Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent
The only book on Silat published in the U.S. up to this time, Draeger gives an excellent overview of the many different styles that comprise this fascinating fighting art. He seems to have gone to considerable trouble to see as many of the different styles as possible, visiting many villages and islands to seek out the different styles, probably quite an undertaking back in the 70's when this was written. A unique volume on an obscure art form not seen much in the west and a worthwhile addition to your martial arts library.

On a personal note, I only know of one Pentjak Silat instructor in the U.S. at that time. Back in the late 60's, there was a Dutchman by the name of Rudy Ter Linden in Los Angelos who was teaching Silat. He did an interview in Black Belt or Karate Illustrated Magazine, I can't recall which, and he demo'd several of the forms.

The interesting thing about their katas is that they don't all end in one place, so they can be strung together in one long form if you want,sort of interesting. Anyway, Rudy eventually closed down his school and went back to college in L.A. to finish his degree. He was supposed to have several young black belts who went off on their own to open their own schools, but I never heard anything further on this.

*Note: Since I wrote the above a year ago, I did some web research and discovered that Rudy has unfortunately passed away, although he couldn't have been that old. There were some nice tributes to him and to what a great teacher he was, and I was sorry to hear he was gone, because he was a true pioneer in the teaching and dessemination of the Indonesian martial arts. He had gone on to develop his own style that was a synthesis or four or five different styles of Pentjak Silat. Rudy made an important contribution to the martial arts and although I never had the oppportunity to meet him, obviously he will be missed as a teacher and as a human being.

fantastic
I have the 1974 edition and it's still one of the best of its kind.A fine cornerstone to any really good martial arts library for its technical content,historical content,as well as cultural insights.

First book in U.S. on fascinating but obscure art
This is the only book on the many styles of Silat I'd seen up to this time, and probably in the 20 years since. I thought Draeger did a fine job presenting and documenting many of the aspects of this little-known art (at least in the west), and it was interesting to see how it resembled or differed from the many Japanese, Korean, Okinawan, and Chinese arts I've studied over the years. One difference, at least from the standpoint of the more linear, more power-oriented Japanese and Korean styles I've studied, is the greater emphasis on circular movements and techniques, evasive tactics, and less tendency to meet the opponent's power head on, along with the footwork to support such techniques. In recent years I've begun doing this to a much greater extent myself in my own training.

Draeger also seems to have gone to some trouble to get to as many of the different islands as he could to see the local styles, and I enjoyed his descriptions about some of the special features of each style, such as in the case of the high flying kicks of Perisai-diri, or the position on all fours on the sand that Harimau Pentjak Silat uses to get a purchase on unstable ground, from which the exponent leaps up into your face surprisingly quickly, clawing at your face.

Overall a fine book on an obscure art that deserves to be better known, and an interesting addition to your martial arts library. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Pencak silat is an umbrella term for the martial arts of Indonesia. It is also spelled penchak silat or pentjak silat. The head organisation of pencak silat in Indonesia is PERSILAT. Pencak silat was chosen in 1948 as a unifying term for the Indonesian fighting styles. It was a compound of the two most commonly used words for martial arts in Indonesia. Pencak was the term used in central and east Java, while silat was used in Sumatra. In modern usage, pencak and silat are seen as being two aspects of the same practice. Pencak is the performance aspects of the martial art, while silat is the essence of the fighting and self-defense.The origin of the words pencak and silat have not been proven. Some believe that pencak comes from the Sanskrit word pancha meaning five, or from the Chinese pencha meaning avert or deflect. The most prominent origin theory of the word silat is that it derives from sekilat which means "as (fast as) lightning". This may have been used to describe a warrior's movements before eventually being shortened to silat. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Silat Melayu is a blanket term for the types of silat created in peninsular Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and Singapore. The term is most often used to differentiate Malaysian styles from Indonesian pencak silat. Silat Melayu is sometimes mistakenly called bersilat but this is actually a verbal form of the noun silat.The etymological root of the word silat is uncertain and most hypotheses link it to any similar-sounding word. It may come from Si Elat which means someone who confuses, deceives or bluffs. A similar term, ilat, means an accident, misfortune or a calamity. Another theory is that it comes from silap meaning wrong or error. Some styles contain a set of techniques called Langkah Silap designed to lead the opponent into making a mistake. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A brief comment
First, I should say a little about myself, so you'll know where I'm coming from. I am a professional martial arts instructor with black belts or instructor rank in Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean arts, and have been studying martial arts for over 40 years since I was 12, but I've never had the opportunity to study the beautiful but deadly art of Silat. However, the style of Kali I hold instructor rank in is said to be about 25% Silat, so I have some background in it, but it's one of the few remaining arts I have yet to study in pure form. Some day I hope to rectify that deficiency, but for the time being I want to say that I think Silat ranks among the world's great contributions to martial arts and deserves to be better known.

