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)

                                                          -

                                                          -

                                                   

                                                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.

Guru Felix Valencia Lameco Eskrima Seminar Dvd

Last summer Guru Felix Valencia taught for 7 days in Ireland. This 95 minute Dvd covers all the material that was taught at the weekend seminar. This is the most comprehensive Dvd on Valencia Lameco Available Today ! Experience Guru Felix teaching Ground Fighting / Grappling, Sword, Single and Double Stick, Knife and Gun Counter Measure. Also included exclusive Bonus material from the evening Classes. So if you want to relive the exciting week in July with Guru Felix or if you missed out and want to catch up. Then this is the best Dvd to get.

As a special promotion we are selling this dvd for the exclusive price of €20 and for the first 75 orders there will be free delivery world wide, so don't lose out, order TODAY!

Festive season

I like to thank all of you, for your support throughout 2011 and I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Festive Season and hoping that all your goals can be reach in 2012 and it proves a good year for you.

Last Kids Class of 2011 Wednesday 21s Dec 6.30pm Firhouse
Last Adult Class of 2011 Thursday 22nd Dec 7pm Sheldon

2 Week Break

First Kids Class of 2012 Monday 9th Jan 6.30pm Firhouse
First Adult Class of 2012 Monday 9th Jan 7.30pm Firhouse.

Classes as Normal

Thursday class Harimau Training

Short clip of Thursday class, where we working on some harimau postures from the ground, defending against a attacker moving in.

Gathering of the Silat Clan 2011

Had a fantastic day at the Silat gathering yesterday, with students from all over Ireland. The main focus of the gathering was to showcase the next generation of teachers the club is proud to have. The goal of our group is to develop silat in Ireland and anywhere we ask, we work as a unit and a brotherhood of silat. All students are trained and tested continiously, so the art can live. If you interested in what we do, get in touch and we will help you in your journey of silat.

Congratulations to the following students who passed their grading
Bela Diri Level 1 Yellow Belt - Dillon Smith, Eddie Lacken.
Crane Mannerism Red Belt - Paul Nally, Gary Smith, Sean Kelly, Aiveen Ford, Peter Brennan, Stephen Foy, Vythas Petrikas