Entries Tagged 'Malay Martial Art' ↓

MELAKA, March 8 (Bernama) — The Yang Dipertua Negeri of Melaka Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob has proposed the building of a housing complex dedicated to Malay warrior, Hang Tuah, as a new tourist product.

He said the complex should project Hang Tuah as a well known statesman, ambassador and silat exponent.

“With a hall, silat arena and his staff’s housing quarters it will be a tourist attraction.

“It will make Hang Tuah more well known as a Melaka icon on par with other international legends and be an inspiration to the present generation,” he said.

The complex was among several proposals by Mohd Khalil to further develop Melaka’s tourism sector in his speech to open the Melaka State Assembly sitting at the Seri Negeri complex in Ayer Keroh here on Monday.

He said now Melaka’s leaders were only known through road names or their graves without much information and this does come to bear on the new generation.

Mohd Khalil also suggested that Melaka-produced products be branded and that Pulau Besar be made a well known tourist draw in the region.

He called on local authorities to pay attention to aspects of cleanliness and beauty of green spots as a tourism attraction.

The sitting continues tomorrow.

Sourced from http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=480608

In an interview with The Brunei Times, Amir Talib said that he intended to aid the charities in the country, after successfully getting approval to proceed with his plans.

“Now my commitment is that any sales generated within Brunei will go to a respective charity,” said Amir. “Right now, I’m talking to one in particular, Pusat Ehsan (Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam),” he said.

“I’ve sent a proposal to their committee and they’ve already come back with a verbal agreement, and a written one will come through soon, sometime this week or next week, to say that I can go ahead and proceed generating donations through the sales of the book.”

He added that while at the present moment it is with Pusat Ehsan, he has an ambition to help other charities too. “Subsequent to this is that wherever I am able to find (an organisation or charity),” said Amir.

For the father of two, his intention of publishing the book was never for the money. “It was never with any goal of making profit when we published the book The idea was to be able to share the information without too much of a cost to me.” he said.

“I can tell you now that I’ve not made any money out of it,” said Amir who is a Brunei Shell Petroleum employee. “The idea is that all revenues generated in Brunei will be donated to a chosen charity or a chosen organisation,” he explained. “I just thought it was the right thing to do,” he added.

“I have managed to come across local examples of parents of children who have autism,” he said. At the moment, Amir conceded that the response internationally, has been slow.

Here in Brunei, the books are available in branches of Best Eastern bookstores, however it will only be at the end of March before he hears of any new progress.

Amir remains adamant about his efforts, “I don’t want this book to just be something about me, I want it to be contributiing to something larger, more than just about silat.”

He emphasises: “If I can make small contributions whether financially or whatever to the organisations that champion autism or help with disabilities I’d be more than happy to.”

Copies of Silat: A Perspective on the Malay Martial Art is available at Best Eastern for $15 and all proceeds will go to charity.

Sourced from http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/2010030216949/Local-News/author-commits-proceeds-from-silat-book-to-charity.html

Before I begin my review, let me just say that there’s only 4 things wrong with this movie: 1. Renaming it Merantau Warrior for the Malaysian market. 2. It’s an Ong-Bak rip-off. 3. Casting Christine Hakim just to give the movie credibility. 4. It’s not a Hollywood movie.

After hearing so much rave from silat friends in Malaysia regarding Merantau, I finally relented and watched it, not without a lot of doubt. The first thing that cheesed me off was the fact that they chose to add the word “Warrior” to the title for the Malaysian market, adding absolutely nothing.

That, and the fact that it follows hot on the heels of movies like Ong-Bak and Tom Yum Goong made me think that Gareth Evans (writer, editor and director) was trying to cash in on a bankable genre. Bad enough the storyline is cliched beyond repair: Yuda (played by Iko Uwais) arrives in Jakarta from Sumatera to find work as a silat instructor, but winds up saving a young girl from prostitution and her little brother from begging on the streets. He gets on the bad side of two human traffickers, who decide that not only do they want the girl back, but Yuda’s head on a platter.

When I saw Christine Hakim as Yuda’s mother, my eyes rolled: A big name star just to keep the crowd interested. Deja vu Puteri Gunung Ledang. All of this prodded me to try and make the best of the rest of my day.

