The Desa - Pencak Silat Forum: Human Weapon Special on Silat

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slidefoot
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Topic: Human Weapon Special on Silat
Posted: 24 Nov 2007 at 4:04pm

did anybody watch this , if so what did you think?

Edited by slidefoot - 24 Nov 2007 at 4:05pm

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dent
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Posted: 24 Nov 2007 at 7:06pm

I thought I might star some dialogue on what was presented as Silat on the Discovery channel.

I would love to hear thoughts and observations.

All in all I thought it was mediocre in general.

Not in the martial content, but rather it was lacking the things mentioned in gurus post.

http://www.combat-silat.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=102

Is that because it was Malaysian (regional difference??) or just because those 3-4 styles represented had different philosphies of movement

from what I have seen of others I would call traditional silat players.

Although I did like the Harimau, but it seemed very upright, wouldnt upright tiger be Matjan? or Macan?

The Hanafi Harimau or DeBordes harimau were more rooted in the earth.

It bummed me out because the thing I like most about silat is the beauty/fluidity and the way it integrates with the strong earthen hitting, or quick and fiery blows.

Every movement seems labored in the program, and there was a frightening lack of blade emphasis too.

But the Keris/Kriss stuff was neat to see, but that is not nearly the extent of the blade usage in Silat.

What did you guys think.....?? Am i harsh? ehehe

I love the program in general though!

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sheibeck
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Posted: 27 Nov 2007 at 9:34am

Apparently this style of Silat was on the Human Weapon last week. I'm just curious about comments. Seems like there is a lot of hand work and less emphasis on moving the core, but it looks brutal.

Interview with the creator
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5758945442337292333

Some sparring (fighting?)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3879398583185623932&q=lian+padukan&total=9&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=6

Edited by sheibeck - 28 Nov 2007 at 10:39am

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Matthew
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Posted: 27 Nov 2007 at 9:43am

Selamat Sheibeck,

I just finished watching the History Channel deal today (gotta love your DVR) as with everything I encounter in MA I saw a lot of good and a lot of stuff I did not connect with. I loved seeing it in the public eye for sure though.

Hormat saya,
Matthew
www.nwlasilat.com

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sheibeck
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Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:41am

I really wish I had full blown cable so I could watch the human weapon. I hear it's good, so maybe I'll have to buy the series when it comes out :)

I thought it was interesting that my friend told me that the Krav Maga and the Silat were the only two episodes so far where they didn't actually fight at the end. To dangerous or something ;)

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SilatJunkie
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Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:16pm

Selamat Slidefoot;

I watched it and thought that it was okay. There's so much more to pencak silat that wasn't shown or represented in this little intro that it felt a little lacking. However, as someone mentioned here in class on Tuesday, probably everyone whose art has been showcased has felt that.

I know very little about Malaysian pencak silat but it does seem to have some differences to Indonesian pencak silat. In the case of what was considered Harimau for example, what is typically showcased of Indonesian Harimau is the groundwork it is famous for - the Malaysian version seemed to be more upright. Of course, the little snippet shown is hardly indication of a whole art.

I, like Dent, wish it had focused a bit more on the weapons aspect of the arts. I also felt that perhaps some of the ways in which the art were represented could be disputed. For instance, they said that silat has borrowed weapons methods from the Philippines but in reality, no one really knows and a good portion of the weapons training in Indonesian pencak silat is quite a bit different from the sister arts of Kali, arnis, or escrima.

My 2C.

Hormat saya,

Guru Stark

Hormat saya,
Guru Stark

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SilatJunkie
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Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:25pm

Dent;

Glad to have someone out here. Lately, I've almost been forgetting to check the posts because it's been so quiet and I just haven't had time to stir things up...

In general I would agree with you. It was mediocre to me too. I haven't been terribly impressed by the show overall but I was hopeful that some of the more interesting aspects of PS would come out in the show and instead it was pretty basic - maybe even generic is a better word...

