Gradings

The next Pukulan Cimande Combat Grading will be on Sunday 5th July. All students who wishing to grade, must make sure they completed the required hours of training and have learnt all the techniques of their core subject. The main grading this time is Blekop the Crane Mannerisms

Suilwa Pendang and Golok of Pukulan Cimande Pusaka

Short Demo of recent workshop with Guru Jonathan showing Suilwa (Pendang) Sword and Golok techniques that make up Pukulan Cimande Combat. The Suilwa is one of three styles of Sword styles that we teach. Suilwa Sword is primary long range slashing, thrusting and is very fluild, powerful and direct. In Pukulan Cimande Combat we teach 12 Short Jurus forms and from this we get many fighting combat application.


For more info on Suilwa or Golok training contact Guru Besar Liam (guruliam@hotmail.com) or Guru Jonathan who teaches a Sunday class in Blanchardstown,Dublin

Spring Camp

Accommadation for the Spring Camp is now fully book. Limited number of Places still available for training without accommadation tel 087 9956569 or from outside of Rep of Ireland 00353 87 9956569

Rotary Elbows

Guru Jon at the Kembahgan workshop, showing aspects and techniques of shielding and yangberbutar siku (rotary elbows)

Spring Camp Timetable - Update

Saturday 25th April

10.30am - 11am Registration at Kilrea Sports Center
11.00am - 1st Training Session Blakop (Crane Mannerism Training)
12.45pm - 2nd Training Session Cimande and Suilwa Pendang ( Sword) Training
2.00pm - 3rd Training Session Introduction to Advance Kera Training
2.45pm - Guru Gradings

4.30pm - 6.30pm Gran Prix Go Karting (Golfing / Fishing also available or your own activity)
7.45pm - Evening Banquet - 3 Course Meal Manor Lodge

Sunday 26th April

08.00am Morning Training Session beside River Breathing and Juru Exercises
09.00am Breakfast
11.00am - 1st Training Session Blakop (Crane Mannerism Training) Advance
12.45pm - 2nd Training Session Combat Knife Training
2.15pm - 3rd Training Session Cimande and Suilwa Pendang Sword Advance
3.00pm - End of Camp and Award Ceremony.

Shielding of the Upper Body

One of the main features of silat is the flowing hand movements. Most martial artist fail to understand the function of this. The flowing movements are to act as interceptors to the attackers strikes and to work as a decoy by funnelling the attackers strikes into a certain chosen target area for the defender to deal with either with by hit trapping, hard blocking, locking or with his own series of strikes towards the attackers hands, wrists forearms etc...

There is 4 main interceptors patterns that the silat player uses

1) The triangle (marked in red)

2) The figure 8 (mark in Yellow)

3) The circle (marked in Green)

4) The square (marked in Black)

The diagonal black lines represent the open hand decoy opening position one high and one low

These patterns allow the silat player to create a shield in front of his body, in much the same way window wipers are use on the car windscreen. Do they stop all strikes, no but they will connect with 70 - 80% of all strikes delivered towards the defender. Once intercepted the defender learns to destroy the attacker limbs so he cant use it again. This form of training helps students to learn to keep their hands up so they can protect the upper parts of their body.

You may notice the shielding describe here has no protection to the legs, that is another topic, which we deal with in another post, but in Silat the hands protect the body and face and the legs protect the lower body. If you look at the patterns you will notice very few parts of the body exposed.

When learning this at start practise slow and flowing, getting your body to move, add in your decoys, than when comfortable add in your strikes coming from the shield. We be working on this over the next two weeks in class and feel free to ask questions if needed.

New Children Self Defence Class

We are please to annouce a second Kids Self Defence Class starting Monday 6th April 6.30pm - 7.30pm at Firhouse Sports and Community Center. Training fee is €60 for 2 Months training Mondays and Wednesdays we also offer a family discount price of €100 for two months. To book a place contact guruliam@hotmail.com or 087 9956569. These classes focus on self defence and martial art techniques from Silat and Kali.

