M
MKnight
Guest
Hello All,
I was hoping to get some feedback from the Silat practitioners on this forum. I live in the Denton, Tx and have a background in Taiji & Xingyi with a little Pekiti-Tirsia Kali picked up from seminars. It was at one of those seminars that I was advised to look into Silat for the possibility of some good, hardcore, combative training.
To give you a little background: I work in the field of Catastrophic Property Claims as a field adjustor. This means I get sent to areas that have been hard-hit by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, severe storms etc. It is an emotional occupation; tempers from clients & surrounding individuals often run high & the threat of violent encounters is very often in the background. When I'm not in a "catastrophe" area, my company will often send me to nasty areas of town at odd hours because I'm supposed to be "used to dealing" with semi-dangerous, high-stress situations. I have not yet been involved in a violent altercation, but one of my team members just got out of the hospital because of such a situation. Given the above, I'm looking for training that I can realistically use to handle armed & unarmed attacks that can happen in the course of me doing my job.
Having taken a look at what's available in my area, I've found 3 or 4 possibilities that might feet the bill. Being a newbie in the world of Silat, I was hoping for a comparison/contrast of these systems given the needs I've outlined. My main concern is combat functionalty---I'm not really all that worried about issues of politics, lineages or which is the "purest system." I'm also well-aware that much of this depends on how much/well I train in a given system & how it is taught by the instructor in question. On the other hand, in general terms some systems are just more efficient, direct & to the point than others (at least IMHO based on my past experiences).
Keeping this in mind, I would greatly appreciate any feedback on the following systems:
1) Maphilindo Silat--This class is taught by a couple of instructors under Guro Harley Elmore of Wichita Falls, Tx. The group actually specializes in training in Sayoc Kali but they also cross-train in Maphilindo Silat. They are a friendly bunch with a combative mentality. They are also honest enough to say that they only have 2-3 years of experience (I think) with the Maphilindo system as opposed to greater experience with the Sayoc. I like the blend inherent in the Maphilindo but am mostly unfamilair witht he art apart from the demo & limited explanations I was exposed to when I visited the group. Most of the info on the web just seems to repeat that it is Dan Inosanto's blend of different Silat styles. The class is offered once a week, I believe.
2) Mande Muda-- This would be a twice a week class taught by a gentleman by the name of "Doc" Dority who apparently has several years of experience with the Mande Muda system. The same class also teaches Richard deBordes' Minangkabau Harimau style and DeBordes' thinking on combat seems to influence the group. I like the comprehensiveness of the system (even though on the other hand, the voluminous nature of the system may not make for any fairly quick combat ability). I have not yet been to the class but a trusted friend went & gave me a review of the class. From what I gathered, the class had quite a bit of conditioning exercises at the beginning, then got into applications. As I understand it, the applications were quite brutal, full of shearing forearms, elbow smashes etc. The classes run about 2 hrs.
3) Silat Kuntau Tekpi-- A Malaysian Silat system taught by the same Mande Muda instructor in #2 above. From some e-mail exchanges with the system head for North America, Omar Hakim, I understand that this style of Silat has a very short training syllabus & can be learned in a compressed period of time. It seems to be nicknamed "old man Silat" as it does not require much athleticism to perform (or so I'm told). My friend saw a short demo of this style at the Mande Muda class. While the short curriculum appeals to me, the style seems to have a great concentration on locks rather than strikes & appears to be very defensive in nature rather than offensive or counter-offensive. Maybe someone here can elaborate on that & show me that my thinking is incorrect.
4) Serak--This is taught by one Raymond Crow at his school. He appears to be a student of Victor De Thouars and he also teaches JKD, Muay Thai & Inosanto Lacoste Kali at his school as separate classes. I audited one of the classes & it appears that this style is pretty direct & efficient. I didn't have much time to stay & chat afterwards, so my info is limited to what I saw & what I've picked up on the internet. I'm well aware by now of the De Thouars brothers & their....problems with one another & their former students. I really don't care. Again, I'm just looking for what might best fit the bill for a real violent encounter. The Serak I saw seemed quite aggressive & possibly effective. From what little I've been able to get on it while wading through the minefield of politics, it doesn't seem to be quite as comprehensive as Mande Muda or even Maphilindo---but maybe I'm wrong.
Just some additional background on me: I'm a 40-yr-old male with a slight build (5'8). I was recently diagnosed with Epstein-Barr, so whatever I train in would optimally help me end the fight quickly as my endurance could easily give out (depending on to what degree I'm feeling the adrenaline dump). Not a great set of circumstances, but that's my current reality.
I'm all ears for any feedback on the above. Any input/experiences/advice would be greatly appreciated!