Then it happened.

A tingling at the back of my head (a little like my Silat Sense that tells me it’s time to lose weight and start training again) told me: Stay. There’s something different about this. So I stayed. And I watched. And I loved it to bits.

It’s impossible to review this movie and tell you why I loved it without giving it all away. So, Gareth my friend, I apologise profusely, but the world has got to know what a gem you’ve produced here.

My biggest peeve about silat movies is how the choreography would always seem to be a taekwondo bout (no offence to my TKD brothers) with some totally irrelevant bunga thrown in. Local tv series and movies make it seem every hero and bad guy was a state champion or at least a pattern junkie. They’d stand there and get hit, and then proceed to hit the guy back, and then do a kembangan. (What the hell?)

However, Iko, a first time actor and exponent in Silat Tiga Berantai, kicks ass in Tapak 3, 4 and 5. And believe me, a silat fan would know the difference. His entering and countering are fluid to perfection, making it more plausible that the bad guys can’t hit him. He’s not there when they try to connect.

The locks are believable and the multi-level groundfighting truly showcases the variability and agility of silat. It made me so proud, I almost started talking to him on the screen (Look out! Sweep him! Break him! There! There! He’s open!)

Iko also keeps the acrobatics to a minimum, and stays grounded most of the time, which adds more realism to the fights. Although the official media states that Iko utilises the Harimau style of silat in the fight scenes, you’ll notice that choreographer Edwel Datuk Rajo Gampo Alam has interwoven breathtaking fighting scenes at all ranges and levels and with a mixture of other silat styles and some freestyle melded in.

Understandably, this is not a drama. It’s a martial arts film, and that’s what everyone should expect. However, Iko’s lack of acting skills is supported well by the rest of the cast, especially Sisca Jessica, who plays Astri, the spitfire we all want to save, and her spunky young brother, Adit, played by Yusuf Aulia.

But because it’s not a drama, Gareth and his amazingly capable cinematographer Matt Flannery allow Iko and the stunt men to do their jobs: Fight. The camera never gets in the way of the combat scenes, in fact, it follows Iko most of the time like a third person shooter, and you see the bad guys at the same time he does, which tends to jar the heart here and there.

Matt’s previous cinematic experience also packages the film nicely with beautiful scenes of the Sumateran countryside and the seedier rows of Jakarta.

Kudos also goes to the stuntmen, whom I believe are the real heroes of any martial arts film. It’s their job to make the hero look good. And these guys get poled, fall off buildings in full camera view, get slammed into the side of shipping containers and what not. You guys are the best.

So yes, there are fight scenes galore and if you asked me to pick, I’d say all of them. But if you forced me to pick, I’ll say it’s the penultimate elevator fight scene between Iko and Yayan Ruhian, who plays, Eric, a disillusioned silat fighter-turned thug-for-hire.

They meet early on in the film, which sets the irony for Yuda, who is forced to fight his silat brother to save the chick. His last words to Eric before refusing to kill him: “I will never become what you have become” sums up the whole idea of Merantau, becoming a man of your choosing.

Of course, the fight at the docks above the shipping containers where Yuda despatches untrained dock workers from a height is fun to watch, especially since you can see he means more business than before. Yuda started off the movie being very compassionate, using locks, throws and strikes to disable opponents. But as the movie progresses and he becomes more frustrated, he realises that more is needed to stop the bad guys, and he starts breaking limbs.

Gareth’s store of movie blood is virtually emptied in the final fight between Yuda and the two human traffickers, Ratger (played by a maniacal but funny Mads Koudal) and Luc (the cool wushu man Laurent Lohan Busson).

Now, as the movie came to a close, I fully expected Gareth to pull a Hollywood. With a movie that could garner so much attention in South East Asia, who wouldn’t want to do a Merantau 2? But he didn’t, and that’s what prompted me to write this review.

Yuda manages to kill Luc (by accident) and Ratger (on purpose), but not before being dealt a fatal blow himself. Yes, Yuda dies. But different from other heroes, Yuda makes a final sacrifice, and his dying words to Astri remind us that there is always hope, and that yes, you can go home, even if it is someone else’s.

Don’t expect a romance. You’ll be disappointed. Watch Merantau if you want good fight scenes. Expect nothing more and you will be surprised by how much more you’ll get.