Silat Workshop : Guru Baharau Jonathan O' Neill

Intensive workshop on the methodology of movement (Bunga), this workshop will consist of exercises and drills based on the understanding of BODY-ISOLATION,REISTANCE,CONDITIONING, POSTURE, HAND & BODY ALLIGMENT, KUDAS KUDAS, LANGKAHS, each clearly broken down before blending them all together gaining deeper understanding of the concept of the Bunga.

Sunday April 5th.
Time: 12:00pm - 2:30pm
Venue: Blanchardstown.
Cost: 20 euros
For more info contact Jon:

Online Booking now Available!

You can book and secure your place online and save 10% at any of following venues for Adults Introductory Classes - Firhouse, Lucan, Walkinstown and the Children Classes in Firhouse.

Classes

Adult Self Defence - Firhouse Monday €72.00Adults Self Defence Classes Lucan Tuesday €72.00Adult Self Defence Classes Firhouse Wednesday €72.00Adult Self Defence Classes Walkinstown Thursday €72.00Children Self Defence Classes Firhouse Monday €54.00Children Self Defence Classes Wednesday €54.00

Spring Camp 2009

This Year Camp will take place in Kilrea, Co. Derry on Sat 25th Apr - Sun 26th Apr 2009. This year we will focus on the Blokop (Crane) Mannerism in preparation for the May Gradings, along with training in the Pendang covering aspects of Girang and Suilwa. This is an ideal opportunity to experience Silat and to prepare Physical and Mentally for the forthcoming May Gradings. As a bonus Guru Liam will be teaching combat aspects of Kera (Ape - Mannerism) covering exclusive material for the first time in Ireland. The cost of this year Camp is €110 (pre booking before 19th April €130 after) and this includes accomadation and Breakfast in Portneal lodge. Each room is ensuite, with satelite tv, tea and coffee facilities. Portneal Lodge has its own bar and Golf and Fishing is available to guest. The lodge is situated, on the River Bann in a small forest. There is excellent walks, and is ideally suited as a great getaway and de stressing break. A number of students are taking their cars so if you want to car pool let me know as soon as possible. Please note events you take part outside of silat training are a extra cost. For students not staying at Portneal Lodge training fee is €50 / £45 one day €75 / £65 for two Advance booking only!

Timetable - Sat 26th April

11.00 Training comences

15.00 Guru Baharau Gradings

16.00 Go Kart - Dirt Buggy Afternoon Activitity at largest race track in UK (Golf / Fishing available for the more sedate students).

19.30 Evening Banquet at Manor Lodge

Timetable - Sun 27th April

08.15 Morning Breathing / Jurus Exercises beside River (weather permitting)

09.00 Breakfast at Portneal

11.00 Training Commences

15.00. Workshops Ends - Guru Babarau and Guru Award Cermony.

The camp is open to all levels of students and even if its your first time experience the art you are more than welcome. There are only 24 beds available at Portneal lodge so it the upmost importance you book early. If you wish to stay a extra night this can be arranged. Contact Guru Liam 087 9956569 or e-mail guruliam@hotmail.com

Exclusive Event - Cass Magda to Visit Ireland

We are please to host Cass Magda, who will be conducting his first Irish Seminar in Dublin on Sat 17th - Sun 18th October 2009. The seminar will cover aspects and concepts of Silat, Kali and JKD. This event is sure to book out early, so pre registered your interest if you like to attend. More details of this exciting event to follow soon.

Pukulan Cimande Combat Display

This is a short Pukulan Cimande Combat Display that was put together by Guru Jonathan O'Neill




The demo was performed as a special performance at the recent children's grading in front of parents, spectators and silat students. A big thanks and well done goes to Guru Jonathan and the team, Gavin Byrne, David Cranmer, Alan Walsh, Dave Murphy, Kathleen Mc Cabe, Christopher O'Connor and Andrew Miller.

