Silat Tua: The Malay Dance of Life - Preview

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The Malay Dance of Life

Zainal Abidin Shaikh AwabNigel Sutton

Silat TuaSilat Tua


FREE FEBRUARY 2007 Sendout for SMC Members


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Welcome to Silat Tua: The Malay Dance of Life, the first bookof its kind on silat to be published in Malaysia. This 30-page sendoutpreviews the book written by guru Zainal Abidin Shaikh Awab and

Nigel Sutton.

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Salam persilatan,

Mohd Nadzrin Wahab

[email protected]

28 February 2007

Norazlan Abdul Wahid

[email protected]


Silat TuaThe Malay Dance of Life

byZainal Abidin Shaikh Awab

Nigel Sutton


SILAT TUA: THE MALAY DANCE OF LIFE

A Living Tradition Edition

1C-2-A2 Taman Leader, Jalan Chee Seng 13,Tanjung Bungah, 11200, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Tel: 604-890 3313website: http://www.living-tradition.com

email: [email protected]

First printing 2007ISBN 978-983-42328-0-1

© 2006 Zainal Abidin Shaikh Awab & Nigel Sutton

Editing, Layout & CoverMohd Nadzrin Wahab

Published byAzlan Ghanie (M) Sdn Bhd (692773-K)

6-1, Jalan 5A/6,Taman Setapak Indah, 53300,

Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaTel: 603-4025 5379

All Rights Reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced

or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrievalsystem, without permission in writing from

Living Tradition Sdn Bhd (749627-X)

Printed byPercetakan Tatt Sdn Bhd

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Tel: 03-613 666 86


Table of contents1. Foreword - Azlan Ghanie 5

2. Foreword - Haji Abdul Rashid Baba 7

3. Foreword - Ismail Ahmad 9

4. Introduction 13

5. Origin of Silat 17

6. What is Silat? 21

7. Fundamental concepts 25

8. History 37

9. Preparations for training 41

10. The Silat training experience 47

11. Mythic concepts 73

12. Interview with Tok Guru Haji Zainal Abidin Shaikh Awab 89

13. Poems of Tok Ayah 115

14. Glossary 119

15. Additional References 126

16. Acknowledgements 127


Both authors wish to dedicate this work ingratitude to all those Martial Artists of the

past who dedicated their lives todeveloping those arts which have been

passed down to us today.

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Foreword

It is an honour to be invited to pen a few words for Silat Tua: TheMalay Dance of Life, especially since this book comes at a time when manymore people are interested in rediscovering the Malay martial traditions.

In the past, silat had suffered various problems, initially stemmingfrom its humbleness and hesitance to display its real combat efficacy in public.This caused the Malays to value foreign martial arts over their own. Later,itunderwent several identity crises which saw many old traditions lost to theravages of time and apathy.

Now this generation, in this decade, has seen a resurgence in interestin the traditional styles and this book plays a very important role insafeguarding these traditions; by far, its authors count among the mostqualified people to carry out this task.

Guru Zainal Abidin Shaikh Awab is honest and sincere in hisaffirmation that although silat is from the Malays, it should not be a restrictedart, because to spread it is to keep it alive, while hiding it under a shell wouldonly stifle it and doom it to a slow and humiliating death.

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I have met many silat masters during my career as a journalist andmartial arts researcher and guru Zainal and Silat Tua are the embodiments ofeverything that silat should be: perseverance in the face of adversity,intelligence over sentimentality and adaptation as against stubbornness.

As a book, Silat Tua is unique in that it harks back to the foundationsthat make up silat, including the mythic and Islamic influences, its animalinspirations and elemental principles and it gives an accurate description ofhow these parts define silat as a whole. It is, in my opinion, a work close tothe heart of what silat truly is.

Co-author Nigel Sutton, although not Malaysian-born, has endearedhimself to the local martial arts community in his very own way. English bybirth, but Malaysian by assimilation, Nigel fully understands the needs thatMalaysians have in preserving their culture, and often helps to fulfill thoseneeds.

He is not only an expert in various traditional Chinese martial artsbut has also helped in spreading several Malay silat styles through hisassociation in the United Kingdom, including my own family style. This iswhy we thank him for his effort. For someone not of Malaysia, he has mademany lasting impressions on us, and this book is his latest.

Finally, it is my hope that Silat Tua will become an invaluableintroduction to the traditional Malay arts for those who are interested inbecoming part of our silat family. For in silat, when one dances alone, theflowers blossom and die, but when we come together, is when the flowersblossom into fruitful abundance.