4/5 stars.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 (Bernama) — The National Silat Association (PESAKA) is confident of winning seven gold medals at the World Silat Championship in Singapore in November.

PESAKA coordinator Osman Nok said the target was realistic based on current performance.

In the 2007 World Silat Championship in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia won seven gold, two silver and five bronze medals.

He said that 29 national elite silat exponents would undergo intensive training in March and August in preparation for the tournament.

Meanwhile, he said PESAKA would organise the National Silat Championship on Aug 6-10 at Indera Mulia Stadium in Ipoh.

National silat exponents would also take part at the Belgium Open Silat Championship from May 14-19 and Asean Invitational Silat Tournament in Kuantan from July 10-17.

Sourced from http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newssport.php?id=475811

Bandar Seri Begawan – A total of 47 teachers are now better equipped to impart the art of Silat to students after they have completed a first-ever 19-day Pencak Silat coaching course for teachers in the secondary schools, colleges, pra-university and technical education institutions nationwide yesterday. Awang Md Sofri bin Hj Md Said, the chairperson of the organising committee in his welcoming address said:

“Among the objectives of the course are to produce potential coaches among teachers in each secondary school, colleges, pra-unversity and technical education institutions nationwide and to produce coaches that can train students according to the category of school, national, regional and international.”

“With the qualified coach in each school, it will help to establish Pencak Silat club in schools for preparation to participate in the annual Pencak Silat tournament every year starting 2010. The course will also hope to produce coaches that hold firm to the philosophy of MIB,” he added.

Awang Hj Kassim bin Mohammad Yassin, Acting Director of Co-curriculum Education, Ministry of Education as the guest-of-honour presented the certificates to the participants. The guest-of-honour in his address said: “Co-curriculum education is part of an important educational programme to equip co-curriculum education that are of academic characteristic. The educational aspect will see an increase of importance in the SPN 21 education system whereby we hope to prepare education that is of holistic to all students.”

“Therefore in the training of Pencak Silat within co-curriculum education programme, must not only be seen in the view of competition but also be open to students who are interested,” he said.

“The art of Pencak Silat should be clearly defined and the value of attaining Pencak Silat through the co-curriculum activity is of traditional cultural heritage of our nation,” Awang Hj Kassim also highlighted.

The recipients of the certificates then showcased their Silat skills in front of the guestof-honour. The course was organised by Co-curriculum Education Department with the support of Brunei Darussalam Pencak Silat Association.

Written by JAMES KON
Sourced from http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/2010020715458/Sports-News/boost-for-silat-in-brunei.html

Thank you to Theresa Ortega of the Kamikaze Karate for inviting Silat Melayu: The Blog to contribute an article to her ezine, titled The Buzz. To subscribe to the buzz, visit http://www.kamikazekarate.com/. To read the article that we submitted, visit: http://www.kamikazekarate.com/malay_art_of_self.htm

New York, NY (Vocus/PRWEB) January 20, 2010 — While many parents still persist in the belief that martial arts are for boys, the truth is that girls are actually better students than boys. So says Seni Gayong Black Warrior Sulaiman Sharif in his surprising new book, “50 Martial Arts Myths.”

The 220-page, softcover book – which can be purchased from Amazon – is now available to libraries and bookstores via Ingram and Baker & Taylor.“50 Martial Arts Myths” debunks common misconceptions about the world’s fighting systems.

In fact, if it weren’t for the social pressures that drive many girls away from martial arts during puberty, we would see many, many more female martial arts masters. “According to stories handed down over generations, Wing Chun, a Chinese martial art practiced by movie legend Bruce Lee, among others, was named after a young woman named Wing Chun, who in turn learned the martial art from another woman, a nun named Ng Moy,” explains Sulaiman, the highest-ranking black belt in the Malay Warrior Art of Seni Gayong Int. USA. “This is just one example of the long association of girls and women with the martial arts.

“My experience as a teacher, and a teacher of teachers, has shown me that girls are generally more willing to learn martial arts the right way than boys — and less likely to take shortcuts that focus on how to ‘beat people up,’” Sulaiman says. “In fact, if it weren’t for the social pressures that drive many girls away from martial arts during puberty, we would see many, many more female martial arts masters.”