The demo team have been invited to preformed at a number of events this year to help promote Silat in Ireland

Children's Silat Gradings

On Saturday 7th March over 30 kids took part in the spring silat gradings in Firhouse. For the first time the kids in Firhouse were join by the newly formed Lucan Branch. The kids put in 100% effort and show great skill and talent and were great representatives of the art. A big thanks to all the parents for supporting the clubs and a big thanks to Guru Dan, Guru Baharau Tony and assistant Alan Walsh who have been teaching the classes and putting in the extra effort getting the kids ready. A special well done to the kids, you all make me proud... Liam

Felix Valencia returns to Ireland 2009

Felix Valencia will be returning to Ireland this year, in a follow up to last year great Introductory Seminar. The seminar is open to all, and places are limited to accommadate quality learning, so if you're interested in attending reserved your place early.

Felix Valencia Seminar
Sat 4th July / Sun 5th July 11am - 4pm Both days
Firhouse Sports and Community Center, Dublin 24
Advance Booking : €70 - 1 Day / €110 - Both Days
At the Door : €85 - 1 Day / €140 - Both Days
Group Discounts Available

ATTN: Bring your focus mitts, thai pads, kali sticks, practice knives, protective gear, eye protection.




Background on Felix
In his twenties, Felix became known as “Edgar’s Brawler” in full contact knife/stick matches. Felix is undefeated in the famous Dog Brothers full contact stick/knife fighting matches. Now retired from fighting, Felix continues to train fighters for full contact fights and recently two of his students fought at the Dog Brothers match and were undefeated. Felix is also a two time inductee into the Filipino Martial Arts Hall of Fame and was recently inducted into the Karate Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He is the founder of “Defensive Edge” which is an organization dedicated to training law enforcement and civilian personnel in high risk positions (pilots, security screeners and other non-enforcement personnel) in defensive techniques from edged weapons.
Felix has become known in the military and law enforcement agencies as one of the premier, most sought after instructors in close quarters weapons instruction. Felix has trained some of America’s elite, including
• CIA
• FBI
• U.S. Marshalls
• LAPD
• SWAT
• and numerous other agencies around the countr. He is a certified Close Quarters Battle instructor with the Police Combative Training Academy in Arizona. In addition, Felix has taught at a number of tactical weapon schools, including the FARM in Utah, Blackwater in North Carolina, Frontsight in Nevada and HALO in California. As a result of this, Guru Felix has become one of the few martial artists to earn a reputation in both the martial arts and law enforcement communities as one of the most versatile and effective martial artists alive.This 2 day seminar is a rare opportunity to train with this true legend in the martial arts. Drawing from his extensive background in Pencak Silat, Lameco Eskrima, Muay Thai, Shooto, Wrestling/Boxing, BJJ and Hawaiian Lua, Valencia presents an intensive program that includes all phases of edged-weapon tactics. The topics to be covered will include:• Long-range knife / stick tactics• Medium-range knife stick tactics• Knife fighting in the clinch• Knife / stick grappling• Empty-hand against knife / stick• Contact-distance knife / stick defenses• Weapon sparring tactics• Hard-core empty-hand fightingATTN: Bring your focus mitts, thai pads, kali sticks, practice knives, protective gear, eye protection.

Valencia Lameco Eskrima classes are currently held Saturday mornings 10am at the Fitness Dock Gym Camden Street D2 Contact Liam 087 9956569 / e-mail guruliam@hotmail.com to book a place at the classes or seminar.

Website Revamp

We going to revamp and bring our website up to date, during April. So over the next few weeks, if you have any ideals off what you would like to see on the website, or features which we can add, please let me know. The website belongs to the members of the club, so let us know what you would like.

Student Promotion for Spring 2009

From 1st March to 30th April if you introduce a friend to the art and they take out the intro package, than you will received discount on your Summer Term 1st May - 31st July. The following is the rate of discount.

