wayang and whilst many said the best silat on show was that in the movie Hang Jebat and/or Hang Tuah, I beg to differ. There have been many other Melayu movies that showed silat in better light than those two over-rated movies.

Many also think the late P. Ramlee was a true silat exponent. Hehehe..he wasn't. If you see one of his later movies like Enam Jahanam, his movements were rather comical and sad at the same time.

Then there was a time when we tried to outdo the Indonesians, whose silat in the movies were also laughable - with fighters flying like superheroes on steroids. Some of the more memorable so-called silat movies from across the straits include Si Gondrong and Si Buta.

I even remember a rumor about the famous silat-trained actor Dicky Zulkarnaen (who has a gorgeous daughter mind you) who was said to have had a secret duel with Bruce Lee. According to the myth, Dicky executed his famous death punch on Bruce Lee that would only have an effect on Bruce sometime later.

So it happens, the so-called secret duel was said to have been held a few weeks before Bruce Lee's death.

Of course this is nonsense, we know Bruce Lee died because of the infamous curse of the dragon and that angry kungfu masters poisoned him for revealing Chinese kungfu secrets to the West. Hehehe.

But to tell you the truth, I have seen Dicky and his silat boys perform and they were very deadly and scary. They can break metal bars in half with their fingers and heads!

Okay, okay, coming back to the topic at hand, we filmmakers should be taken to task for not promoting silat properly. I mean, do we want to show the world that Silat Melayu is the one you see in Saw Teong Hin's Puteri Gunung Ledang? Puhleezzz.

When I did Tuah with Jamal Abdillah (who wouldn't really know what silat is even if it slaps him in the face), I needed a good silat choreographer. Luckily, I found one - Pak Engku, who had also choreographed the silat scenes in Rahim Razali's Matinya Seorang Patriot.

Pak Engku was great. He knew what I wanted and he helped make Jamal look good on camera.

Nevertheless, I wished I had casted someone else (but I wasn't the producer) but I ended up with Jamal. So I really had to make do with him. Below is an excerpt of the fight scene in my movie version of Tuah.

I have also found various silat scenes from Melayu movies including the ridiculous silat scene from the movie Putri Gunung Ledang for you to watch and compare. Enjoy.

If an obese and untalented actor like Steven Seagal can popularise Aikido, I don't see why we cannot find someone to promote silat as the deadliest martial arts in the world. Unless of course you saw Ong Bak and feel Tomoi is deadlier.

This article was sourced from the Malaysian movie director, Anwardi Jamil's blog at http://sayaanakwayang.blogspot.com/2008/06/silat-in-movies.html

Think & You Will Know

In a scene from the P. Ramlee movie, "Pendekar Bujang Lapok", Aziz Sattar chases away gangsters from his silat master's doorstep. As they leave, a gangster throws a rock at his head

Aziz: "Adoi! Pakcik! Dia orang lempar batu, pakcik!" (They threw a stone at me!)

Wak Mustar: "Kenapa kau tak elak?" (Why didn't you avoid it?)

Aziz: "Macam mana saya nak elak, silat elak batu pakcik belum ajar!” (How could I? You haven't taught us that yet!)

Fear: A view

I admit, I'm a coward. Many people are surprised by my admission, and often assume I'm just being humble. Unfortunately, as many close friends know, humble I'm not. For many a year, I struggled with this complex, which drove and guided my self-development and the directions I decided to go in.

The late Ustaz Hanafi of Silat Cekak once asked, "Where does fear go when courage appears? And where does courage go when fear appears?" Although the matter was couched in question form, but I never found an answer for it.

Guru Azlan Ghanie runs a column in SENI BELADIRI magazine titled 'Berani Kerana Benar' which means Courage In Truth. The obverse of this would of course be Cowardice In Falsehood. I asked him once, how do we become courageous when we are in the wrong? He answered, "Apologise".

From a purely Islamic point of view, the concept of taqwa exists. When translated into English, it approximates Fear. However, the nuance is Godliness, not simply fear of Allah's displeasure and pining for His pleasure. Fearing Allah and only Allah forms the basis of the fearlessness of a Muslim.