From the secrets of the Shaolin Temple to the tales of unstoppable one-touch death moves, myths and misconceptions about the martial arts have been perpetuated for centuries — and proliferate today on Internet forums, among Ultimate Fighting Championship fans, and even at children’s karate classes. “50 Martial Arts Myths” separates fact from fiction and reveals the true story of disciplined fighting skills.

Sulaiman is an expert to whom the world’s leading martial arts teachers turn when they seek guidance. A teacher’s instructor, he was personally selected by Silat Gayong’s founder, the late Dato’ Meor Abdul Rahman, to propagate the fighting system around the world. He taught in Europe and the United States for two decades before returning to Malaysia after founding Gayong International USA, which he leads today. His 45 years of experience in the martial arts have allowed him to teach Silat Seni Gayong to martial artists from dozens of disciplines including krav maga, kung fu, tae kwon do and karate.

Published by New Media Entertainment, Ltd., “50 Martial Arts Myths” is available for $29.95 via Amazon, and to libraries and bookstores via Ingram and Baker & Taylor.

Sourced from http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/01/prweb3482294.htm

DENPASAR, Indonesia. Former national pencak silat athlete I Gede Arya Heru Wibawa died after being stabbed in the chest during a fight outside a Denpasar karaoke bar over the weekend.

Police have arrested I Wayan Darta in connection with the death.

According to police, the fight occurred at 11 p.m. on Sunday outside the Mirama Karaoke bar in the Bali capital.

Denpasar Police Chief Sr. Comr. Gede Alit Widana said on Tuesday that the suspect and his son, I Made Suastika, 21, went to a cafe in Renon, Denpasar, at about 9 p.m. on Sunday night.

“But the power was out at the cafe, so Darta and his son then went to Mirama Karaoke,” Widana said.

The officer said the two drank numerous beers, and that Suastika became involved in a scuffle with another customer.

Wibawa reportedly attempted to separate the two only to become involved in a pushing match with Suastika, which continued outside the bar.

Witnesses told police that when Suastika was pushed to the ground, Darta drew a sickle and machete, and stabbed Wibawa in the chest.

Onlookers rushed the former national athlete to Sanglah Hospital, but he died en route.

Widana said the suspect told officers that he always carried sharp weapons hidden on his body.

“Ever since I Wayan Darta was in a fight and almost killed [years ago], he always carried sharp weapons. He didn’t leave home without them,” Widana said.

The officer said that the suspect told police he would hide sharp weapons, including sickles, knives and machetes, under his clothes whenever he left his house.

Suastika, according to Widana, was also in the habit of carrying sharp weapons for protection.

Sourced from http://thejakartaglobe.com/news/former-athlete-dies-in-bali-brawl/351010

MORLAHNE HJ MORNIE, better known as Maul Mornie, is making the sultanate known via Silat Suffian Bela Diri.

Hailing from the oil town of Seria in the Belait District, the 32 year old is introducing the art around the world, having training groups in Australia, Germany, Italy, South Africa, United Kingdom, USA, Hong Kong and others.

In this year alone he had been booked for 47 weekends, there are 52 in a year.

He had been featured in several magazines and newspapers abroad, even appearing in Australian television twice.

Maul has been a fan of the martial arts since the age of 12, continuing to perfect his form throughout the years until he was invited to conduct his first seminar in Italy mid 2007.

“Back when I was still a student (in Cardiff), I was interested in joining martial arts classes.

“However, I mean no disrespect, some of the moves taught were not convincing enough,” he said.

“So I started making videos teaching knife defense and uploaded it to some discreet website where at first I thought no one would see it.

“Then within six months I started getting emails from people interested to learn which led to the first seminar in Italy in 2007,” he added.

From then on Maul has been conducting seminars in countries such as Germany, Holland, Finland, Sweden, Slovenia, France, Hong Kong and the US particularly in New York and Florida, each time bringing with him the Bruneian flag.

“I have had other invitations to countries such as Russia, which I had to reject due to my tight schedule as I don’t have the time to secure a Visa.”

Maul’s schedule is currently packed until mid 2011 with few others yet to be confirmed.