A hearty congratulations to both guru Zainal and Nigel, may we allunite in the martial arts, in peace and harmony, for many years to come.

AZLAN GHANIE

Guru Azlan Ghanie is the publisher of SENI BELADIRI, the premier Malaysian

martial arts magazine, aside from being the latest trustee of his family silat style,

Silat Melayu Keris Lok 9. He is also the founder of Senaman Tua, a traditional

Malay exercise form and the co-founder of the Malaysian Martial Arts Grand

Masters’ Association (MAGMA).

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Foreword

During the time that I have known Haji Zainal, he has done a greatdeal to promote Silat here in his native Penang both as a teacher of Siku DuaBelas and Silat Tua.

During his years of training, research and teaching he has studiedwith teachers of the highest calibre. Haji Zainal has also had numerousopportunities to test his art in actual use. This makes him something of ararity in the present day martial arts world where theory is often loudly heardwhile practice sits quietly in the corner.

Now we are fortunate that he is sharing his extensive knowledge andskill with the younger generation. This book is a further step in this processand one that I hope will introduce readers all over the world to the native artsof the Malay people.

While I have known Nigel for a shorter period of time, his influenceon the world of martial arts in Penang has been considerable. Through hisefforts and promotion he has brought martial artists from the US, Europe andAustralia to learn more about Silat and to exchange and share experiences

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with local martial artists. His own research into the Malay art of Silat hastaken him the length and breadth of Malaysia and he has interviewed andtrained with many teachers.

It is obvious to me that these studies coupled with his previous martialarts experience have given him a deep and insightful appreciation of the valueof Silat.

I feel certain that this book, with two such knowledgeable andexperienced authors, will play an important part in introducing the world tothe depth, beauty and wisdom that is contained in Malay culture andexemplified in Silat Tua.

HAJI ABDUL RASHID BABA

President, Persatuan Warisan Dada Pulau Pinang

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Foreword

Haji Zainal and I have been friends since childhood and, in all thetime we have known each other, we have both shared the same passion forMalay martial arts. Although our paths have diverged during this time, wehave both continued to practice traditional Silat.

This book that he has written with our English friend, Nigel Sutton,aims to share the Malay traditional art of self-defence with a worldwideaudience. This is a goal that I wholeheartedly support.

It is important in this time of constant change that we value thetraditions that have been handed down to us by our forebears. From thepractice of Silat we learn positive values such as self-discipline, respect forour elders, honour, loyalty and integrity. Through such practice we can playa positive role in the society of today and in shaping the society of tomorrow.

In Silat it is the duty of the teacher to ensure that the student becomesstronger and better than him. This book gives the serious Silat student theopportunity to learn from the experience of the authors and also of thegenerations that have preceded them.

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This book presents the traditional values and practices of Silat as aliving vehicle for the transmission and understanding of Malay culture. It ismy hope that through this book people of all races will become interested innot only the physical art but also the rich cultural tradition which underliesit.

ISMAIL AHMAD

Guru, Senaman Siku Dua BelasPersatuan Warisan Dada Pulau Pinang

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“I study theknowledge of the

warriorI have studied the

Way of the Warrior”~ Tok Ayah

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Introduction

In this book, the reader will be introduced to the Malay art of self-defence, commonly called Silat. While there are many explanations as to theorigins of this term, some of which will be explored in this book, it is widelyused to describe the art of self-defence, both armed and unarmed, developedand practiced by the Malay people.

While there have been a number of works exploring the physicalaspects of Silat, it is the experience of the authors, based on the traditions ofthe lineage to which they belong, that Silat is far more than just a sophisticatedmethod of fighting. The art in its completeness embraces an approach to life,developing and enhancing those skills needed to become fully human and tolive life to the fullest.

As there are hundreds of different styles and systems of this art, theauthors have chosen to focus on one style practised on the peninsular whichis now the state of Malaysia in the South and Thailand in the North. The artwhich this book concentrates on has its origins in this area which historicallywas the Malay kingdom of Pattani but which is now a part of modern Thailand.

Whilst this art is sometimes known as Silat Pattani, in an effort toexplore its historical origins and to track its development through the periodsof animism, Hinduism, Buddhism and finally Islam, the authors refer to theart by the name it was commonly and simply known, Silat Tua or Old Silat.

It is beyond the scope of this work to detail every aspect of this system;that we leave to personal study with a qualified teacher. We have, however,attempted to explore and describe all of the major areas of learning, study

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and training which make up this beautiful and complex art.

