Belfast Combat Kali Workshop Feb 2013

Urban Silat - Combat Kali is coming to Belfast for the first time on Sat 2nd Feb 1pm - 4pm the Europa Hotel, Penthouse Suite in Belfst City Center.

Get to experience the Combat Art of Kali with Guru Liam. Training will cover the Valencia Lameco Hold Up Module, which teaches defences against all types of Hold Ups from various angles and ranges, against Weapon (Blade / Blunt) and Empty hands. Also cover will be Street defences techniques against most common form of street violence.

The Workshop is open to all ages, beginners to advance. The workshop is pre book only and if you need further info please check the event facebook link https://www.facebook.com/events/171301979660712/?fref=ts or e-mail guruliam@hotmail.com. You can book your place at the Workshop online through Paypal.
Price is £25 and if you complete novice we now offering a training equipment package of two training sticks and training knife for £10 for any student taking part

Belfast Kali Workshop

Kali Workshop £25.00 GBP Kali Workshop + 2 Rattan Kali Sticks + 1 Rubber Training Knife £35.00 GBP

Kids December Gradings

To all Parents of our Kids Classes - Kids Silat Grading this Friday 7th Dec 2012 in Sheldon Park Hotel Conference Center. Kylemore Road, Walkinstown. Map is available from www.urbansilat.com.

Direction by Road from M50 take the exit at Red Cow for city Center, go 1km to your reach Traffic Light Cross roads. On Right will be Kylemore Luas stop. Turn Left and drive by McDonalds for approx 250m Hotel is on right..

The Power of the Slap

Urban Silat Street Defence Tip #1 - The Power of the Slap

When it comes to defending yourself, Simplicity is the key. Without proper Martial Arts training complex techniques will not happen, as shock, fear and surprize will take over your body and mindset. One of the most simple techniques is “Slapping”. It’s one of the techniques, that most people completely underestimate, or think to "Girly". That may be the case if the technique is not done properly, and you only using the shoulder muscle to develop power to hit with. But I'm talking about a big open hand, full power slap to side of the face, with your full body weight and body mechanics from your ankle to the shoulder behind the strike. This type of full body Power Slap will instantly shock the attacker, and give you that split second chance to escape, and get the hell out of there. If the first slap is not enough then you can easily follow up with another slap with same hand or other hand, or a elbow, or one of the old favorites a Knee strike to the groin. 

Guru Jason Cruz of Kali Method to Visit Ireland - Sat 24th - Sun 25th Nov 2012 Dublin

The Irish Kali event of the Winter is now launch. Experience one of the Top Upcoming International Martial Arts Instructor in the World today! Guru Jason Cruz of Kali Method International, from California will be making his first ever visit to Ireland this Nov in Dublin This event is being hosted by Guru Liam McDonald of Urban Silat - Combat Kali.

Once again students in Ireland will get the chance to train with a World Class Instructor. Over the past few Years some of the World's top Living teachers of the South East Asian Arts such as Guru Cass Magda, Maha Guru Richard De Bordes, Guru Fleix Valencia, Guru Marc Crafty Dog Denny and now with the arrival of Guru Jason Cruz have visit Urban Silat Headquarters in Dublin, making it one of the true premier places in not just Ireland but Europe to learn Silat and Kali / Eskrima. It has always been my policy to bring top teachers here, so students can experience the knowledge and experience for themselves undiluted. In the age of self taught, dvd, self proclaiming teacher, to train with a real top class Instructors for a couple of days is something to treasure, and remember for the rest of your life.

Only 50 places will be available each day in a state of the art venue in a beautiful Celtic setting in Dublin at the bottom of the Dublin Mountains. Experience the raw combativeness of the FMA, covering Blade, Stick, Empty Hand Striking / Grappling, Footwork, Entry and Ground Fighting, all taught in open, non ego way, with everyone getting direct access to the teacher. Don't miss out on this unique Celtic FMA premier event. Workshop is open to all, from beginners to advance. If you never experience Kali before then this is for you!