"If you fear man, you harbour the illusion that you can instill fear in men. But if you fear Allah, you are under no such illusions. Do not contrive to instill fear and Allah will instill fear of you into the hearts of men."

24

Once upon a time, a silat master was interviewed over the telephone by a researcher in the United States. The researcher was a martial artist with many years' experience in various arts. For his doctorate, he decided to do a comparative look between different martial arts around the globe and how much time each master dedicates to their training per day.

When he called the Silat master in Kuala Lumpur, he asked several background questions to set up the main research, and finally asked the golden query: "How many hours a day do you train?" to which the master answered "24".

The researcher, unable to properly quantify, or even make sense of this answer, struck the master's name off his list of interviewees.

When the Silat master related the story to me, and explained the reasoning behind his answer, he set me on a road to understanding silat, a road which I have not stopped travelling on. On this road, I have met many kindred spirits who have developed their skills to amazing extents.

One thing connects them all. They all train 24-7, but nobody actually sees them doing it.

Appreciate, before it's too late

Silat. Pencak. Gayung. Call it what you want, there’s just no denying that all of these are a part of the whole. Melayu, Bugis, Sunda, Minang, Mendeleng. They’re just names to describe a particular origin. But when you strip away the black cloth or gold-threaded ornamentation, the palace or peasant origins, the aggressive striking or undulating gestures, you’re left with nothing but a man.

A man who shoulders the heavy burden of caring for his family, his nation and his way of life. Of what use is self-defence if not to defend these? Of what import is combat if not to combat evil? Of what worth is life if not to sacrifice for worthwhile ideals? These are the true reasons an martial art is born, to champion the cause of truth, to empower the weak of ways and to preserve the tranquility of peace.

And yet, there are those in this world who would betray those who imparted those values, those martial arts to them. They seek benefit from the glow that this virtuous expression of the human soul provides. For self-interest, they would auction off what pride they had left to the highest bidder to create mindless, emotionless yes-men whose only task in life is to revere them.

This post is dedicated to the masters who have spent their lives in anonymity, suffering in silence as their ‘students’ race on, never to look back. If they did, they would see that the humble fountain from which they drank their fill has now dried up for lack of kindness.

SILAT MELAYU: THE BLOG weeps for those forgotten ones. The Living Treasures who have now left us, and those who are still unappreciated amongst us. Who are they? They are the elders. He might be that lonely man in your village waiting for someone to ask what he knows, or the bench potato who decides to die with his knowledge rather than sell them meagerly to ungrateful offspring. They have all been forcibly retired from their love.

It is ironic then, that the power, speed and grace of Silat pales in comparison with the poison of its greatest enemy. Apathy. Have you appreciated your Living Treasure today? Salam persilatan!

21 Strangest Search Terms on Silat Melayu: The Blog

I was browsing through my statistics monitor for this blog just to see the range of visitors I'm getting (yes, that means you!), and aside from those friends (you guys) who return to this blog once in awhile (some of you, every day! I get sms's and emails like this "Oi! Tak update ke?" and "Are you dead?") and those of you who find it for the first time through a search engine.

I was quite amused to see some of the search terms that brought our newbie friends here. Some were curious, others were downright silly. It tells me however, due to the specificity of the search terms, some of their questions are not answered in my blog.

So, what I'll do today is, I'm going to address some of these questions in my 21 Strangest Search Terms on Silat Melayu: The Blog list (it's the end of the month, and my salary hasn't cleared yet. So sue me). Take it away!

No. 21: "keris datuk bahaman"
The late Pahang freedom fighter Datuk Bahaman, originally from Negeri Sembilan owned many a keris in his lifetime. Along the way, before he passed on, he actually entrusted several of them to different people. Now, these keris are reappearing, claiming to the Keris of Datuk Bahaman, with some people denying each others' claims.

According to guru Mustapha Kamal of Silat Seni Gayong, all of their claims might actually be true, since he holds in his possession one of those keris, entrusted to his late grandmother, a former nursemaid of Datuk Bahaman.

