TekpiWorks Seminar 2008

I considered keeping this post to myself, chiefly because I was jealous that anyone other than me would know it. However I feel, the greater good must be allowed to happen.

For the last several years, a mentor of mine, ustaz Abdul Hakim Abdul Rashid, a well-respected silat lover from Gurun, Kedah has constantly taunted me with his discovery of a great silat master up north. His famed line of "Mai Gurun" (come to Gurun!) always makes me envious of those who actually do take up his offer.

However, a recent sms from him just before Aidilfitri was the greatest taunt of all.

"Selamat Hari Raya. Mai Gurun. Guru tua nak perturun mainan 24 jenis senjata. Age 85. Anak saudara Yahya Said. Ada mainan 4 jenis tekpi. Guru P.Ramlee. Ada bukti dan saksi. Ada 12 jenis ikatan tanjak. Ada simpan mainan dan tekpi Panglima Nayan. Sundang Dato Maharaja Lela. Cindai dan lain-lain. Low profile. Mai le sebelum dia mati."

"Happy Aidilftri. Come to Gurun! An old master wants to impart 24 weaponplays. He's 85 years old. Nephew of Yahya Said. Learn 4 methods of tekpi play. He is P.Ramlee's teacher. There are evidence and witnesses to this. Learn 12 ways of tying your headgear. He possesses the method and tekpi of Panglima Nayan and the Sundang of Dato Maharaja Lela, cindai and others. He's very low profile. Come visit before he dies."

Everyone knows my affinity for anything related to Mahaguru Yahya Said's (more fondly remembered as Pak Yah) arts, even those slightly related to it, including Silat Kuntau Tekpi.

Add that to the fact that ustaz Hakim mentions that this old master, guru Jaafar, once asked Pak Yah to teach him Silat Kalimah, but all Pak Yah did was give him an exercise to perform, which apparently allowed him to extrapolate the whole of Silat Kalimah on his own. Interesting? Very! Now you know why I wanted to keep this all to myself.

But then ustaz Hakim's sms which came late last night forced me to change my mind.

"Assalamualaikum. Minta tolong. War-warkan iaitu Pertubuhan Seni Silat Harimau Bentara Garang dengan kerjasama guru tua Pak Jaafar menganjurkan Seminar Mainan Tekpi. Pada 29-30 November 2008. Fees RM200. Pak Jaafar ialah anak saudara pada Pak Yahya Said."

"Assalamualaikum. I require your assistance. Please advertise that Pertubuhan Seni Silat Harimau Bentara Garang with the cooperation of Guru Tua Pak Jaafar is organising a TekpiWorks Seminar on the 29th and 30th November 2008. The fees are RM200. Pak Jaafar is the nephew of Pak Yahya Said."

For more information, please sms me at +6016 3085 789 (Nadzrin) or email webmaster@silatmelayu.com.

Martial Arts expert shows off his moves

An internationally acclaimed martial arts guru showed off his skills at the Beachcomber Inn in Brean.

Unarmed knife defence expert and blade awareness instructor Maul Mornie from the Brunei school of martial arts visited the resort to hold a seminar with local people.

The art, which is known as 'Silat Suffian Bela Diri', teaches people how to protect themselves from knife attacks and instructs solid techniques for self defence and combat.

Frank Ellul, a teacher at St Johns School in Highbridge said: “Having Maul Mornie here is a bit like having Bruce Lee in Burnham. He is internationally known.”

Written by David Hemming
Sourced from http://www.burnhamandhighbridgeweeklynews.co.uk/news/villagenews/3799252.Martial_Arts_expert_shows_off_his_moves/

Virtual Silat Cometh

Ever since silat became popular with the internet generation, there has been a group of them who have been largely marginalised. Realising this, two forces representing the old and the new in silat have got together to fulfill this groups needs: Silat Gaming.

For those of us unfamiliar with the concept and only refer to the genre as 'video games', martial arts gaming has been popular ever since Street Fighter broke onto the scene in the last two decades.

Since then, there has been an increase in other gaming genres like strategy games Counter Strike and first person shooters like Doom and racing game Need for Speed (although the lines blur between them once in a while) while martial arts games take a back seat.

However, Azlan Ghanie, advisor of DGames Asia, a Dutch-based gaming company that has set down roots in Malaysia, believes that Silat can revitalise the genre, and this December will see whether his prediction rings true.