Time Sat 24th Nov 1pm to 5.30pm /         Sun 25th Nov 11.30am to 4pm
Venue - St. Annes GAA Sport Center Bohernabrenna, Tallaght = Dublin 24
Special rate for Groups / Instructors
Contact me for more info or register your interest at https://www.facebook.com/events/364810760268191/ or call the hotline 087 9956569

Seminar 24th - 25th Nov 2012

Deposit €20.00 EUR Advance Payment 1 Day €50.00 EUR Advance Payment 2 Days €75.00 EUR

Silat - Art of the Community

Silat - Art of the Community

Is silat all about fighting ? Or maybe it has something more to offer you, something more sublime. Something which somehow in the mad rush for technology, we forgot something which, thou wasn't money it contain

 great wealth, that we as a society maybe took for granted ? I believe we have and that is the "Art of the Community"

I come from a small town in the North of Ireland call Kilrea, and one of my earliest childhood memories is at night walking with my father a short distance out of town, to where my Father Aunts live, a place call Moneygran . In this small house a few of my relations lived. and 2 -3 times a week it became a céilidh house ( for those of you who live outside of Ireland a céilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering) a place where the men and women folk would get together to spend a evening in each others company, talking about the day, telling jokes, playing live music and having a laugh. The children like myself would be outside playing football and other games or childish mischief, even on winter nights with frost on the roads, men would still gather and share tales and interesting notes of their day, sharing problems, all this done in a subtle way very unlike the brass media grabbing way we deal with our problems today like the Jerry Springer / Dr. Phil. This old traditional gathering of yesterday created a bond of community and made people feel less alone.

Skipping forward 10 years and I remember nights where me and other teenagers would hang out at the fairy tree (famous land spot in the town) on church street, with our bicycles, and again like before having fun, meeting each other, building friendship, good skills that later help us to build relationship in life and work and be able to communicate with others. Sharing the banter is a skill and great way of dealing with stress.

Now if I skip almost 30 years forward, I now live in a large city, and like many many other cites, small towns and villages across Ireland and I'm sure in many another country, the sense of community is gone or disappearing. We are now tapped into hi- tec world of I phones, I pads, on demand T.V /Music in our living room, social media etc... we now have access to an entire World in our room, we have simply no need to leave it. We can express everything we want from the simple use of our fingers tapping a key board. We have given up living life experiences to simply watching it and by enjoying this we have now paid the price for this by sacrificing our ability to communicate face to face and so we have lost the "Art of the community" We feel alone, isolated and with this world wide recession effecting all of us, it also brings additionally so much more stress in on top of us, money, family, work relationships, frustration, depression and we have no one to turn to. Many have turn to drink or drugs as a support structure, only to realise an empty bottle ain't a friend. We realise very little remains in place for us to really share. But bit by bit maybe we now need to realise that community is important and maybe its time to share time with others instead of competing with each other.

So what has Silat got to do with all this, well Silat is a life style and one of the things I do is try to give students the opportunity to share time outside of martial arts training. If you come to any of my classes you will see something very unique after class, people hang around and chat, they talk, crack jokes and have fun. The only thing that's off topic is recession talk (we had enough of that) and since one of our policy is that all members are equal no matter the age, ability, skin colour, religion (very King Arthur i hear you say except there no round table lol, not yet anyway). We as human being need company, and this opportunity can make a great evening for some people. For less than €10 students get a chance to train hard, learn a new skill, have fun, make new friends, talk and get to feel a part of something more than just themselves on their own.No matter what is happening during the daytime or at home or work, for a couple of hours some week night they have an oasis where they can go and feel welcome and have fun, and what's even better, no hangover the next morning in fact you are prone to after training a night in silat, feel actually very good the next morning!
Hard to beat isn't it.

