Dec Workshop

The end of year workshop was held recently on Sunday 13th Dec in Dublin, which despite a week to Festive Season a large group of students turn up. It was a great mixed of different levels and it was great to see new faces in the art, and seeing the art continue to grow.

The workshop started with the Ular Sendok (Cobra) style and students were introduced to the Figure 8 Half Fist forward shielding which is used to intercept an Attacker strikes, along with this Black Cobra and its defensive patterns which include the Triangle, Circle, Square and Vertical 8. Students then began to explore the use of Waterfall Block along with low line Foot Trapping. As the students became more confident, they began to experience the concept of using Lanka Sarang (Spider Web) foot pattern which help the student to understand body levage and body mechanics allowing the students to deliver powerful strikes on the angles of attack while still controlling their attacker.

Students then began to move onto Kanching Stick. This stick is sometimes known as Pocket Stick, or Lighting Bolt Stick as it movements can Zig Zag and deliver explosive painful strikes. Students began to understand the 3 ranges the Kanching can work in and their corresponding holds / grips. The Kanching blends very well into the Snake Mannerisms so students were able to blend these two concepts together, which were brought to great use when Locks, and Sweeps were added to the mixed. Finally on the Kanching student learnt how to use their body to develop added power through reinforcing blocks and Strikes by generating power through their body by using all the tendons and muscles in whipping motions.

The final section of the seminar was given to the Ular Sawa (Python) this style of Silat is geared towards grappling more, since the Python uses it body to wrap and trap. Students were shown how to after blocking how to wrap up the attacker limbs and use hit trapping, a Joint breaking exercise. On of the great advantages off learning Ular Sawa is once mastered, is it counter lock concept which enables students to escape and reapplied any lock put on them. Its is a very unique concept that Silat has. The workshop finish on combining high line and low line Combat striking, which teaches students to attack all areas of the attacker at once, using off timing. The low line kicking evolves Toe Point Kicks along with Lead Leg Joint Kicks and Cross Kicks with Knees and Elbows thrown in with good measure. Finally students were taught how to use the Ular systems for Knife Defence, by destroying the attacker ability to hold the blade.

I like to thank personnally all the students who came along and supported the workshop and I hope you really enjoyed the experience. I really appreciated your interest and excitement in Silat.

Liam