My Days with Golok Betawi "Seliwa"

[hummdee6]

@bang antara...

maybe in the next/master level, all the practioner of Silat Golok Suliwa Bang/Babe Husein should comfortable with any kind of weapon.
Because when I (and my friend) visit to the 'dojo' (tempat latihan), I saw Bang/Babe Husein and one of the senior student fluently play with any golok, even with trident (trisula).

Maybe this is your next trainig objective.. comfortable with anykind of weapons, even with bare hand.

...make me remind to samurai (s), they look helpless without their katana.
cmiiw

[Mantrijeron14]

Mas Chandrasa, Cak Pemulung and Gan Hudz (eventhough you haven't speak up... I assummed you had the same intention with others ), thank you all for the felicitation, it is still long way to go for mastery, and I know my GPS coordinate  :'(,

Dimas Antara, a minor revision if I may, such "ijazah" is a certification for training not valid for teaching this style independently. Another "ijazah" for such requires a candidate to undergo much more comprehensive observation from the Guru himself.
 
@bang Hummdee6, AFAIK, the samurai's strikes shall not be blunt without their katana onhand. They also could use the jutsu of barehand. CMIIW

wassalam,

[hummdee6]

@mantrijeron14
thanks for the correction.
maybe i just too influenced by japanesse anime about samurai lifes (such us KYO, samurai X, etc).

[santri kinasih]

@hummdee6...

A professional football player should not use brand new pair of shoes in an important event...In golok seliwa, we are trained to get better acquainted with the golok, knife etc..We may be able to new golok or rented golok or  borrowed golok or found golok...because we learn the philosophy of golok. However, we may not be able to use it as good as the golok of our own...It still take a few minutes or a bit of practice to make it similar...

@ dimas antara..

Kang MJ14 is still not allowed to open a golok seliwa school..but he is now a licenced trainer of golok seliwa..Kang MJ14 is now the Chief Trainer of Golok Seliwa who is directly trained by Babe Husin...

FYI,

Golok seliwa has now adopted a new way of training...a modernized one..

[sedyaleksana]

Kang MJ14 is now the Chief Trainer of Golok Seliwa who is directly trained by Babe Husin

Bow to "Chief Trainer of Golok Seliwa". . Again, congratulation kang MJ.  I'm sure you'll be a good and wise trainer.

FYI,
Golok seliwa has now adopted a new way of training...a modernized one.

Glad to hear this. I think this is a good step for Golok Seliwa to be developed to the next level. 

[Taufan]

Congrat bang MJ14... looking forward golok seliwa "new wave" in action 

[Antara]

FYI,

Golok seliwa has now adopted a new way of training...a modernized one..

That should explain the less painful session for the last few weeks.
Lets hope we can leave the motto 'no saturday without injury' behind.

[Antara]

Not sure where to start, too many things in my mind. So bear with me, I’ll try to pour it as systematically as possible (I am confirmed right brained – and nearly crashed too).

Ok… mmm … the main theme for the last two weeks is paradigm shift.
If you come from sport or realistic (read: modernized) martial art and tried Silat tradisional for sometime, you will notice some significant differences.

[Antara]

First, you’ll get confused with its un-systematic way of teaching. You need to stay for a while digesting anything poured at you until finally you get your new knowledge rounded-up. The time needed to reach that point is depend on many factors, but I can tell two important ones, the generosity of your teacher and your ability to absorb.

Second, your modern mind will try to analyze the movements, you’ll have the tendency to ask to yourself “will this work in real fight?”, “who on earth would attack anybody with this kind of strike at the first place?”, “will this work in battle-stress condition?”, “Why so many alternatives to deal with similar attack?” and so on.

In Seliwa, you have overly generous teacher. I often have to ask Bang Husin not to add anymore application for it is already too much to digest in one session, but apparently Bang Husin really enjoy teaching (and applying his teaching to others, the realistic way :'( if you know what I mean ). That being said, much of progress in Seliwa depend on your own ability to absorb. In my case, my deepest thank to whoever invented video-cam.

Being poisoned by modern teachings, I had difficulties with some of the movements. Those feel awkward for my ‘the simpler the better’ mind, and yes, I often wondered if some movements have any fighting value at all.

[Antara]

And now the turning point.

After working my way up to “potek/kotek”, I returned to square one by reviewing my first pu’un. Uda SK assisted me in digging this simplest and plainest jurus of Seliwa.

Very surprising. As I have written early in this thread, I learned that 1st pu’un trained us how to put our weight for first contact, and how to perform basic block-and-strike. However, in our last session together, Uda SK revealed many possibilities covered by this simple jurus by changing several variables, i.e. weight distribution, timing, order of execution, direction of palm, and form of our fist. We ended up practicing tactile sensitivity for arm tapping and trapping drills, quite similar to those of Wing Chun. I am still amazed with how many things can be learned from this “most boring jurus” in the world. Once you got the principle, you can intuitively do countless variations.