No. 20: "lian padukan schools in ill"
I'm unsure if this means that there are some unwell LianPadukan schools or someone was looking for one in Illinois. From what I know, there are no LianPadukan schools outside of Malaysia other than the one run in the UK by cikgu Nigel Sutton.

No. 19: "how to make a hidden hand blade weapon"
Making a weapon, especially a bladed one is tricky when you have no smithing knowledge. I assumed that the searcher was already well-versed with smithing, and just wanted to see if he could make one anyway. Amongst Melayu weapons, three handhelds stand out as being quite hideable.

The first is the ever loveable Lawi Ayam, or Kerambit (and her variant sisters), the Kapak Kecil or Kapak Lidi as I like to call it and the miniature Badik. To make a Lawi Ayam, most smiths I know use excess steel or iron cut off from other weapons during their making, so most of the smithing has already been done (besides, it's difficult to smith something that small and not lose any more metal). It just has to be bent or filed into shape. This is also true of a Badik.

A Kapak Lidi, however, is mostly created from scratch and is popular in Kelantan as a streetfighting weapon. The handle is about one jengkal in length and usually made of Bertam wood (Poknik correct me if I'm mistaken).

No. 18: "books on lian padukan"
Not yet, I'm afraid, but I do know that one is in progress, to be written by Cikgu Yazid Abdul Rani.

No. 17: "persatuan seni silat gayong maarifat malaysia"
I was acquainted with the founder of this style, Ustaz Azam when I served with SENI BELADIRI several years ago. There's not much I can tell you about the style other than it's from Pahang and incorporates a lot of Minang style silat into its physical syllabus. To find out more about them, visit these sites:

http://www.gayongmaarifatgroup.com (Official website)
http://www.angelfire.com/ga3/maarifat/ (Unofficial website)
Facebook 

No. 16: "human weapon history channel critics"
Well, if you google that, then you'll definitely get a lot of hits.

No. 15: "silat abjad videos"
There's no point looking for this, because there are none currently, especially since, in my opinion, 'Silat' Abjad can't be represented by a physical silat style, even though they have a physical syllabus (recent innovation). But originally, Silat Abjad was founded as an umbrella body to assist other perguruan (including non-silat) to realign their teachings to Islam.

No. 14: "silat batin gerak ilham"
'Gerak Ilham' is a term used both as a general term and a specific name for particular silat styles. Gerak Ilham Malaysia currently exists as an organisation in Malaysia while another Gerak Ilham exists in the UK and Sulawesi as an umbrella body to preserve traditional Bugis silat.

No. 13: "good riddance indonesian"
Hmmmm... wonder what this is about?

No. 12: "sabil sri indera sakti"
Silat Sabil Sri Indera Sakti is a silat style founded by Tok Guru Nurul Zaman A. Adam of Kuala Kangsar, Perak. Having previously studied other silat styles, guru Nurul Zaman felt incomplete. He performed salat hajat (prayer for specific needs) and implored that Allah give him a superior silat style.

This was inspired to him in the form of encapsulated 'petua' which can be applied in all forms of combat and styles. He has been teaching it since the 1970s. The most unique aspect of this style is that it takes only 3 hours to learn! For more information, visit http://www.geocities.com/silatsabilsis/

No. 11: "gayung ghaib"
For information on this style, visit http://www.geocities.com/silat_art81/newweb.htm

No. 10: "djinn idrus islam"
Oh for goodness sake! This isn't the blog for it!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dvPBVwSPw68

No. 9: "tekpi perang"
The Tekpi Perang is what guru Jamaludin Shahadan terms the style of tekpi used by Bugis warriors in battle. From his description, the warrios employ double tekpi with one tekpi either possessing a sharp blade or a Mata Belimbing (Starfruit blade). The hand holding this weapon will also be sheathed in a leather gauntlet to protect the wearer.

No. 8: "human weapon arrogant"
Hey! That's not nice!

No. 7: "human weapon fight quest difference"
I'm still waiting for a download link to get the Fight Quest Pencak Silat episode before I can write that comparative review. Mr Hulk? Anything yet?

No. 6: "silat 21 hari"
I haven't come across any silat of thise description. Although you could probably study Silat Cekak one buah at a time for 21 days, I don't think this is what the searcher was looking for. Either that or a longer version of Pukulan 7 Hari.