We have tried to make silat a part of the whole community lives here in Ireland, so we have classes from the very young, to teenagers, to adults and the senior citizens, we have took the art into schools, and offices, to youth clubs and even to churches. People learn silat maybe to be able to defend themselves, or to find a new exercise program, or as a way to use the internal aspects so they can de- stress or travel a journey for inner development. Over the 30 years from when this art was introduce to Ireland to today silat has reach out, and help students who have come across it. I get a taste of this by the emails and letters I received from students over the years. For this reason I will always be grateful to my teachers who brought silat into my life, and I hope in some small way if it can maybe help even a few people to deal with today's modern lifestyle, than its being a journey and path well taken. Silat is special and the best way I can describe it is "It's a Gift"

I hope you enjoy this article, and please support our club page by clicking the "Like" button on www.facebook.com/urbansilat  or sharing this article on your page. If you like more info on Silat please feel free to ask e mail guruliam@hotmail.com

Beauty wrap in Destruction

A picture can speak a thousand words. One of our silat kids returning to class last night after the summer break draw this for her silat guru's. Makes it so worthwhile.

Interesting thou is that the rose flower, is one of the symbols our art  of Urban Silat, linking in from the Cimande side. The Rose is beautiful to look at, but is surrounded by thorns to protect itself. Much in the same way silat is a beautiful art to look at, but don't let that deceived or fool you, because it flows or is graceful. You find very quickly that these movement hides much danger, through the use of impaling elbows and Knees techniques, the student can not only use body armour / shielding that protect himself from incoming strikes, but also in re countering, using sharp impact parts of his body to cause high intensity pain and destruction to the attacker body. Beauty and Danger are common interactive partners in Urban Silat.

Time - How much do you have?

After a series of emails from one student, explaining that thou he really really wanted to train he couldn't train because he didn't have enough hours in the day. I thought I would talk about this today. You see the cool thing about time is, that no matter where we live in the world, no matter what the colour of our skin, or our belief system, or how much money we have or earn, the one thing we all share in common is the following - There are 60 minutes in every hour, 24 hours in every day and 7 days in every week, 52 weeks in every year etc... we all share this same formula on this planet, no man or woman no matter how much power or money can increase or decrease that formula.

So how come some people feel they don't have enough time? The bottom line is people make "choices", these choices have the ability to fill up your day. There is a saying" a man get a face he deserves at 40", but the same can be said that " we end up getting the life we deserve by making the choices we did along the way" These choices we make in life will affect the time we have to be with our family, or allowing us to follow and develop something we love doing. A lot of people jump into every promotion they can find, because of the feeling of power or more money, or an ideal more money will create more time and while this gives us a high for a while, it may end us taking us away from something we love doing. I ask you a simple question "Where we born just to work?" When we look at a child we can see how time is spent in playing and enjoying life, but somewhere down the road of life we begin to lose this ability and tied ourselves up with all the wrappings of titles. We control our playful emotions by saying we indispensable and wrap ourselves with the latest gadgets to make us feel even more self importance. Don't get me wrong if this is your goal go for it, but if you feel, that part of you should be doing something else you enjoy, than you do have the power to make that happen. When you say to someone" I just don't have the time," what you are actually saying is "I really don't feel this in important enough to do as I would have to give something else up" is this is really the case? Men specificity defined themselves by their work, why is this ? Do we really feel our only true value we offer in life is what we do at work? This is easily to see in our society an example of this would be, when you out anywhere among a group of new people, very quickly in the conservation you will be asked, "so what do you do?" What we do as a hobby, a skill we learn or an interests we pursue is way down the list of how men tried to defined each other, and if someone steps outside of this mould, there are treated as weird. Why is this? Why do we reject following our hearts and doing something that will make us feel good about ourselves and bring fun and happiness into our lives? So how can some people find the time to train or follow a passion and others don't.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     The answer is "Choices" and you have the power to make them! For me my passion is Silat and through that, being able to help others find the enjoyment, fun and the life enrichment that learning Silat can be whether it's the unlimited combat system or the inner journey that the art can bring you on. I have met along the way some great life long friends, and a unique pathway to interact and spend time with great people. It be great to be able to help you share this journey and experience Silat for the first time, but if silat is not your cup of tea.. then try and find a passion that makes you happy and enjoy yourself. Only you have the power to make that choice.
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Win a Lameco Eskrima Dvd

Win a Exclusive Lameco Eskrima Seminar DVD covering Knife, Stick, and Empty Hands techniques by simply clicking the "Like" button on our club facebook page www.facebook.com/urbansilat. over the next 10 days anyone who clicks the like button or introducing someone to our page by sharing or posting or club page, will be enter into a draw and the winner will be sent this Exclusive Prize. Winner announce on Tuesday 7th Aug.