As a result, I've researched the art of Silat through the many videos now on the market, and I have just about every important video done on the subject at this point, including William Sanders 10-volume set on Tjimande silat, so I thought I'd make a brief comment and say that I found all the videos I have to be excellent instuctional tapes on the still relatively unknown art of silat. Guru Sanders demonstrates all 18 jurus, or upper body forms, along with many practical applications and self defense techniques in the course of this set. There are also videos devoted specifically to the ground techniques, self- defense, free style sparring, and many other topics in Silat, covering the whole range of topics.

I understand there is some controversy surrounding Guru Sander's credentials and how much training he actually received in Indonesia, but as a martial arts instructor with over 40 years experience, and I think I can tell if someone moves well enough or is knowledgeable enough to be doing a video tape. I found Guru Sanders an articulate, skilled, and knowledgeable exponent of the still unknown but deadly art of Silat and I can recommend his videos if you want further information. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Silat is a collective word for martial arts created in the Malay Archipelago and Malay Peninsula of Southeast Asia. Originally developed in what is now Indonesia, peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore, silat was also traditionally practiced in Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and the Philippines. As a result, it is closely related to other Southeast Asian martial arts including krabi krabong and eskrima. Practitioners are called pesilat. The Chinese fusion of silat is known as kuntao ... Read more

Product Description
Pukulan pentjak silat is one of the most brutally effective fighting methods known to man. This video reveals the secrets of silat's lightning-fast upper-body movements and lower-body destructions and shows you how to integrate them into an unstoppable fighting combination. Approximate running time: 65 minutes. (PAL format). ... Read more

Product Description

This is the first in-depth study of the Malay martial art, silat, and the first ethnographic account of the Haqqani Islamic Sufi Order. Drawing on 12 years of research and practice in Malaysia, Singapore, and England, social anthropologist and martial arts expert D.S. Farrer considers Malay silat through the transnational Sufi silat group called Seni Silat Haqq, an off-shoot of the Haqqani-Naqshbandi Sufi Order.

This account combines theories from the anthropology of art, embodiment, enchantment, and performance to show how war magic and warrior religion amalgamate in traditional Malay martial arts, where practitioners distance themselves from "becoming animal" or going into trance, preferring a practice of spontaneous bodily movement by summoning the power of Allah. Silat and Sufism are revealed through the social dramas of 40-day boot-camps where Malay and European practitioners endeavor to become shadows of the Prophet, only to have their faith tested through a ritual ordeal of boiling oil. The unseen realm and magical embodiment is further approached through an account of Malay deathscapes where moving through the patterns of silat summons the spirits of ancestral heroes.

Those interested in Malaysia, Sufism, transnational Islam, and the study of religion, conversion, magic, sorcery, theatre and martial arts will find this book indispensable.

Product Description
But What if I Did This!?

Musings on Martial Artsby a Long-Time Student of things mano a mano ...