Marcus
I was hoping to get some feedback from the Silat practitioners on this forum. I live in the Denton, Tx and have a background in Taiji & Xingyi with a little Pekiti-Tirsia Kali picked up from seminars. It was at one of those seminars that I was advised to look into Silat for the possibility of some good, hardcore, combative training.
To give you a little background: I work in the field of Catastrophic Property Claims as a field adjustor. This means I get sent to areas that have been hard-hit by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, severe storms etc. It is an emotional occupation; tempers from clients & surrounding individuals often run high & the threat of violent encounters is very often in the background. When I'm not in a "catastrophe" area, my company will often send me to nasty areas of town at odd hours because I'm supposed to be "used to dealing" with semi-dangerous, high-stress situations. I have not yet been involved in a violent altercation, but one of my team members just got out of the hospital because of such a situation. Given the above, I'm looking for training that I can realistically use to handle armed & unarmed attacks that can happen in the course of me doing my job.
Having taken a look at what's available in my area, I've found 3 or 4 possibilities that might feet the bill. Being a newbie in the world of Silat, I was hoping for a comparison/contrast of these systems given the needs I've outlined. My main concern is combat functionalty---I'm not really all that worried about issues of politics, lineages or which is the "purest system." I'm also well-aware that much of this depends on how much/well I train in a given system & how it is taught by the instructor in question. On the other hand, in general terms some systems are just more efficient, direct & to the point than others (at least IMHO based on my past experiences).
Keeping this in mind, I would greatly appreciate any feedback on the following systems:
1) Maphilindo Silat--This class is taught by a couple of instructors under Guro Harley Elmore of Wichita Falls, Tx. The group actually specializes in training in Sayoc Kali but they also cross-train in Maphilindo Silat. They are a friendly bunch with a combative mentality. They are also honest enough to say that they only have 2-3 years of experience (I think) with the Maphilindo system as opposed to greater experience with the Sayoc. I like the blend inherent in the Maphilindo but am mostly unfamilair witht he art apart from the demo & limited explanations I was exposed to when I visited the group. Most of the info on the web just seems to repeat that it is Dan Inosanto's blend of different Silat styles. The class is offered once a week, I believe.
2) Mande Muda-- This would be a twice a week class taught by a gentleman by the name of "Doc" Dority who apparently has several years of experience with the Mande Muda system. The same class also teaches Richard deBordes' Minangkabau Harimau style and DeBordes' thinking on combat seems to influence the group. I like the comprehensiveness of the system (even though on the other hand, the voluminous nature of the system may not make for any fairly quick combat ability). I have not yet been to the class but a trusted friend went & gave me a review of the class. From what I gathered, the class had quite a bit of conditioning exercises at the beginning, then got into applications. As I understand it, the applications were quite brutal, full of shearing forearms, elbow smashes etc. The classes run about 2 hrs.
3) Silat Kuntau Tekpi-- A Malaysian Silat system taught by the same Mande Muda instructor in #2 above. From some e-mail exchanges with the system head for North America, Omar Hakim, I understand that this style of Silat has a very short training syllabus & can be learned in a compressed period of time. It seems to be nicknamed "old man Silat" as it does not require much athleticism to perform (or so I'm told). My friend saw a short demo of this style at the Mande Muda class. While the short curriculum appeals to me, the style seems to have a great concentration on locks rather than strikes & appears to be very defensive in nature rather than offensive or counter-offensive. Maybe someone here can elaborate on that & show me that my thinking is incorrect.
4) Serak--This is taught by one Raymond Crow at his school. He appears to be a student of Victor De Thouars and he also teaches JKD, Muay Thai & Inosanto Lacoste Kali at his school as separate classes. I audited one of the classes & it appears that this style is pretty direct & efficient. I didn't have much time to stay & chat afterwards, so my info is limited to what I saw & what I've picked up on the internet. I'm well aware by now of the De Thouars brothers & their....problems with one another & their former students. I really don't care. Again, I'm just looking for what might best fit the bill for a real violent encounter. The Serak I saw seemed quite aggressive & possibly effective. From what little I've been able to get on it while wading through the minefield of politics, it doesn't seem to be quite as comprehensive as Mande Muda or even Maphilindo---but maybe I'm wrong.
Just some additional background on me: I'm a 40-yr-old male with a slight build (5'8). I was recently diagnosed with Epstein-Barr, so whatever I train in would optimally help me end the fight quickly as my endurance could easily give out (depending on to what degree I'm feeling the adrenaline dump). Not a great set of circumstances, but that's my current reality.
I'm all ears for any feedback on the above. Any input/experiences/advice would be greatly appreciated!
Marcus