How Much for Class?

When I first started training in Silat a great teacher informed me there were two ways to pay him, the first being "Sweat, Tears and Blood" the second "Lots of Money" he then went on to say, the first option was the preferred form of payment, but the latter would also be acceptable.

I was very young at the time, and never really thought of the relevance of that statement. I mean if you offered people the choice of very little money v lots of money, surely students would always pick the less money option? However as the years and now decades (lol) have passed I see now what that simple statement was truly about. Students especially today fail to understand which of the two options is actually the cheaper, they think the Sweat, tears and blood, since it's not cash is the cheaper option, while in fact nothing could be further from the truth. These 3 aspects means a) to learn the art you will need to sweat not just one night, but every night, tears will come when you body is sore and you can't give more and you force yourself on through the pain, and Blood will come from your body when you make mistakes and your body has to heal. When face with this maybe paying with money is better? Many students fail to see things from the Instructor side, or how he feels about his relationship with each student. For me I have had my heart broken many, many, many times with students, who I put years into, only to see them not value what their teacher puts into them in Sweat each and every night, in physically teaching them. Tears from the family you have to leave behind, so you can be there for your students in class and Blood from your body as it wears out from the endless hours you keep giving as a teacher. For me the journey of this statement has brought me here to where I have two types of students 1) the student who values what I give them as the value of the money they give me, no loyalty, no commitment, no extended friendship is required of the student nor the Instructor ( a fact often forgotten by students) it purely professional. Or 2) They become real students, who are dedicated and fully committed to learning, who will form a loyal link, who will turn up and train hard, will work hard throughout class, and train at home, learning and developing so at the next class they are ready to progress, appreciating and believing in what they have learnt for their teacher. When a student actually does this (and not lip service) then I fully believe they are paying the correct way, and in a manner to which the art can be created and developed in the student in a pure way. Many students fail to understand the true price that needs to be pay to learn, and hybrid between the two expecting to the teacher to pay in Sweat, Tears and Blood, while they pay little money. That is a very unhealthy relationship for any teacher and one they cannot continually pay.

So in conclusion, be truthful to yourself and ask yourself, do I actually pay the correct amount in any of the two options? Do I truly value the time and energy my teacher gives me and is that sustainable for both sides...... Train hard and remember a Martial Arts Instructor is not just for gradings, he for every week night class as well

A clip of the Lameco Eskrima training we been doing in class this Month. Lameco Eskrima is one of the fastest growing Eskrima styles in Ireland, with it's straight forward streamline combat system. The training is deign into easy to learn modules, for instructors and students, no endless patterns, no forms, just techniques that help you learn quickly and will work on the street. We are looking for Martial Arts Instructors who would like to introduce this art form into their club / school etc.. or for students who like to train in Lameco by attending our classes or workshops. There are seminar dvd's available directly from this blog site or ur website www.urbansilat.com with free world wide postage.

Lameco Workshop Stalemate Module

Excellent first Lameco Eskrima workshop on the 2012 / 13 Calendar and a fantastic turnout for the workshop as it was fully booked, so looking for bigger venue for sept.

This was the Knife stalemate module and all the students who train at the workshop will be able to test on this module at the next Lameco workshop in Sept. Students started of the workshop covering the basic Siniwali (Double Stick) #1 -#4 before moving onto the Pasunkit Kanan / Kaliwa (Thrust counters) Aldabis Kanan / Kaliwa (Upward Counters) and finishing on Kadena Reyal (Chain Counters). This was the first time these techniques have been taught to the students. Following this students learnt the 12 Angles of Attack with the Knife, while the Advance students learnt the Double Strike Angles of the cane, which brought a whole new edge to the training and understanding of the strike patterns. Following on students began to learn the fundamentals of sparring with the sticks and the core ethos of Lameco in striking. After a short break student began working on the 8 core techniques of Knife Stalemates and a clearance of the center line drill at the end, which helps students create space in close range encounters against an aggressive attacker. So a lot of ground was covered and it was great to be back training in the art again.