"The online and DVD version of our silat-referenced and Malaysian-based games will begin operations this December and will be marketed across Europe in April. I ask for the prayers and hopes of all pesilat that we succeed in introducing Malaysia and Silat to the world," he said in a statement today.

On behalf of everyone at Silat Melayu: The Blog and SMC, we wish DGames all the best!

Further reading: http://silat-melayu.blogspot.com/2008/03/silat-finally-comes-to-gaming.html

From bad boy to prominent national pencak silat hero

Diyan Kristianto could not hide his sheer disappointment when his gold hopes at the first Asian Beach Games crumbled.

"I'm very disappointed, but what can I say?"he said.

Diyan failed to continue his semifinal match against Bruneian Amirul Ahat after he suffered an injury. He was diagnosed with a torn ligament to the back of his left knee.

The debacle dealt a blow for the 23-year-old who was looking to add another laurel to his achievements. He came to the competitions the favorite following his win at last year's Southeast Asian Games and July's National Games.

Both sporting events are testimonies of his achievement attributable to his commitment, for which he has sacrificed his study.

Registered as a student of Sebelas Maret State University in Solo from 2005, Diyan has not found the time to return to study due to training camps and competitions.

"I hardly had time to begin my studies after enrollment because I was a called to a national training camp," said Diyan during the early stages of the pencak silat competition at the Games.
"I haven't had a break yet to go back to campus and attend class."

He said he would have returned to university except he didn't want to sacrifice his sport. "I have to sacrifice one or the other. I have sacrificed everything, including time with my family.

Therefore, in pencak silat I don't want to be half-hearted. I will hurt if I fail at one while I have sacrificed another."

When he was about 12 years old, Diyan said, he was "pushed" to train in pencak silat by his parent because he used to fight with the kids in his neighborhood.

"Finally, I forgot about street fighting and plunged into training, winning several competitions and becoming a national athlete."

He said his achievements at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and National Games were financially beneficial for his family. He said he wished his father would quit his job as a truck driver.

"I told him to quit driving, but he objected," said Diyan about his 60-year-old father Yatimin. His mother Jumiati is a housewife.

"I'm Javanese and usually when we earn big money we spend it on something like a plot of land for a rice plantation or a house. Also I put some in bank,"he said.

Diyan received Rp 200 million (US$19,900) in cash bonuses from the government for his gold winning performance in the 45 to 50-kilogram category at the SEA Games. He also pocketed Rp 150 million from the Central Java government for winning gold at the National Games in Samarinda.

Diyan said he had learned a lot from his seniors, such as former pesilats Roni Saefullah and Haris Nugroho, during his time at training camps and competitions while on the national team.

"They are very good to me. They are great athletes who spend their time mostly for their country," Diyan said, adding that he wished the Asian Games held a pencak silat event.

Beach pencak silat is harder than indoor pencak silat because the sand absorbs more energy, he said.

Diyan said he was anxious to prove that he was not only a champion indoors but a champion outdoors.

"It's a challenge for me." At the Games, the cruelty of the battleground sealed Diyan's ill fate.

Sourced from http://old.thejakartapost.com/detailsports.asp?fileid=20081023.U06&irec=5

Indonesia grabs three more golds in pencak silat

Indonesia wrapped up the beach pencak silat competition at the Asian Beach Games on a high note, sweeping all three gold medals at stake on the last day of competition Wednesday.

Balinese pesilat Ni Nyoman Suparniti barely broke a sweat as she outclassed Siti Zuliza Omar of Brunei Darussalam for a 5-0 win in their 55 to 60-kilogram division final to take Indonesia's gold medal tally to five in the sport.

"During the fight I learned that some of her techniques do not work.

Obviously she tried to tackle me several times but to no avail," Suparniti said after the match.was lucky she didn't win any point from that trick." Suparniti thanked hundreds of boisterous home spectators who packed the competition venue at Tanjung Benoa Beach, 30 kilometers south of Denpasar.

"Their constant cheers gave me a morale boost. When the official called out my name at the beginning of the match, I could hardly wait to fight." Suparniti defeated Emy Latip from Malaysia in the preliminary round before dousing Thai Monruthai Bangsalad's fire in the semifinals.

Earlier in the day, Ni Luh Putu Spyanawati and the pair of Hamdani and M. Yusuf Effendi presented Indonesia two gold medals in the women's artistic singles and men's artistic doubles competitions.

The jury awarded Spyanawati the highest score of 454, followed by Vietnamese Thao Vu Thi on 449 for the silver, and Norleyermah Haji Raya of Brunei Darussalam on 446 for the bronze.

