My Days with Golok Betawi "Seliwa"

[Antara]

Private session with Bang Husin.
… err… by private I mean practicing in class, however, with Bang Husin every class is private. He comes to you, tell you something you can improve, and add something that he thinks will be useful for you, specifically.

Today I went home at noon after practice and sleep for the rest of the afternoon. Not because the class was demanding… not physically, but it still broke my nerves down. Remember the first few days you drive a car on the road? It wasn’t physically demanding, but you feel boneless after you get home. That's how I feel today.

My theme today was straight punch, and I need to un-learn what is already part of myself and re-learn something new.

The session was about few empty handed applications from pu’un and langkah, but it required mastery in one of Seliwa’s basic principle, ‘nothing is committed’. Which I found myself lacking.

I know that must be able to change direction of my arm (and leg) at slightest stimulus from my opponent, it is on the first page of the book (if Seliwa ever had any manual book at all). But it is easier said than done. My shotokan background has me hard-wired with powerful jab and cross, combined with strong double guard (err… did I say shotokan? ).

But the common sense behind the ‘non committed attack’ is indisputable, you don’t want to surrender your limb in blade fighting.

After lots of failure trials with Bang Husin laughingly slapped my face over and over again (imagine putting knife there), I found little trick that may help. Imagine you are holding a blade while delivering a punch. I believe you’d agree that knowledgeable person won’t pull his arm way behind his ear and throw a slash in wide arc to other person carotid artery. They only do it in Hollywood. A proper slash would be a jab-like thrust followed by quick angled withdrawal right at the moment of (or slightly before) touch. That’s how Seliwa's punch should be delivered. Not a feint, it is still a punch capable of inflicting damage, but must also be flexible enough to adapt for any changing circumstances.

Bang Husin taught me series of reactions against any techniques put against your punching arm… all requires agility and sensitivity to your opponent’s energy (including if it is only a gesture). They are well designed tricks indeed, however, putting them into practice will require lots of drill (and in my case, un-learning). Doing pre-arranged techniques with cooperative partner is one thing, but punching with high speed not knowing what your partner will do is completely another thing. I need a tuishou kind of drill.

Long way to go...

[Antara]

With time on Saturday and Sunday getting more expensive for me, I asked Bang Husin for private sessions at night on weekdays… he agreed.

I imagine it going to be exciting sessions. And tiring too. Driving home about 60 kilometers at 11 or 12 PM? I will need approval from those two little children at home (through their mother, of course ).

[Antara]

Thank you to technology (cheap one: mirror, expensive options: vid cam)

Just realize that anytime I work with special tricks (folding golok, twisting or wrist-direction-changing) I left my arm hanging dead in front of me. Apparently while I was busy working with little part of my arm, I am forgetting the bigger picture.

Looking at my recorded performance, if I were an opponent, I would definitely attack that dead arm. Knowing that I didn't do it for feinting (it was a 'main jujur' stuff), I don't have anything behind my sleeve to anticipate the attack.

Compare it with Bang Husin's (that now I consciously pay attention to those particular tricks) I found that he works his wrist while at the same time moving his elbow, hence his arm never sit in any position for more than split second, it constantly moving.

There are times when you think you knew, but later you realize that you don't. The joy of learning.

[santri kinasih]

Antara needs to practice with mantrijeron before having a session with babe husin...Just a little advice..

[Antara]

Too bad Uda, I already started personal session with Bang Husin.

It was two weeks a go, I found myself in vicinity of blok S while trying to avoid the darkest side of Jakarta’s traffic. I pulled over to the nearest Mosque for praying then called Bang Husin, just a courtesy call. His respond was simple, “get yourself down here and lets practice.”

Two hours of exclusive training with the master himself, my index finger is not fully recover yet.

We drilled the Seliwa’s arm grabbing and joint lock. At first I thought “O yeah, joint lock, just how much variation of joint locks are there on earth?” Especially with some Aikido training still lurking under my conscious mind.

