stick work in silat

kempo-vjj

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Is stick work emphasized in Silat very much, or just the knife? I love what I am doing right now, but sticks is not my favorite part of class. I do like that the stick can convert to empy hand and vice versa, I am mainly a self defense kinda guy, and not sure where the stick will come in handy as a self defense situation. I find myself in a little pain right now, we worked blocking, one stick against someone who has two. Well when I couldn't block a few shots fast enough I took one to the ribs and the other I had to block with my forearm to avoid my face (used rising block yeah!). To boot the 13 year old I was working with (great kid) seemed to be making up for technique with power strokes.
 
Is stick work emphasized in Silat very much, or just the knife? I love what I am doing right now, but sticks is not my favorite part of class. I do like that the stick can convert to empy hand and vice versa, I am mainly a self defense kinda guy, and not sure where the stick will come in handy as a self defense situation. I find myself in a little pain right now, we worked blocking, one stick against someone who has two. Well when I couldn't block a few shots fast enough I took one to the ribs and the other I had to block with my forearm to avoid my face (used rising block yeah!). To boot the 13 year old I was working with (great kid) seemed to be making up for technique with power strokes.

Depends on the class and lineage of Silat. The battlefield arts are generally just done with knives, but some of the blends with Filipino influences include sticks.

As far as where sticks will come in handy...the FBI Uniform Crime Report (2003) documents the weapons most commonly used in a commission of a crime are guns, knives, and clubs(sticks). Learning how to use the stick as a stick can help the student improvise weapons (ie: tree branches). Learning to use the stick as a blade burns in proper mechanics and muscle memory...you can't "cheat" to "see" where the blade is pointed.
 
I'd agree that the blade is more common but the stick is not uncommon in silat.

Sticks can be improvised wapons. You also might face one and knowing how to use it helps you defend against it. But, it also develops good motion and timing and sense of range and changing range for empty hand work.
 
Depends on the class and lineage of Silat. The battlefield arts are generally just done with knives, but some of the blends with Filipino influences include sticks.

By "knives" do you mean short swords like the pedang or golok or do you mean something smaller?

Lamont
 
By "knives" do you mean short swords like the pedang or golok or do you mean something smaller?

Lamont

The "knives" I'm referring to are in the context the OP presented:

kempo-vjj said:
Is stick work emphasized in Silat very much, or just the knife?
 
It really depends on the tradition and the teacher. Bladed weapons of some sort tend to be nearly universal in Silat. Sticks and staves are probably a close second.
 
well in silat pedang is more a sword type weapon, a knife i usually called a belati or just knife.

as for the question i cannot say for the other silat art but for mine se use staffs . we have two kind tembung and tongkat. but i know othe silat have at least staffs work in them but dun know about short stick like the kali kind.
 
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