Malaysian silat does differ from Indonesian silat the further north in Malaysia one travels (From what I understand). However, I am not an expert in Malay silat by any means. I have seen some Malay silat from the southern areas that seem more akin to the Indo silat that I am more familiar with. SSGM is more Northern, as was Lian Padukan, and a few of the others shown and they tend to be a bit more "Chinese looking" in general flavor which you probably noticed.

Anyway, thanks for talking :-)

Hormat saya,

Guru Stark

Hormat saya,
Guru Stark

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SilatJunkie
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Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:25pm

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I moved the first post shown from the Spiritual Silat section.

Hormat saya,
Guru Stark

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Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:29pm

Okay, I'm a hack, I moved the Silat Wing Chun thing here too... Not sure why but I didn't get notice of the postings. Sorry I was absent for them.

Hormat saya,
Guru Stark

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Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:31pm

Selamat Sheibeck

I don't think the show is worth cable. I am happy to see it because it's MA and that's better than much of the other crap but most of the time it leaves me kind of feeling 'sigh' a little dissapointed.

Like Matthew I was most excited that it was getting some air time - not about the show itself.

As for the too deadly stuff for sparring... I tend to think that it was more about "face." Malay culture does not do things to intentionally make someone lose face. They aren't going to put a guy in the middle of six guys and then do it for real. That's just not going to happen.

I was a bit ( a lot ) disappointed that the techniques that they had previously studied seemed to come in SO handy for the TEST. The whole thing seemed seriously close to being staged....AND the fact that the guys seemed to do the same things over and over AND the response was basically the same for each of those things...

HS,

Guru Stark

Edited by SilatJunkie - 28 Nov 2007 at 10:36pm

Hormat saya,
Guru Stark

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Pencak Silat Training and Conditioning
The Desa - Pencak Silat Forum :Pencak Silat :Pencak Silat Training and Conditioning

Author	Message
slidefoot Newbie Joined: 07 Aug 2007 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 1	Topic: Human Weapon Special on Silat Posted: 24 Nov 2007 at 4:04pm
	did anybody watch this , if so what did you think? Edited by slidefoot - 24 Nov 2007 at 4:05pm

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dent Groupie Joined: 24 May 2007 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 44	Posted: 24 Nov 2007 at 7:06pm
	I thought I might star some dialogue on what was presented as Silat on the Discovery channel. I would love to hear thoughts and observations. All in all I thought it was mediocre in general. Not in the martial content, but rather it was lacking the things mentioned in gurus post. http://www.combat-silat.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=102 Is that because it was Malaysian (regional difference??) or just because those 3-4 styles represented had different philosphies of movement from what I have seen of others I would call traditional silat players. Although I did like the Harimau, but it seemed very upright, wouldnt upright tiger be Matjan? or Macan? The Hanafi Harimau or DeBordes harimau were more rooted in the earth. It bummed me out because the thing I like most about silat is the beauty/fluidity and the way it integrates with the strong earthen hitting, or quick and fiery blows. Every movement seems labored in the program, and there was a frightening lack of blade emphasis too. But the Keris/Kriss stuff was neat to see, but that is not nearly the extent of the blade usage in Silat. What did you guys think.....?? Am i harsh? ehehe I love the program in general though!
	IP Logged

sheibeck Groupie Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 61	Posted: 27 Nov 2007 at 9:34am
	Apparently this style of Silat was on the Human Weapon last week. I'm just curious about comments. Seems like there is a lot of hand work and less emphasis on moving the core, but it looks brutal. Interview with the creator http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5758945442337292333 Some sparring (fighting?) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3879398583185623932&q=lian+padukan&total=9&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=6 Edited by sheibeck - 28 Nov 2007 at 10:39am
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Matthew Senior Member Joined: 20 Feb 2007 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 217	Posted: 27 Nov 2007 at 9:43am
	Selamat Sheibeck, I just finished watching the History Channel deal today (gotta love your DVR) as with everything I encounter in MA I saw a lot of good and a lot of stuff I did not connect with. I loved seeing it in the public eye for sure though.
	Hormat saya, Matthew www.nwlasilat.com
	IP Logged

sheibeck Groupie Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 61	Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:41am
	I really wish I had full blown cable so I could watch the human weapon. I hear it's good, so maybe I'll have to buy the series when it comes out :) I thought it was interesting that my friend told me that the Krav Maga and the Silat were the only two episodes so far where they didn't actually fight at the end. To dangerous or something ;)
	IP Logged