In attempting to research and understand Silat, it is important to realizethat, unlike the Japanese or Chinese martial arts traditions, where there is alarge corpus of written materials documenting the arts, the Malay tradition isalmost entirely oral, being handed down through the lineage by word of mouthfrom generation to generation.

This means that the knowledge transmitted is often not only specificto one school but also to individual teachers in that school. For that reason itis difficult, if not impossible, to find any degree of consensus as to whatparticular terms or techniques mean, outside the small circle of those whohave a specific understanding based on the transmitted knowledge of theirown style.

Although this makes it difficult for the historian or researcher, it isone of the factors which make the study of Silat so fascinating, for whatemerges as the aficionado delves deeper, is an art based not on set techniquesor long, elaborate forms, but rather one centred around key principles andconcepts.

Because of the long history of the art and the varied historical, culturaland religious influences, these concepts are sometimes presented in animisticor mythical terms, sometimes in terms of movement patterns and at others,in terms of complex cultural and religious paradigms.

SIlat Tua students in keris sparring.

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“And if what lieswithin is to appear, I

must be obedient to thesame Master

Then I cannot fail tobring forth the warrior

withinWhen my submissionis to the Master, the

Creator, God”~ Tok Ayah

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Fundamental Concepts

A. Silat works from the outside to the inside

and then from the inside to the outside.

This concept is used throughout silat training and in the simplest termsmeans that first you learn from the teacher, your fellow students and theenvironment and then you learn from within yourself. The importance of thisconcept lies in the fact that by explicitly being taught this, the silat studentrealizes that ultimately he or she is responsible for their own progress, as theultimate lessons are the ones that you learn from within yourself.

At another level this teaching illustrates how the student first learnsthe basic physical postures and exercises before progressing to learn the finerpoints. Initially training is all about strengthening the muscles, improvingcoordination and working on the grosser physical aspects of movement. Thenext step is to work on the breathing, mental intent, focus and what might betermed the internal aspects of the art. With an understanding of the internal,the student returns to his study of the external aspects, understanding moreabout what motivates movement.

B. Jantan Betina

This is the concept of the opposing forces of male and female, similar,on one level to the Chinese theory of Yin and Yang. Jantan is the male forcewhile Betina is the female. In practice this means that the hard mustcomplement the soft and vice-versa, so that the silat exponent is able instantlyto change from strong and solid to gentle and flowing. It also means thatforce is not met with force. Against a strong attack, the silat player yields and

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flows. On the other hand when meeting a yielding, flowing response the silatexponent might power through using strength and heaviness.

All aspects of Silat Tua must be considered in the light of the conceptof Jantan Betina and through careful research, the exponent will discover amyriad of ways in which this principle may be put into action. In connectionwith Jantan and Betina there are other pairs of opposites which are used inthe art. Jantan is generally expressed as fierce, strong force, while the Betinaprincipal is soft and subtle.

C. Berlawanan opposing forces or energies

This includes such opposites as: full and empty; hard and soft: fastand slow; up and down; left and right and so on.

All of the above pairs of opposites are used by the exponent of SilatTua. In practicing the Tari all of these aspects must be present in order tocompletely express the art. For example when moving in the langkah tari oneleg is full, that is it functions to bear most of the weight, while the other isconsidered empty.

At the same time the opposite hand to the weighted leg is performingthe dominant action, while the hand on the weighted side is subordinate. Butthe action is never carried out by just one hand or one foot, the other side hasits role to play, thus right and left complement each other as do up and down.Consider again the langkah tari where one hand is high while the other islow; one palm is up while the other is down and so on. By paying carefulattention to the expression of these pairs of opposites the exponent is able toexpress the whole range of human movement thus realizing his body’s fullpotential.

D. From Start to Finish and from Finish to Start

In Silat Tua the newborn child is considered the epitome of purityand innocence with natural skills, instincts and abilities, but as the environmentand life work on him, he becomes sullied and loses the natural aptitudes andinnocence that he had at birth.

The process of Silat training seeks to strip away the impurities andunnatural influences and habits, to return to the original state thus restoringhis instincts and natural abilities.

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In order to do this, the exponent must go through a process wherebyhe accumulates skills and habits, honing newly awakened reflexes to the pointwhere he has achieved a measure of skill. This is what many might considerto be the finish of the training process but now he must try to drop away anyconscious reliance on these hard-won skills and try to allow his natural God-given ability to surface. This process is one that is identified in most martialtraining. The late Bruce Lee referred to it thus:

“Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just a punch, a kick was just a kick.After I’d studied the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longer a kick.

Now that I understand the art, a punch is just a punch, a kick is just a kick.”

Tao of Jeet Kune Do, p.70 Ohara Books 1975.