No. 5: "describe the duel between hang tuah and hang jebat"
Read the blog post above this one.

No. 4: "silat lian yunan"
In Peninsula Malaysia there are generally three lineages that claim to come from Yunan: The Buah Pukul group (Buah Pukul Mersing, Buah Pukul Endau, Gayang Lima, LianPadukan, Silat Awang Daik, etc) in the South, Silat To' Perpat Panglima Hitam on the East Coast and Lian Yunan in Klang, Selangor.

The first group claims lineage through a trader named Abdul Rahman al-Yunani, while the second from a mysterious man named To' Perpat Panglima Hitam while the third claims lineage to the bodyguards of Puteri Hang Li Po who accompanied her from China.

No. 3: "guru besar jeff davidson"
Oh Jeff, you have a fan looking for you. Want to explain this?

No. 2: "orang minyak malaysia"
Yeah. Most of them work at PETRONAS.

and my No. 1 favourite: "how do we destroy orang minyak?"
Set them on fire!!!!

"Thou shalt not study another style"

Have you ever studied a silat style, or any martial art for that matter that has either a silent or stated injunction of this sort: "Thou shalt not study any other style"?

Interesting for me to note is that, I have experienced this at least twice in my studies, and neither of them were good. The perguruan come up with some reasons, which although valid to them, seem to make little sense to modern practitioners who want to cross train (re: the cross training articles posted here once upon a time).

Just as a general survey amongst blog readers:

• What reasons did your perguruan give for such an injuction
• Do you agree with them? Why?

Monolog for a friend

The following article is lightly edited from a monolog I had with a friend online. He related to me a story about a student who disrespected his master and hurt his feelings. Because the person he hurt is also a personal friend of mine, we began talking about martial arts and society.

I eventually became passionate enough to just talk, not realising that all he was doing was listening. Since my words came out straight from my heart (meaning, spur of the moment), it is important for me to know that I am not mistaken in any of what I said. I share here my comments to him with all of you. Feel free to share your own opinions, or discuss my own.

A martial art is born out of necessity – survival – but later evolves into a social creature, and being a social creature, community comes first. The many over the individual. But the community has a responsibility to protect the individual.

So, in essence, both exist at the same time, protecting each other. This is what Allah’s Messenger Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) meant when he said that a community is like a ship. When you find that one of you is boring a hole into the hull – and it's obviously self desctructive – the community has to stop him.

But this isn't one way. It’s a two-way street. He also said that when one of the community makes a promise (for good) it is incumbent upon the whole community to help fulfill that promise. The community is as an organism. If you pinch the left thigh, the right thigh will feel it.

When you hurt someone, you are only hurting yourself.

Anyone who says that martial arts exists in a social vacuum needs a wake up call. When martial arts graduated from personal survival to a social activity it became the tools used to protect that community.

Thus, the power of martial arts is not in not getting struck by the enemy. It is in the knowledge that we substitute ourselves to be struck to protect those weaker than us. We sacrifice ourselves as Muslims, believers, soldiers, fathers and sons to ensure that whatever violence we commit, we did not inspire, but we reacted to defend against.

Let us be the objects of violence, rather than our wives and children. Thus, a protected community is a prosperous one. Without this in the mind of every Muslim, how can we safely and confidently worship Allah? When we are tried severely with being afraid of Allah's own creations?

No, martial arts don’t build communities but it helps protect those communities that build itself. In essence, it disciplines, dictates and drives our thoughts and actions to become those in service of the greater good. Not everyone on earth is cut out to be a martial artist, either in name, in body or in spirit. It is only those who have been given the power of protection or those who take in on themselves that deserve to.

Ours is not a community of war. It is a community of peace. But we are the skin that protects the organism that the Prophet calls the Ummah. You (and hopefully me) and everyone who has decided to learn this knowledge have a responsibility not to simply practise and get better in our own gyms and run seminars and such. But to become beacons to pass on this light to those who are weak to strengthen themselves, to protect themselves when we can’t against those who would influence our thoughts, our actions and our beliefs.