SilatJunkie Admin Group Adminstrator Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:16pm
	Selamat Slidefoot; I watched it and thought that it was okay. There's so much more to pencak silat that wasn't shown or represented in this little intro that it felt a little lacking. However, as someone mentioned here in class on Tuesday, probably everyone whose art has been showcased has felt that. I know very little about Malaysian pencak silat but it does seem to have some differences to Indonesian pencak silat. In the case of what was considered Harimau for example, what is typically showcased of Indonesian Harimau is the groundwork it is famous for - the Malaysian version seemed to be more upright. Of course, the little snippet shown is hardly indication of a whole art. I, like Dent, wish it had focused a bit more on the weapons aspect of the arts. I also felt that perhaps some of the ways in which the art were represented could be disputed. For instance, they said that silat has borrowed weapons methods from the Philippines but in reality, no one really knows and a good portion of the weapons training in Indonesian pencak silat is quite a bit different from the sister arts of Kali, arnis, or escrima. My 2C. Hormat saya, Guru Stark
	Hormat saya, Guru Stark
	IP Logged

SilatJunkie Admin Group Adminstrator Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:25pm
	Dent; Glad to have someone out here. Lately, I've almost been forgetting to check the posts because it's been so quiet and I just haven't had time to stir things up... In general I would agree with you. It was mediocre to me too. I haven't been terribly impressed by the show overall but I was hopeful that some of the more interesting aspects of PS would come out in the show and instead it was pretty basic - maybe even generic is a better word... Malaysian silat does differ from Indonesian silat the further north in Malaysia one travels (From what I understand). However, I am not an expert in Malay silat by any means. I have seen some Malay silat from the southern areas that seem more akin to the Indo silat that I am more familiar with. SSGM is more Northern, as was Lian Padukan, and a few of the others shown and they tend to be a bit more "Chinese looking" in general flavor which you probably noticed. Anyway, thanks for talking :-) Hormat saya, Guru Stark
	Hormat saya, Guru Stark
	IP Logged

SilatJunkie Admin Group Adminstrator Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:25pm
	Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I moved the first post shown from the Spiritual Silat section.
	Hormat saya, Guru Stark
	IP Logged

SilatJunkie Admin Group Adminstrator Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:29pm
	Okay, I'm a hack, I moved the Silat Wing Chun thing here too... Not sure why but I didn't get notice of the postings. Sorry I was absent for them.
	Hormat saya, Guru Stark
	IP Logged

SilatJunkie Admin Group Adminstrator Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 28 Nov 2007 at 10:31pm
	Selamat Sheibeck I don't think the show is worth cable. I am happy to see it because it's MA and that's better than much of the other crap but most of the time it leaves me kind of feeling 'sigh' a little dissapointed. Like Matthew I was most excited that it was getting some air time - not about the show itself. As for the too deadly stuff for sparring... I tend to think that it was more about "face." Malay culture does not do things to intentionally make someone lose face. They aren't going to put a guy in the middle of six guys and then do it for real. That's just not going to happen. I was a bit ( a lot ) disappointed that the techniques that they had previously studied seemed to come in SO handy for the TEST. The whole thing seemed seriously close to being staged....AND the fact that the guys seemed to do the same things over and over AND the response was basically the same for each of those things... HS, Guru Stark Edited by SilatJunkie - 28 Nov 2007 at 10:36pm
	Hormat saya, Guru Stark
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