The men's doubles team, Hamdani and Yusuf, collected 576 points to bag the artistic gold, followed by Tung Nguyen Thanh and Nghia Tran Duc of Vietnam and Mohamad Hafiz Mohamad Arif and Mohamad Helmi Aziz of Malaysia, with both teams scoring 562 points. The Vietnamese pair was granted the silver because they demonstrated a greater variety of techniques and expression of movement.

"We predicted that Komang would win the gold. But amazingly the rest of the team performed convincingly to win all the four gold medals on offer in the artistic category," head coach Indro Catur Haryono said referring to Suparniti.

Indro set a target of winning two gold medals in the non-combat discipline.

"Looking at the way they played, those competing in artistic category were better prepared for the Games than their teammates in the combat category,"Indro said.

Artistic coach Wayan Suwita also said Spyanawati, Hamdani and Yusuf won the favor because of the comprehension in their movements and the variety of their techniques.

"The jury unanimously awarded them with a high score. They beat their opponents by a margin of more than three. This means they dominated the competition," Suwita said.

"I think people would raise their eyebrows if the Indonesian artistic athletes didn't win today." Indonesia collected five out of the eight gold medals on offer in the beach pencak silat competition. Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand won one gold medal each.

The team exceeded the National Sports Committee's target of winning four gold medals.

Written by MATHEOS VIKTOR MESSAKH
Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-187664658/indonesia-grabs-three-more.html

Kristianto succumbs to injury, Supartini marches into final

Indonesia's chances of winning gold through its ace pencak silat fighter Diyan Kristianto are dashed after he was stretchered off with a knee injury during his semifinal Monday.

The Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist Kristianto was unable to finish his match against Amirul Ahat of Brunei Darussalam.

"What can we say? It's an accident and nobody wants it, but it happened," coach Dani Wisnu told The Jakarta Post after the match was suspended in Amirul's favor.

Wisnu said he asked the referee to stop the contest after seeing Kristianto could not stand following a fall.

"I didn't want him to suffer anymore. I am thinking about his performance at the next SEA Games,"Wisnu said.

The accident happened as Kristianto was trying to defend an attack from Amirul, but his feet sank deep into the sand,Wisnu said.

Kristianto was taken to Sanglah Hospital. Later in the day, Indonesian team manager Bambang Rus Effendi confirmed that the 2007 SEA Games gold medalist was diagnosed with a torn ligament tothe back of his left knee.

"I'm very disappointed, but what can I say? No one is to blame, not even the Brunei's pesilat," Kristianto told the Post by phone."We fell together and unfortunately I was not in the right position. I hope I will get well soon." Effendi said Wisnu made the right decision to withdraw Kristianto from the fight.

"Kristianto is one of our top players,we didn't expect this to happen but it has,"Effendi said. Brunei's Indonesian-born head coach Suhartono said the injury was unintentional, adding that the result might have been different if the match was not postponed.

"It happened too quickly and my pesilat had no intention of hurting his opponent.

Compared to indoor pencak silat, athletes playing beach pencak silat are more prone to injury," said Suhartono, who has coached Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Brunei Darussalam over his 12-year career.

Indonesian pesilat Ria Puspita Sari, who played in the women's 45 to 50-kilogram category, also bowed out in the first round. She lost to Nga Latip of Vietnam.

In the women's 60 to 65-kilogram category, Ni Nyoman Supartini made short work of Monruthai Bangsalad for a 5-0 win. Supartini will play Siti Zuliza Omar of Brunei Darussalam in the gold medal match Wednesday.

"Ria is a newcomer, butthat Supartini stands a good chance in her final match. Based on her track records, she should be able to control the match," Wisnu said.

Written by MATHEOS VIKTOR MESSAKH
Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-187537790/kristianto-succumbs-injury-supartini.html

Setiabakti Aidilfittri & Silaturrahim 2008

The Setiabakti Academy will be organising an Aidilfitri & Silaturrahim 2008 get together for all current and senior members of Silat Setiabakti, wherever they may be.

The event will take place on Monday, 27th October 2008 (Diwali Day) from 2.00pm - 6.00pm.

Fees are RM20.00 per person or RM30.00 per family.

For payment, please contact your instructors cikgu Hamidi/ cikgu Hassan/ cikgu Asmawi/ cikgu Rizal/ cikgu Azlan/ cikgu Razlan or just bank in your fees to Maybank Acc. No: 162478140787 (under the name Hamidi Md Nor) before 25th October 2008.