If someone ever puts down 'martial art' as a 'hobby' or 'pastime', I would say, there goes their whole studies down the drain. Do you call your wife a 'playmate'? You degrade her that way. Do you call your sword a toy?

If you deem your art a hobby, it will not be there to help you when you need it the most, because the knowledge will deem you a pastime of itself.

If you're serious about studying the martial arts, then you have to be serious about passing it on and serious about protecting the community from itself.

Silat: The Definition - A Prologue

A question was asked of me by Madmike through a post I made many days ago. He asked me, "what is silat"? More specifically, the question meant, "what makes silat what it is, and what makes other martial arts not silat"?

To Madmike, thank you for the question. I sat down to write the answer, but after several different drafts, I discovered that I had hit a wall. I knew for a fact what silat is. I eat, breathe and sleep silat. But the problem is, how do we nail down something that is so fluid, so dynamic?

If you were to ask me what Silat Cekak is, or what Silat Sendeng is, I could give you a fair answer. But, if you asked me, what silat is... don't get me wrong. I do have an answer. The question is, do you have the time?

On the verge, of giving up, I suddenly realised, that this is exactly what SilatMelayu.Com and Silat Melayu The Blog is about, getting the message across.

Therefore, the next few posts will be dedicated to trying to create a comprehensive thesis of silat, crystalising its spiritual, philosophical, communal and practical basis as well as trying to define the major characteristics and components of silat.

For those masters and instructors around the world reading this, and saying either out loud or in their hearts, "Good luck with that!", I thank you.

I'll certainly need it.

Senjata Makan Tuan?

Several years ago, while we were sitting around guru Haji Jamaludin Shahadan, our Silat Sendeng Haji Hamid master, I asked a question which I considered intelligent. We had completed our basic Sendeng syllabus and were studying swordplay.

I had studied Silat Cekak Hanafi before Sendeng, and was taught that the parang Lading, the official weapon was smithed according to specific measurements of the owner, thus making it a perfect combat companion. Any error on the smith's part could cause the weapon to 'makan tuan' or accidentally hurt its owner.

I had also studied Silat Melayu Keris Lok 9, which taught that a personal Keris needed to be 'serasi' (affinitive) to the owner, and similar physical measurements were required to avoid the weapon 'betraying' him.

Guro Omar Hakim also gave measurement rationale for Pekiti Tirsia Kali for the length of certain sticks and knives used, which determined the proper grip required.

My question to Haji Jamaludin was based on all of this experience. So, I asked the question of the sword in Sendeng:

"Cikgu, does the sword have a measurement?"

"Why do you need a measurement?" he asked.

"Well, so that the weapon will not 'makan tuan'," I answered confidently. What he said next made me feel the smallest I'd ever felt.

"Senjata makan tuan, maksudnya tuan tak reti guna senjata!"

(A weapon that hurts its owner means the owner isn't competent to wield the weapon!)

Sigh. To this day, I've yet to live it down.

Dengar. Fikir. Faham.

Two weeks ago, a vastly knowledgeable master told me the above words. Within only a couple of hours, he gave me enough to think about for a long time. Every day since, I have found his words ring true again and again.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You are truly a diamond in disguise.

Tribute to online silat friends

My silat generation has a clear advantage over our elders, that is, the Internet. Because of this handy little tool, I have managed to make tens of similarly interested friends and occassionally, Silat Masters. With them, I have forged long and strong relationships. Common among most of them, is the fact that I have never met them face to face.

Pengajar Sean Stark
The first of these was Pengajar Sean Stark, of Pencak Silat Pertempuran or as they call it in the USA, Combat Silat. He originally contacted me through an early website I had called Silat: Seni Warisan Bangsa which was hosted in Bahasa Melayu.

We had many email exchanges about silat and I had my introduction to American silat culture through him. I also participated on his Desa Silat Forum and I had a wonderful time asking and answering questions.

Guru Idris bin Alimuda
Another Silat Master whom I befriended was the mysterious and controversial Guru Idris bin Alimuda, whom many martial arts forums know as IBA or JatiDiri. The first time I met him was, again, through my website many years ago and not long after that, actually physically met him for teh ais.