We are currently helping to spread the art of Valencia Lameco Eskrima in Ireland and UK and if you're interested in attending / hosting a workshop, or interested in learning for yourself, or introducing it into your club or students, get in touch and we work a way for you to get the full benefit s of this very combat streamline art. Next Module is Hold Up and will be in Late Sept. Keep up to date by clicking the "Like" on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/urbansilat or by checking out our website www.urbansilat.com

KNOWLEDGE

After reading a recent post by a Martial Arts Instructor, complaining that his students stole his techniques, I began to ponder how is this possible? How can A Student steal techniques ? For me a teacher role is not a path pave with gold, and if your desire is to makes loads of money, or be glorified then teaching may not be the wisest choice. Teaching however, is a terrific way to find a passion and belief in life. Teaching is about giving (not taking) freely, it's helping others find and discover the knowledge. No teacher holds the divine right to the sole knowledge. Knowledge belongs and can be share with everyone, it cannot be control, or took back in a fit of rage. It be like a Mother or Father saying to their child, "Give me back all my love as you stole it from me" all we can hope for as Martial Arts Teachers or Parents is give from the heart and hope it finds a home, can grow and is one day returns back, when we see our student or child grows and they become the teacher or parent and so the circle of life and knowledge grows. Secondary we as Martial Arts Teachers only know our knowledge, because of others who came before us, warriors, teachers, leaders, farmers, guardians etc... all added to the knowledge that we now teach, each of them connecting to the thread and web we now at this moment are nourishing / spinning and is the same way future generations will add to what we have done. Because of our inner ego's which seem in this modern age in some people is running amok and unhindered, has made some Martial Arts students believe they have created something brand new and original, while all they have really done is re invent the wheel. The basic problem is that we as human havn't change very much in past 2000 years, we still have two arms, two legs and move in a certain way. Sure we can add subtle changes to the combat arts, but please don't believe you are a creator of something new, because what you are is a "Guardian" for a limited time of this knowledge, what you do with this unique gift is up to you. Don't be like Gollum and become bitter with your precious gift but instead reach out and help people, expect little and be surprize greatly, expect loads and be disappointed. On a final note last night a student did a act of kindness to me which was completely unexpected, and i really appreciate what he did and give me. It little moment like this, that you feel the warmth that comes from teaching.

A clip of our Urban Silat Summer Camp, which was held last month in Kilrea, Co. Derry.  45 students got together to train in the unlimited combat system of silat. If you like to join one of our classes you are more than welcome, join us on facebook www.facebook.com/urbansilat, or check our website.www.urbansilat.com

Urban Silat Summer Camp 2012

Just back from the Urban Silat Training Camp in Kilrea in North of Ireland. What a weekend it was. Over 40 students attended, and what's even more remarkable, is having this number of students from one Association proves how strong, loyal and dedicated the students are and makes these guys the premier outfit in Ireland. Silat is now into its 27th year in Ireland and each year students make there way to Kilrea the birthplace of silat in Ireland, where it had it humble beginning in the local school hall.

The camp was extended to a second evening this year, and after the initial get together and something to eat, some of the students were took on a tour of the venues where silat began in Ireland and a history of it's development.

Saturday began the training in earnest, with Guru Denny taking the students through Langka (footwork drills), than followed up by Guru Liam teaching the Cimande Jurus and their applications, followed by an Introduction to Kera (Ape) especially focusing on Orang-outang combat concepts of "Clearing the Jungle" a intercepting technique and "Bringing to center" a Body Shielding concept, these techniques form part of the advance training of Pukulan Cimande. After the short Break Guru Robert took over and taught Pamacan Cimande, which help get the Harimau students ready for their grading.