Writer’s Forward
Two score and four years ago, as I write this, I donned my first pair of angry white
pajamas and walked onto a floor in a martial arts class. That was the first step on a long
and winding road that was to become the core of my being -- I can’t recall a month since
when I wasn’t engaged either in study or practice of some form of martial art. Even
when I was a hippie, the dances were there. The practice has informed the way that I
look at the world, and has, at least once, allowed me to keep breathing the communal air
when it might have gone otherwise. Martial arts are a big part of what I do, and as long
as I can physically continue the practice, will keep doing.
Over the decades, I trained in seven or eight different systems. Some I became passing
adept at, some not so much -- arts from Okinawa, Japan, China, and combinations
thereof, finally arriving at my current art, which is Indonesian.
I claim no expertise in any of these; nor is this a how-to book from which you will learn
how to clean out the local biker bar without mussing your hair. However, after more
than forty years dancing martial dances, I have some experiences and opinions, and I
hereby offer them up.What I do, how I think and feel about it, and why.
Most of these musings came from my blog. A few from elsewhere. Most of the essays
concern the current art, Pukulan Pentjak Silat Sera Plinck. There are some hits on other
things.
Maybe you’ll learn something you didn’t know. Maybe you’ll be able to relate some of
what I picked up along the way to the art that you do. Maybe not. Almost certainly if you
read this book, you will have some martial context into which you can place it -- the
market for such things is exceedingly small outside players of various forms of mayhem.
I hope it will be entertaining.

Steve Perry
Beaverton, Oregon
March, 2009

... Read more

Product Description

This book explains real high level practices of Chi/Qi/Ki (Life-Force) activation, cultivation and flow that allow you to personally experience, build and work with Chi energy. Practices are explained in simple detail so that the average person can fully utilize and understand the knowledge imparted. There is a chapter on the role the mind plays in Chi Kung energy work and a basic definition of the word Chi and related terms.

There are also specific chapters in the book on mind intent, breathing, body states, physical alignments, Wu Chi, Bone Marrow Washing, Kidney Breathing, the Energy Ball, Rooting, Body Connection secrets, the Dan Tiens, important energy points, the 3 Dan Tiens Linear and how to get the maximum benefits out of your Tai Chi Training.

We are pleased to offer a text for Westerners to get a real understanding of Chi energy that will give beginners and more experienced practitioners enough working knowledge to truly advance their studies in this fascinating discipline.

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Book--Easy for Beginners and Great Review for So called Chi Gung Masters
This book is one of the easiest books on Chi Energy instruction I have ever ran across. You can apply this book's information

to YOUR Tai Chi, Martial Arts or Energetic Arts of any kind. It will benefit your practice. My students are reporting

immediate health changes because of this easy to learn knowledge. The teacher is open to sharing his high skills and comes

highly recommended for learning Tai Chi and types of Kung Fu.

Dan Eidson, Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy, Licensed Massage Therapist, Martial Arts Practitioner
Cinnabar Tai Chi Club

it's intro alright.
this book is just meant for very very beginners who have no knowledge of this subject at all. it's large prints and filled with introduction info, and I mean intro info as all he does is define common terminology of tai chi and chi kung such as sung, chi, shen, jing,etc... Book show you three energy center of low, middle, top dan tien. I didn't learn anything I didn't already know. somehow the book makes it sound like it is advance but it's not. there is only like a few intro breathing exercise with movement, like 3-5 of them instructed to do many many repeatitions. no such description section on cultivating and flow other than tell you about microcosmic orbit pathway. there are way better books out there that covers more. the only useful thing I got was to do 100 squats a day and that isn't even energy practice related other than building strong legs and massaging organs so body can handle energy practices. I suggest checking it out first at bookstore before buying or look elsewhere for more in depth info. took me less than 15 mins to get all the info in my head and most was review of basics.

Money welll spent
For anyone interested in the Internal Arts buying Richard Clear's book is money well spent.

excellent for multiple audiences
This is one of those very few books that is able to give a solid, concrete introduction to a very complicated subject matter that a beginner can grasp but at the same time manages to give pointers and insights that will benefit very seasoned and experienced practioners. It is a very practical and user friendly book devoid of the sometimes confusing jargon and terminolgy often found in similar books. It should be of interest to tai chi and chi gung practioners as well as other martial artists and anyone interested in improving their health. Highly recommended. ... Read more