My Days with Golok Betawi "Seliwa"

   
"Jika dikatakan pencak silat kurang populer dibanding olahraga lainnya mungkin bisa saja benar.
Kalau demikian maka menjadi tugas kita bersama untuk mempopulerkan,
bukan mengganggap remeh kemudian meninggalkannya”, ujar Eddy Nalapraya.

 
Komunitas Sahabat Silat adalah komunitas yang terbuka bagi seluruh masyarakat pengemar Seni beladiri

tidak terbatas pada perguruan tertentu, karena komunitas ini adalah komunitas yang dibangun berdasarkan kecintaan

kepada olahraga beladiri khusunya pencak silat, mari bergabung bersama sahabat silat lainnya.  

[hummdee6]

Ohhh ..
its seem Uda SK who play with the trident.

[Antara]

All right, so I joined a knife workshop held by Defense Factory in Bandung.

Just like all concept derived around Bruce-Lee’s “the method of no method”, the workshop is about practicality, usefulness, and reasonable techniques of self-defense. While in silat I learn the ‘how to perfectly anticipate an aggression’, in the workshop (and I believe it is reflected in all JKD’s training) I learn about ‘how to effectively anticipate an aggression’.

Now, I can sense some people got their toe stepped on. What is this all about being perfect and being effective? What is the difference and which one is more superior? Hang on there.

Here is an illustration.
Doing Seliwa, I learn about form and its application, and there are drills to enhance our receptivity to anticipate an aggression. In short, Seliwa (and I could safely say that it holds true with most of silat system I know) focus on enhancing our ability to ‘see’, ‘feel’, ‘sense’, ‘hear’, or basically ‘detect’ any incoming aggression. The better we are with the system, the earlier we can anticipate an attack. The premise is that the earlier you can detect an attack, the better we can anticipate it. Even at the idealistic level, we should be able to neutralize an attack without inflicting any harm to the attacker.

As with modern (and I believe to have titled ‘realistic’) way of self-defense, the premise is that human’s perception is limited, or even if some people acknowledged that such enhanced sensory skill is real, the method to train it is no longer available or simply impractical for modern life. Hence the practice is stressed on how to effectively react with whatever you have. If somehow you only realize that there is knife coming to your stomach, and you realized it only after it is approximately two centimeters from its target, you just have to react with the few options left… and please expect a cut or two… hopefully not lethal.

You see… for an open minded, there is value in both approaches. Some will pick one approach, and some another.

As for me, both are fun, and that’s the only thing that matter. They don’t contradict each other.

I have Bang Husin to train with, someone who has reached that sort of sensory skill that by exchanging blows with him, I can learn to enhance my sensitivity too (that’s the conclusion Kang Abu Zakka and I drawn sometime a go. You must do the drill with your master, not with other student, so you can appreciate the true feeling. Of course, you need to actually ‘challenge’ your master to prove that he is indeed a master – we in Seliwa did, I don’t remember any training without me get injured ). On the other hand, the mind-set of always be ready and practical when called for, also holds its precious value. It is like balancing between religion and science. Hold your vision up high, while keeping your feet on the ground. Be dreamful and practical at the same time... (and for me... to have fun!! )

All in all, I do enjoy the workshop and looking forward to have some experiments with the gang in Seliwa.

[Mantrijeron14]

So you have joined the WS... mmmm I failed to participate just because... some of "you know what- domestic affair" my negotiation skill required to be re-evaluated

Can't wait to have you shared with us the WS materials, further I think... a true silaturahmi of martial artists is conducted through that particular way of ws, in which everybody will feel the real touch of the respective discipline.

Seliwa blades technique, particulary knife, shall develop to adjust with the currrent situation. The technique is there, the approach probably different with the old time teaching.

wassalam,
 
cogito ergo sum

[Antara]

Guess we all know better than trying to negotiate those 'domestic affairs'

Something I like from the WS is the attitude where training ground is much like a lab where ideas are tested and got either promoted or discarded. I imagine it would be fun to constantly have sessions of experiments and improvements.

... and I do believe we in Seliwa are taking exactly the path, looking at how much our training has differed from the first time I joined which was only few months a go... ha..ha..ha...