After the grading the students prepared and tested on their Harimau and what a awesome grading it was. I was so very very proud of what I saw, to see students at such skill full level, reaching deep into themselves to produce such powerful combat techniques, makes me feel so lucky to have the students I have. No ego's, no nonsense, just students who want to train and develop.

Sat evening the students decided to do a bonding exercise and despite the weather made there way to Carrick-a- reed rope bridge where gathering up their nerves made the adrenaline rush crossing of the bridge. Everyone helping each other cross, some taking longer than others. After this hunger was the next to be overcome so a club meal at the the theme "Charlie" restaurant was in order, followed by a evening at the Portneal Lodge.


Sunday morning started with a Silat Internal session in the forest beside the River Bann, where students were taught exercise to use with Nature, to invoke deep relaxation and meditation. After Breakfast students made there way to the training venue, where Guru Denny taught a section on Silat Body leverage and Triangulation. Guru Liam then covered Silat Stick Grappling which is unique to Silat. followed by Cimande the devastating Tari Kolot Knife Work, and then some Cimande Sarong, where students were shown how to use everyday clothing as weapons. The last section of the day was covered on the use of how to increase energy, speed and power through the use of auditory sounds in both Offensive and Defensive techniques.

A great two days, full of fun, excitement and most of all friendship. If you living anywhere in Ireland and you want to learn silat, then come along to any of our classes in Ballymena, Letterkenny or Dublin and experience Silat taught by real teachers, who goal is for your development


Some comments from the students attending the Camp


Great Weekend Guru Liam Its good to see everyone, old faces and new ones too the start of a new generation of young ones coming up through the ranks and spreading silat in Ireland its good to see it and be part of it. and thanks again Master Liam for your time and effort..Denny


 I'm exhausted just reading all the fantastic stuff we did this weekend. Pushed to the limit at times, trained with guys I've never met before and learned from every one of them. Blown away by the skill of our northern brothers at the end of the grading....Sean


Thanks to Guru Liam and all the silat brothers, north and south, for coming together and making a great weekend. As an old face, probably a stranger to many, I was made so welcome that I forgot just how long i've been absent from the family. It felt good to be back!... Richard


Fantastic training as always, great to meet up n train with our friends in the north, always made welcome, once again a huge thanks to our main man Liam who makes this possible and gives up so much of his time to bring us together and learn.. Alan

www.urbansilat.com

Grading in Silat

Next week a number of our Silat Students are grading, so I thought, maybe this be a good topic for this week topic.

Most Martial Arts clubs have some form of grading, and is a way of recognizing the effort, work and development of a student. In the past in Indonesia and Malaysia before silat became alive in the Western World, there were usually 3 Grades - Student, Teacher, Master. Due to the cultures of the Western World the development of splitting up the levels into sizeable chunks for students to grasp was develop. Some say this is a good ideal others bad, that's another day debate. In Urban silat we have 3 Levels of grades
1) Beginners / Intermediate 2) Advance 3) Instructor

Each of these levels required a different level of training, each level much more progressive, requires more dedication, commitment. For example if a student in class who going for a Instructor Grade, and is doing less classes / training then another going for their Intermediate or even Beginner level, then obviously either they not really serious about training for that level or there is very little chance of them actually passing that grade. So Grading Tip number one! Turn up for class and train this is simply the bottom line, no student fails to develop by turning up regularly for class. In my views training for a Advance or Instructor Grade needs to be minimum of 2 - 3 classes a week for at least a year. If you're training less than that, you are bluffing yourself you preparing for a Grading at that level. You can talk as much as you want saying you are committed but actions will always speak louder than words, and your teacher will notice you absent in class.

Grading Tip 2) Don't Crammed, this is a big no no, and is often practise. The month before a grading a student who hasn't been training suddenly starts cramming. Yes they may be able to show the technique on the day of the Grading, but a few weeks later when the student despite what he said just before the grading, will revert back to old habit of attendance at class / training and will have forgotten the techniques, or preformed them at a very poor level. Give yourself time, usually 6 months out, or 12 months for a Guru Grade you need this time to start preparing yourself mentally and physically for your grading. Give yourself and your teacher the proper time to train well.