(Tip for you who study shotokan karate and feel like to add Wing Chun to your arsenal, look no further, play around with san-ren-tsuki. Be creative with what-if scenario, and you’ll get your own Shotokan sticky hands)


So that’s one.

In later sessions with Bang Husin, somehow I get comfortable with movements, including those I considered awkward. Why? Because I can see it from different perspective now… allow me to elaborate.

I had few session of choreographed fight, assisted by Kang Abu Zakka. Working my way through various application and counter-application (isi and bongkar), I arrived in simple yet hard won conclusion. Apparently, movements are divided into two categories, I called them “the first contact” (yes, I am a trekkie), and “the follow-ups”.

As the name implies, the first contact are those used in initial stage of combat. You see someone deliver an attack to your nose, and you need to react quickly. The first contacts are simple, lightning speed, and involve only the most agile body part i.e. your arm.

While the first contact can serves as fight-ender in itself, but the world doesn’t always follow our plans (does it?). Should you find yourself still standing face to face with your “dancing partner” after the first contact, you’ll need follow ups. And guess what, after the first collision you’ll likely find yourself in somewhat unnatural position. Say your weight has shifted, your hip twisted to a direction, and your hands are hanging somewhere. The same thing also apply to you opponent. You no longer facing someone standing straight with full guard on both side of his cheek.

At this stage you need follow-ups that allow you to react and seize any opportunity presented by situation. Trust me, you’ll thank you master for teaching you such awkward movements. Apparently Seliwa’s approach is different with some martial arts I learned in the past. If in the past I learned to keep my spine straight and my balance … err… balanced (?) so I can move easily to anticipate anything, Seliwa teaches me to move from even the clumsiest position I may find in a fight (take more time and effort, I suppose. This is another note I need to keep while practicing).

The thing is, follow ups are usually taught as if those were “first contact”, hence leaving you asking to yourself “which idiot would fight this way at the first place?”. Don’t blame yourself for it is a healthy question. Those follow-ups don’t make sense, that is, being taught without knowing its actual position in a fight. Once you intuitively execute the movement (or the more correct way of saying it -applying the principle-) in a fight, you’ll find your ‘aha’ moment. Those movements do make sense after all.

[Antara]

The new enlightenment makes me think.

By practicing martial art, we are actually trying to re-program our nerve system to certain stimulus, that is those commonly found in a fight. Silat with its difficult to understand movements is actually trying to expose its practitioner to many kind of combat happenings, so one will be able to adapt quickly to any change of stimuli. The more proficient the fighter, the more sensitive he or she against any stimulus. It is ‘bacaan’, ‘rasa’, ‘napel’, ‘usik’, or even ‘rasa sinar’… there is nothing magical about it, just a highly exposed nerve system that can detect even the smallest change. Similar to a story I heard about a senior doctor who can diagnose a patient with 100% accuracy simply by looking at the patient. Somehow, his experience can detect the slightest clue of people’s sickness, which to him comes as ‘instant intuition’.

Experience is the greatest teacher, and a good perguruan is actually trying to provide simulation so students can gain ‘experience’ in a safe and controlled manner.

[Antara]

Now about modern teaching.

The old way of ‘bear with your master, you’ll eventually get it’ is a valid motto, yes (been doing it for sometime and it works, as you just see). However, I believe it would be helpful to the learning process if we have theory session formalized. Say, we develop a framework or road-map of Seliwa practice, so student can always tell his or her position against Seliwa’s curriculum (took me sometime to realize that some of the movements are follow-ups and should be trained with different mind-set), what is his or her short-medium-long term target, and assessed their own performance and progress.

If the student is mature enough, he or she could even develop their own practice program.

In my case, I need to develop more tactile sensitivity (due to my previously long ranged training), and in longer term, my body coordination for follow-ups movements. Especially those that involve silat’s typical HAOV (Habitual Act of Violence).

Well… we are going to have a modern teaching in place. So no need to worry.

[Antara]

@bang antara...

maybe in the next/master level, all the practioner of Silat Golok Suliwa Bang/Babe Husein should comfortable with any kind of weapon.

I believe so Bang Hummdee...

Because when I (and my friend) visit to the 'dojo' (tempat latihan), I saw Bang/Babe Husein and one of the senior student fluently play with any golok, even with trident (trisula).

Ah, we have two seniors who love trident. Let me guess which one you met.
tell me the size of his waistline?

[hummdee6]

 

The senior student (i thought) has weight about 80 KG (or more)

[Antara]

Mmm... all the senior students are weighted more than 80 kgs... some are bulky on the chest, some on biceps and triceps, and some are somewhere within the mid section.

Oh... an update... here is confirmation about Seliwa's very short history...
My version rules, check Uda SK's story near the end of the clip ... hahahahahaarrr <evil laugh>

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy8qxSqufqE&feature=related[/youtube]

Sitting next to Uda SK is Abang MayLee...