I can tell you this, he is as eloquent and confusing in person as he is online, but the vast amount of knowledge he carries around can never be properly represented on a computer screen nor understood by those whose cup is already full.

Recently, I met him again when a couple of students of a British pesilat, Simon Das, came down to Malaysia to study various styles. We sat down to drink and once again, he managed to give me more food for thought. The last time this happened, it took me two years just to figure it out. I shudder to guess when our next meeting will be.

Jeff Davidson
Jeff Davidson is by far the best friend I have online, and we have never even met. We originally met through one of his students, who asked me questions about silat and Senaman Tua. It turns out we are related via Silat Kuntau Tekpi. Jeff studied it from Omar Hakim, who came to Malaysia and studied it from cikgu Norazlan Abdul Wahid, one of my mentors and currently the administrator for SilatMelayu.Com (SMC).

Jeff is a highly accomplished pesilat and martial artist and often travels the world to learn (but never to Malaysia!) and as blood brothers, we have shared some amazing experiences and secrets together, none of which will ever see the light of day.

The only one thing I can reveal is that, we might actually have been the earliest people to conduct a silat initiation and silat classes over a chat application! With no video! Weird.

Ustaz Saiful Muhammad
The latest addition to my list of esteemed friends (and I really do mean esteemed) is the honourable Ustaz Saiful Muhammad, President and current Principal of Pertubuhan Seni Silat Telapak Nusantara Malaysia. If you read Jeff Davidson's blog, he beat me to including something about Ustaz Saiful's silat style in either of our blogs.

I met Ustaz Saiful less than a year ago, when I was trying to get SMC up and running. He was among SMC's most ardent supporters and today I am among his. A humble, caring and passionate gentleman, Ustaz Saiful is a gem in the Malaysian silat world.

When outside forces threaten to modernise or secularise Silat Melayu, Ustaz Saiful is evidence that Silat can be a tool for dakwah and more, that Islam has made real impacts on silat in terms of its pedagogy and content. He wears many hats comfortably: A devoted husband and father, a deeply knowledgeable religious teacher, a highly skilled IT support specialist, a formidable silat master and a fantastic cook.

When Jef'f's questions began to turn to fields within silat that were outside of my knowledge, I introduced him to Ustaz and they have gotten along fabulously. Ustaz is still a very mysterious, although jovial figure in my life, but I appreciate any and all scraps of knowledge that he shares with me.

This goes to everyone I've mentioned above. May their lives be filled with everything they've ever dreamed of and more, insyaAllah.

Silat Legenda - Corn in a cup

I was running around the Net when I found a poster of Silat Legenda, Malaysia's first animated feature film produced a several years ago.

It certainly brought back memories of my sprinting to the box office to buy two tickets for myself and a friend. We had actually gone there on good faith, not knowing what the storyline was about.

For blog readers, here's a synopsis: Five kids in modern day Melaka discover five miniature keris which, when activated, become five enchanted weapons: a a sword, an arm band, a shield, a whip and a staff. Unknown to them, an ancient evil villainess is thirsts after the power of the weapons and will stop at nothing to get them for herself. End of synopsis.

My friend and I were worried the tickets would sell out. It WAS the first screening day. Unfortunately, we had arrived after the show time but we decided, watching most of it is better than nothing at all. Thus, we bought our tickets and walked in the theatre. There was nobody inside! Did we get the wrong hall? The usher said it wasn't a mistake. So, we sat down. The screen was as black as a silat uniform.

It suddenly dawned on us, that we were the only two idiots who actually came to see this movie. A couple walked in and looked dumbfounded, then looked at us. All I could say to them was, "Malaysia Boleh!" and they laughed, sitting down.

With four people in the cinema, the movie started. I started cringing. Five keris changing into five other weapons, none of them being a keris. No silat moves whatsoever except superhuman powers granted by the weapons themselves and laser bursts from the sword (and the point of having a sword if it can shoot lasers is...?)

Sigh... we walked out of the cinema two hours older and RM16 poorer. It was a disappointment, no doubt about it. But at least, I can say for a fact, I saw Silat Legenda on its opening day!