Grading Tip 3) Research yourself, begin to find more out about the techniques, or the art itself, it background. Become interested in what you are actually learning. Make it become part of your lifestyle, not something you do 1 or 2 hours a week and forgotten about till the following week. Find other ways for your mind and body to develop, that compliment your training. These very simple easy steps can make a big difference in how you approach a grading and how well you preformed on the day. www.urbansilat.com

Harimau Take Down and Follow Up

A short clip taking from one of our classes showing a Urban Silat Harimau Takedown with a Follow up. The follow ups can be many and individual, as they flow to the needs and the variation of each take down.

The Mannerism's of Harimau Silat

The second stage of learning the Harimau / Matjan is the understanding and development of the Mannerism of that particular animal. From the Harimau and Matjan there are a number of core mannerism that the student trains and develops.


1. Slapping / Stomping - Students learn how to delivered powerful slapping techniques to the attacker face, body, and soft tissue / nerve areas of the body, along with powerful downward stomping (sometimes known as Thunder Foot) to the attackers feet and shin.


2. Off Timing - Students learn to rapidly change and even in mid flow, not only the speed of striking techniques, but also the direction of strikes.


3. Head Decoy - Students learn how to move their head to create false opening / decoys to lure the attacker into striking, a certain way or in a certain space, where he can do limited damage and be easily counter attack.


4. Biting / Tearing - Students learn how to use their hands to grab onto the attacker body, twist and tear flesh. These types of strikes cause massive sharp pain into the attacker body, leaving him vulnerable to follow up Elbow and Knee strikes.


These are just some of the core Mannerism, and students need to be able to develop these mannerism together, so they can interlock with each other at will. We will be working on these 4 main core aspects for the classes leading up to end of May.

MAI Magaazine

Out next Month (June) Martial Arts Illustrated will have an article on Guru Liam and Urban Silat. Guru Liam will be talking about his comprehensive history of training and back ground in South East Asian Martial Arts and the future plan for Urban Silat. MAL can be found in any good magazine store. A big thanks to Guru Johnny Silmon and Editor Bob Sykes for this opportunity.

The Training map use by students in our art when studying the Pukulan Cimande Aspects


URBAN SILAT PUKULAN CIMANDE SECTION           

4 Primary Mannerism ‘s Sections in Black

4 Secondry Mannerism’s (combining 2 Primary Mannerism (in Red)

Combining together with Human (Vessel) to create Raja Naga (King Dragon)

Each student Raja Naga is unique to them and is accumulations of their knowledge and skill. All students are connected at this level through the “Thread” of Silat, known in our art as the 12^th Principle i.e “Vision of the Thread”.

                                                    BLEKOK

                                                    (CRANE)

                                                           -

                                                           -

      GARUDA (EAGLE)                                              -  ULAR SAWA (PYTHON)                    

                            -                              -                       -      

                                   -                       -                   -

                                          -                -               -

                                                 -         -          -

                                                           -

  MONJET          ---------------   RAJA NAGA ------------------- ULAR SENDOK

(MONKEY)                                  (DRAGON)                                   (COBRA)                   

                                              -           -         -                                         

                                       -                  -            -

                              -                           -               -

                       -                                  -                  -

KERA (APE)                                   -                   MATJAN (UP RIGHT TIGER)

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                                                HARIMAU

                                      (GROUNDED TIGER)

Guru Jak Othman - Silat Seminar 2001
A short promotional clip of Guru Jak in action during his week long trip to Ireland in 2001 where he taught Harimau Berantai Silat. The seminar was recorded and place on a Double Dvd Set and is available with free World Wide Postage Guru Jak is one of the leading lights in the world when it comes down to reality base combat silat, and was my first teacher in Silat back in 1985.