When asked what his aims are and what motivates him to do it, Maul humbly replied, “I want to promote and introduce the diverse culture and heritage of Negara Brunei Darussalam in the Southeast Asian region. To help the world and educate people on how to defend themselves in the most efficient and best way they can.”

In his seminars, Maul not only teaches self defense but also the history and culture of our country.

“When I teach silat, I explain to them the significance behind each movement, for example why it is polite and why we dress the way we do.

“By bringing the Bruneian flag into each seminars I am able to introduce our culture and heritage.”

Silat Suffian Bela Diri has gained quite the reputation overseas in recent years especially law enforcement agencies, some of which he had instructed for are the US Marshals, NYPD, the Italian Guardia Di Finanza, the German Riot Police and the Belgium Army.

“They are keen into what I do because of its’ self defense aspect.

“It carries forward the traditional aspect of the art for survival instead of recreation, for survival not trophies.

“This is why when I hold a public seminar it always attracts a lot of participants.” he added.

When asked what his plans for the future are he said, “Within the next three or four years I plan to propose a project to the tourism board to introduce Silat as one of the attractions of coming into the country.

“There are interests by those who had participated my seminars from countries such as the US and Italy but I have no resources. So I would like to work together with other associations that are interested as I believe that Silat can be the best medium to educate people of our culture.

“I believe that this could make the difference between promoting Brunei to the western world and the rest of Asia.”

When asked the proudest moment in his life, he replied “It was in November when I held my seminar in Italy. About 80 people attended and they were all excited to learn about Brunei and wanted to take pictures with our national flag. As a Bruneian (to witness that), I just felt proud.”

Maul then offered some words of wisdom, “In three years I have conquered most of Europe and the US. As a fellow Bruneian, anything is possible if you put your mind into it, as long as you work hard and always have a positive outlook on life.

Written by AMIR AMIN
Sourced from http://news.brunei.fm/2009/12/31/maul-ing-his-way-all-over-the-world/

VIENTIATE, Dec 17 (Bernama) — Pencak Silat gave Malaysia four gold medals at the 25th SEA Games in Laos on Thursday.

National pencak silat exponent Mohd Fauzi Khalib also turned into instant hero by clinching Malaysia’s 30th gold medal.

The Penang lad outdone his rival from Vietnam, Truong Van Mao in the Class F men’s below-75kg category final held at the Laos International Exhibition and Convention Centre, here.

In the highly anticipated final, the 22-year-old Fauzi earned the first point after he unleashed a powerful kick that forced the Vietnamese to tumble to the ground, which Fauzi said had boosted his confidence in the competition.

Speaking to Malaysian reporters after the match, Mohd Fauzi said: “I’m very proud as I’ve produced the badly needed gold medal for the Malaysian contingent.”

Bronze was won by Marniel Dimla of the Philippines and Singaporean Elyasak Said.

Yesterday, with two days remaining before the closing ceremony of the biennial Games, the Malaysian contingent was in sixth position in the 11-country medal tally with only 29 golds, less one gold from the initial target of 30.

Faizal Abdullah produced the second gold after beating Thailand’s Chanon Untakool 5-0 in the final of the men’s Class H below-85kg category.

Faizal, 29, a military police personnel attached to the Jalan Genting-Klang’s military camp, said this was his best achievement so far after a bronze medal at the 2007 Korat SEA Games.

“This time around, the pencak silat squad are well prepared with much tougher training before the Games,” he said.

Nguyen Thanh Quyen of Vietnam and Shafiq Saiful of Singapore got the bronze.

The third gold came from Mohd Hafiz Mahari, 22, in the men’s Class A below- 50kg after defeating host country opponent Okhe Botsavang in the final. The bronze went to Niphon Jantaro of Thailand and Amirul Ahat of Brunei Darussalam.

Meanwhile, Emy Latip gave the fourth gold in the women’s Class C below-60kg after edging out Thailand’s Jutarat Noytapa in the final. Anissa Pangestina of Indonesia and Saiedah Said of Singapore took the bronze.

After the completion of pencak silat today, Vietnam emerged champion after clinching six gold medals, four silver and a bronze, while Malaysia was in second place with four gold and six bronze medals, and Thailand in third (2-4-4).

– BERNAMA