O-ho, but this is really an eye opener.

While the techniques have similarity with typical joint-locks one can found in other martial art (such as Aikido, Chin-Na, Jujutsu etc.), but Bang Husin really showed me his quality as master. He is so strong and so relax at the same time.

If you don’t follow me, imagine this. I grab his left wrist with my right hand, then I turned it clockwise. My Aikido doctrine would suggest Bang Husin to follow my movement and immobilize my joint when it is fully extended. He did that, yes, but then he did the opposite at exactly the same fluidity. Instead of turning his wrist clockwise, blending with my movement, he turned it anti-clockwise (from my perspective). Normally our force would collide, his wrist turning to the opposite direction of my grabbing palm, but to my surprise we didn’t find ourselves in arm wrestling. I couldn’t feel any resistance in my palm, as if I was grabbing nothing. Suddenly I found myself under his painful finger lock.

I tried again with tighter grab, but the result is the same. I just couldn’t hold his wrist from turning. Not that Bang Husin over-powered me, I simply couldn’t feel any resistance in my palm. I imagined, even if Bang Husin put ultra-slippery oil around his wrist, the result wouldn’t be like this. It feels as if Bang Husin had followed my momentum, as dictated by Aikido, that I felt no resistance. Except that of course, Bang Husin actually opposing my force.

Following my request, we repeated the movement … I don’t know… hundred times? But I still cannot see how he did it. And there were no explanation too, all he said was simply “We will try this over and over again, you will eventually able to do it.” With Bang Husin, there is not much theory (only his typical grinning expression ). I believe this is one of the “rasa” thingy silat people often talked about. You cannot describe it, nor learn it by observing the details… you just need to feel it.

Two weeks has passed. I still need to be very careful when lifting heavy things. The pain in the fingers.

Maybe I should follow Uda SK’s suggestion after all.

[santri kinasih]

If you had time, we should probably have a silat duduk session...We study the laws of seliwa moves...

[Mantrijeron14]

Dimas Antara,
Actually your case is everybody's case  , almost all seliwa disciples experienced the same.

your huge power to have his arm locked was not oppossed by the full arm movement, instead of doing that, Babe just turned his wrist against your direction, probably this was the trap. When you think you have no resistence in doing particular technique yet comfortable in the execution, you (obviously us ) forget that his wrist has smoothly changed the direction and ready to hook and pin your fingers. And then prevails the old saying: no pain, no gain....

wassalam,

[Antara]

Well... with no pain I can train without long resting period  that's for sure 

Thing that stroke me with those techniques, they weren't anything "uncoverable" by careful observation. I DID my observation and there was no tricks. Just plain movement done skillfully. There won't be any "Aha, I know the secret!!" moment, just diligent practice until "Aha, now I can do it too."

I wonder if we should practice "sambut" with the master himself to be able to gain such expertise, or can we attain the same skill level by practicing the same movement with our colleagues? Likely the earlier...

[Antara]

yahoo… my 2000cc car can reach 11 kilometres per litre. So it is true, fuel economy relies mostly on your driving style.

Ehm… back to silat.

If it was a life blade, I had cut the inside of my left arm three times this week.

Still cannot go pass the third kembang, the Potek.

I am getting comfortable with ‘langkah’ and ‘patah’. In most cases, I can do two out of ten to my own satisfaction, i.e. the speed and form. Gosh, only twenty percent . It is my father’s tip of mastery; perform the same jurus ten times (or more, depend on length and difficulty level) without resting, see how many good form you can make. It is especially truer on the 8th, 9th, and 10th performance when you are tired (or in Seliwa’s case, out of breath). My father always set moderate target. 100%.

The ‘potek’? Nnnaahhh… terrible.

There was a glimpse of ‘langkah’ and ‘patah’ in my previous postings, so now is about ‘potek’.