Ular - Snake Mannerism

In Cimande students are taught the Ular (Snake) mannerism. This is the close range fighting system, and covers the majority of Knife techniques. Movements are fast, snapping and almost electric in feeling on impact. Students first learn the Sendok (cobra) where they learn footwork, body mechanics and explosive reaction times in blocks and strikes. As the student progresses he moves into the Sawa (Python) which like the animal itself is more into the wrapping, crushing techniques and is ideal for learning how to lock and trap especially close range, and how to counter locks. The Sawa works especially well with Harimau and both styles are very powerful. 

Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny will for the first time be visiting Ireland as part of his European Tour of Munich, Madrid, Dublin and Paris. This will be one of the highlights of the Irish Martial Arts Calendar, and a total unique experience to train with one on the best Martial Artist in the World today. Marc will be teaching 3 evening workshops - Tues 24th April Knife, Wednesday 25th Stick Thursday 26th Empty Hands.. More details of the individual topics will be covered. Due to the uniqueness of this event, demand will he high and pre booking is essential. Advance Booking Price 1 class €45, 2 classes €80, all 3 classes €100 Evening One: Tues 24th Apr : Knife Die Less Often (the interface of Gun, Knife, Empty Hand) Pre-assault Cues, The Kali Fence (CQ and mobile), Initiation/interception and reaction ("the dog catcher" for anti-knife) Evening Two Wed 25th April : Stick Seven Range Theory, Dos Triques Doublestick Using the triangles to cross the triangle from the third dimension. Evening Three: Thurs 26th Apr : Empty Hands "Kali Tudo" (tm) The movements of weapons done empty hands for MMA Why? "Consistency across categories", Adrenal preparation for WBE (weapon based environment) Various attack ideas e.g. the Zirconia, the Dracula, the Dodger

Advance Booking Price

One Evening €45.00 EUR Two Evenings €80.00 EUR Three Evenings €100.00 EUR

• A small clip of our Silat Kids at their Grading. Preparing the next generation to take on the role of keeping the art alive is very important. My teacher had faith in me when I was 15 and give me the gift of silat, and hopefully one day maybe two or three of these kids can take on that role, and keep silat alive in the manner its meant to be and allow us current Gurus to retire to the Golf course or bowls club lol 

Pukulan Cimande Logo

I've been asked a few times about one of our Logo , so I thought a quick overview was in order. The logo is from our Pukulan Cimande side of training. The circle represents the "Circle of Creation" the training area in class or the area surrounds us. A place where we can learn and discover new techniques or new paths in training.

The 4 Animals represent the 4 Areas / Ranges of the Art. The Tiger is the Ground Fighting, showing students what to do if there thrown to the ground, learning to use your feet like hands. Developing Power and Strength. Monkey represents the Grappling, inc Knees, elbows, bone breaking and locking. This section is linked to water and the ideal behind this is to teach students to flow and be fluid with movement Crane is the Striking section inc Punches, Kicks and evasive Footwork. Helping students to learn how to breath properly. Snake is the close range, weapon system, learning to developed explosive electric power from within.

The triangle represents the core areas of us Mind, Body and Spirit. Combining these 3 Core area's with the 4 animal ranges we create the Raja Naga. This is the finish product and for each student their Raja Naga is personal. It's is the best you can become, using your uniqueness. Thou each student journey is personal, it is connect by the silat thread, which all students are connected to and developed by their Guru. Most students can't see this at the start, but as they advance they can begin to see the thread, this is often referred to as "Vision of the Thread" At the start, maybe in isolated moments, but later as a continuous movement. So that is a short overview of our Cimande Logo

Understanding the Thread of Silat

Silat blends to the needs and enviromnent, it is learnt under. Each generations adds to the thread of the past, and develops that path for future development of the art. Each thread is interlink into a path of knowledge and deep understanding, growing stronger, living with every breath exhale and inhale, each and every ounce of sweat and drop of blood that a student makes. Each students stives to understand the vision that the thread reveals not only in silat, but in the essence of life and nature itself.

Guru Jak

A great new clip of Guru Jak in action. Guru Jak began my journey in silat back in 1985, I look apon him as one of best Silat Master alive today, and I will always be grateful to this man. Check out the clip. If you like what you see , join me www.facebook.com/urbansilat or simply click the facebook logo on this page and see some other great clips.