Introduce -

1 New student - 15% Discount of Summer Term

3 New Students - 50% Discount of Summer Term

5 New Students - 100% Discount of Summer Term

The Students who introduced the most new friends over the next two months will received as a prize an invitation to train privately with Guru Felix Valencia on his next visit to Ireland in July. This is a terrific opportunity to train personally with one of the World top Combat Instructors . If you need any posters, flyers , cards etc.. or if you any ideals you like to talk to me on, let me know.

Liam

Silat Internal Workshop : Level 1

Silat Internal Workshop : Level 1

Silat Internal Workshop Level 1
Sunday 8th March '09,
12pm - 3.30pm - Blanchardstown, Dublin.
Course Fees €60 (€40 for C.S.I Members) Maximum 24 places. Due to demand & limited space - Pre Booking Essential to secure Place!

An introduction to Internal Silat Training. This is the first in a series of workshops, which will explore the internal aspects of Silat. Silat is an art form that links mind, body and soul. The internal aspects are the fuel which develops and explodes the physical art form. The Tenaga Dalam is the life fuel of the silat warrior.

Topics to be cover
Inner Power Development
Understanding the code of the Jurus,
Developing elemental energy,
Power Postures,
Introduction to the Circle of Creation,
Accumulating and Storage of Energy,
Developing and controlling animal mannerisms.
This workshop is open to all.
For more details contact guruliam@hotmail.com or phone 087 9956569
All students who complete the course will received a
Silat Internal Level 1 Certificate

Willy Wetzel

A number of my students have asked me, where are system was born from, and this excellent online article by Guru Eddie Ivester gives a good detail of the foundation from where we come from, and respect should be given to the Masters and Teachers who give us this art, and who dedicated their lives in teaching others. Hopefully one day we can honour them, by passing this beautiful art on to the next generation.

Willy Wetzel:William “Willy” John Christopher Wetzel was born on January 23, 1921 in the village of Loemadjang, Java, Indonesia, and he passed away on March 17, 1975 in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, United States.Willy Wetzel was part Indonesian & Dutch and was born & raised in Indonesia and could speak three Indonesian languages. Monk Huang Wu Wen was hired by the Dutch secret service to locate rebel forces wishing to overthrow the Dutch government in Indonesia. Huang's cover was as a tea merchant and probably adopted the name Oei Kem Boen for his cover. Oei Kem Boen met Willy Wetzel when he was 9 years old and because of Willy's language skills and being a child from Java he recruited him to help locate secret rebel training camps in and around Java in return for fighting lessons. At age 14 Willy asked Monk Boen to teach him everything he knew about fighting so he could become a master like Monk Boen. At age 17 during WW II Willy served as a member of the Royal Dutch Indonesian Army and then was recruited into the Dutch Secret Service where he was assigned to locate leaders of rebel factions. It is said that Willy was in fact an assassin for the Secret Service and assigned to eliminate the leaders of the rebel factions that he located.Willy traveled throughout Indonesia undercover as a Pentjak Silat historian and as such he learned many different styles of Indonesian Fighting Arts from all over the Malay Peninsula. It is believed that Willy knew hundreds of different Silat & Kuntao arts and thousands of different techniques as well as several Japanese fighting styles. In 1949 Willy moved to Holland and then in 1956 he immigrated to Vanport, PA. In 1960 Willy opened his and the first Indonesian martial arts school in the United States to the general public in Beaver falls, PA. He combined and synthesized all of the fighting arts that he had learned into a new system and called his new system Poekoelan Tjimindie Chuan Fa.

Poekoelan Tjimindie:Poekoelan Tjimindie is a "Broken Mirror" system this means many styles woven into one. In the tradition of Willy you are not bound or restricted to any one style or form, rather you are free and encouraged to seek and adapt what is right for you and discard the rest. Poekoelan Tjimindie is taught and employed as the natural system and the students are eventually trained mentally to use their fighting/self-defense instinctively by accomplishing several moves at once without having to consciously plan each move and this is accomplished by not just learning a fixed set pattern or sequence of movements but creating their own Kembangan (flower dance/form) also known as the "Crawl" by Poekoelan Tjimindie practitioners.Poekoelan Tjimindie is a varied art composed of a wide range of animal postures and movements inspired by the Bingatang Ampat or 4 animals; the Tiger, Snake, Crane & Monkey. Animal mannerisms were included in Poekoelan Tjimindie because they increase human actions thus bringing to them a much wider range of technique possibilities and applications. Students learn to defend themselves from any position standing or on the ground. Striking, takedowns, weapons defenses and joint locks are all used and students learn the art through both structured forms and free fighting.