Frankly I am not sure if I understand the word correctly (reminder: ask Bang Husin). To my understanding ‘potek’ is … err… chipping? Breaking just a little piece of something? Somehow I don’t think I see anything ‘potek’ in the jurus.

The obvious things are cutting your opponent attacking arm (not a kind slice, you may want to take that arm home with you), combo of low attacks (the bigger the calve, the nicer the slice), and combination of kick and golok (quick, pick one, golok or kick? ups, sorry, you’re late).

This jurus has gone further than just teaching principles like ‘langkah’ or ‘patah’, apparently ‘potek’ is more tactical, but still built under Seliwa’s principle.

Kamas MJ demonstrated the arm cutting to my arm, and I still remember the chilling sensation in my spine to have that golok move round my wrist… three times.
 

[Antara]

Newsflash,
Last Sunday we have tumpengan celebration , graduation of Kamas MJ and Akang Abu Zakka. The two are now considered as official inheritors of Golok Seliwa School and are allowed to teach, acknowledged and ‘ijazah’-ed by Bang Husin.

The meaning of the word ‘ijazah’ is too complicated for me to translate. As noun, it is a piece of ‘certificate’, but it can also mean something more complicated like ‘bestowing someone with authority’.

Little note with the tumpeng, the coned yellow rice.
According to tradition, we must place the tumpeng on the ground with us sitting in circle surrounding it, and we are not allowed to use utensils, including plates. Grab with your five fingers, and bring the food directly to your mouth…. (and we just finished throwing people in muddy ground). Well, it shows togetherness and humility (there is no report of diarrhea, luckily )
 
Oh… the tradition also says that we must finish the tumpeng in one go, there must not be left-over, and it must not be removed to other place. It symbolize our determination in studying Seliwa … the interesting part is, the tumpeng was made for twenty people and there were only ten or so of us . The fact that we actually manage to finish it can mean that we are either committed, or simply… horde of hungry beings.

Congratulation to Kamas MJ and Akang Abu Zakka.
 

[sedyaleksana]

Congratulation to MJ14 & Abu Zakka. 
Salam
Chandrasa

[Pemulung]

 
Congrats to master Emje Embe (kang MJ14) and master A-to-Z (Akang Abu Zakka) 
Hope Golok Seliwa's lineage of Grand Master Bang Husen will be developed to next level. 

Warm Regards,

[hudzaifah]

ga' jadi ah replynya pake bahasa bule'....,,

[Antara]

Loo... silakan saja Mas Hudz, wong saya pake bahasa bule supaya bisa menyamarkan ujub dan ria-nya saya aja koq 

True what people say, once you're in position of authority, you will often find yourself in dilemma. Well, as moderator I am obliged to keep any postings here in English, but putting the spirit of togetherness above the regulation, I believe we should tolerate some Bahasa Indonesia, up to the level where we need to open separated thread in Bahasa Indonesia section.

...I believe if any of the viewer who don't understand Bahasa Indonesia (yea you wish --- see how ujub I am? ) asking for translation, there are plenty of  helpful souls around.

Jadi jangan malu-malu...

[Antara]

Just finish my morning session... another cut on forearm.

The thing is, I have three goloks. One is too long and heavy, one is too short and light, and one is simply too sharp .

I found that after practicing with one golok for sometime, I need to adjust my inner feeling if I'd like to practice with other golok. True that in Seliwa, our golok is made to our own size, and we should practice with that particular golok. Yet, I believe that we should be able to perform with any kind of golok. Who knows?

Please don't think that I am thinking ahead by having three different goloks to practice with, no. I just cannot find one who fit with me yet, and those three goloks are trial orders . Nevertheless, it gives me insight of how difficult it is to adjust to different kind of weapon, hence one who can comfortably play any size and shape of golok must have been through lots and lots of training.

... remind me of my father's saying, 'you don't want to go to the jungle with rifle you don't know well'