1. Tiger (Matjanan) the Indonesian tiger’s grounded movement leads to the three-limbed fighting style of Harimau. The surprising but deadly moves of Matjanan Tiengie- Leaping Tiger challenge practitioners to move quickly up from the grounded positions to attack either standing or grounded opponents with ripping motions, sweeps, springing shears or scissors, rolling elbows and knees. The Chinese tiger form uses open hands with extended fingers to claw or rip at vital targets. The method is to hit or place with the palm to the target, then grab and pull.

2. Crane (Blekok) the Indonesian fluid White Crane, erratic moods of the Mad Crane and the quieter more deadly moves of the Lazy Crane, various fist blows and parrying movements as well as balance, stability from the agile movement of the crane, aerial and multiple kicking techniques, long range striking and the ability to strike from a one legged position are adapted from this animal. The Chinese Crane style uses low to high one-legged body positions with turns. Every second or third move begins in a crane position, with a retreat covered by open hand parries, then follows with attacks or counterattacks. Kicks are delivered from high to low. The head rotates in all directions to watch for any oncoming attackers, providing a circle defense.

3. Monkey (Monyet) Indonesian monkey uses grounded stances, acrobatic movements, parries, grabbing, pounding fists, medium height positions, crawl, low movements, rolls, jumping and leaping with its playful energy sets. Also the groundwork for the heavy effective moves of the powerful ape and the crazy antics of the drunken monkey are seen here. The monkey style from China is noted by its bent knee, wide leg positions with the body at a low height and arm movements that are circular with open hand parries, and closed hand grabs with palms down. Defensive body movements are side-to-side and forwards and backwards with dodging head movements and body rolls across the ground when needed.

4. Snake (Ular) Indonesian snake is recognized by the close foot positions and medium body height. Elbow-to-elbow distance is kept close to the body to protect the midsection from injury. By weaving the arms, body and legs during retreats and attacks the snake exponent appears to be giving in but immediately redirects the fight to his advantage. Advanced striking and wrapping techniques come from the Cobra and King Cobra.The snake style from China has fast multiple lightning strikes from any position, spiraling and weaving motions and short-range sweeping.In the Poekoelan Tjimindie style correct hitting is invisible and the striking weapons are camouflaged by foot & hand movements and always strike indirectly. The blow never starts or comes from the place the Poekoelan Tjimindie exponent is positioned from and never strikes the target it appears to be aimed toward. This deception is accomplished by having the arm or leg relaxed while on it's route of travel to the real intended target. In that way the same weapon can hit multiple targets without withdrawing and fools & confuses the opponent into blocking to protect a target that is not going to be hit. Poekoelan Tjimindie makes good use of the head for butting action with head on, side to side and rear strikes, which are effective in very close in-fighting situations. Along with head strikes the use of elbows and knees are employed in close quarter combat as well. Poekoelan Tjimindie is also an internal art where Chi Kung (breathing techniques) and meditation are developed for internal strength, focus, and healing.

Guru Grading Day 2009

Guru Grading Day for 2009 will be on Sunday 26th April and be Held in Dublin. All students who are grading for Guru status, need to have their registration forms in shortly. This is the only date in 2009 for Guru (Black Belt) Gradings.

Seminars Nottingham - London 2009

In late spring 2009, we be conducting workshops in Nottingham and London on Pukulan Cimande. If you're interested in attending any of these exciting workshops or would like to host workshops on Pukulan Cimande Silat than e mail guruliam@hotmail.com