E. From the river to the banks, from the banks to the plateau, from the

plateau to the banks, from the banks to the rocks in the river

This teaching, while similar to the previous ones, also points to theactual physical training progression that a student of silat must take in orderto fully absorb their art. The Silat exponent may well undertake basic stance

Langkah Taristart.

Langkah Taritransition.

Langkah Tariother side.

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and movement training while standing in the shallows of the river. Thus hisstance will become firm and his movement fluid. From there he proceeds totraining in the mud of the riverbanks, further improving his stability. On thefirm ground of the plateau he can build on the foundation he has established,and really explore the full range of motion of his body and the abilities he hasdiscovered in himself. Then he goes back to the slippery mud to test thesenew-found skills. Finally he returns to the water where he started and practicesin the full torrent, moving on slippery rocks and negotiating the currents ofthe river. This cyclical training process continues throughout the exponent’slife and illustrates the way in which it is the journey rather than the goalwhich is of prime importance.

F. Weakness overcomes strength

As has been outlined above, the Silat exponent never relies onovercoming force with force, for the simple reason that if you becomedependent on force and then meet an opponent who is stronger than you,your responses will be severely limited. It is easy to see how this emphasis onweakness has developed in Silat because it is an art that is first and foremostbased on the use of weapons, particularly bladed ones. While sports-basedmartial arts can develop in their students the power to absorb blows, it is allbut impossible to absorb the strike of a sharp blade. Instead at the slightesttouch the Silat exponent must evade and move. One result of this is the fluidappearance of the art.

G. Body, Mind and Spirit

Exponents of Silat Tua have an understanding of body, mind and spiritas one complex organism, effective use of all components of which will achievethe maximum effect in all aspects of life. On the other hand, neglect of anyone of these three components will result in less than one hundred percentefficiency. In order to fully understand the interdependency of these threeessential parts of the human being we must also understand how they derivetheir power according to the silat worldview.

First and foremost, all power comes from the Creator. The parts of thephysical body and the energy that animates it are all from the Creator. It isthe heart, the seat of the emotions which gives life and movement to the bodyand it is the mind which determines the actions to be taken. In order for the

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silat exponent to be truly effective he knows that both heart and mind mustbe in harmony with the will of the Creator. In practical terms this means thestudent must do his best to live according to the moral code described in theAkad or Solemn Oath taken at the time that he begins his studies.

At the beginning and end of every silat training session, and whentraining with partners, the salutation reminds the student that he receives hisskill as a gift from the Creator and that he must use them justly. Thisunderstanding of the source of power and the responsibility involved in itsuse is fundamental to the silat exponent and it is on this understanding thatthe art is based and from which all action flows.

H. Mental training

The first and most basic form of mental training is meditation. Thepurpose of this is to train the exponent to be able to focus their mind. Thefundamental meditation form is the Heaven and Earth meditation.

The exponent sits cross-legged or in the half or full lotus position andplaces the outstretched second fingers of each hand so that they are touchingthe floor. To exponents of Silat Tua, this finger is known as the Ghost Fingerand thus symbolises things spiritual. The palms of your two hands are turnedaway from you. This gesture with the fingers touching the ground establishesyour spiritual connection with the earth. Then straighten your back so thatyou feel as if the top of your head is pushing up to the sky. This reminds youof your connection with Heaven. Thus you have completed the trinity ofHeaven, Earth and Man between the two.

Seated meditation.

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Now concentrate on your breathing; breathe in through the nose and outthrough the mouth. Your tongue remains naturally at the bottom of yourmouth and once you feel relaxed enough, and in a natural breathing cycle,shift your attention to your tongue and try to feel a rhythmic pulsation. Whenyou can do this you will feel as if you are on the edge of sleep. This is the stateyou wish to be in, for your meditation.

Initially practice this exercise for five minutes but then build up tolonger periods. High level adepts sometimes meditate for as long as six hoursa day.

I. The Body

Since silat is the art of bringing out the full potential of your ownbody there are no fixed forms or set routines, nor are there any restrictions onthe form your movements take. As the exponent becomes more experiencedso their silat will take on its own unique style. For these reasons basic trainingin silat consists of learning key principles and concepts which then may beembodied in the form most appropriate to the individual student.

The body is composed of four elements, the same elements which makeup everything in the cosmos; and so, in silat the human body is seen as beinga microcosmic universe. These elements are earth, water, fire and wind. Earthcorresponds to the flesh, bones and muscles, while water is the blood andbody fluids, wind is the respiratory system while fire is the vital energy thatanimates us as well as the senses of sight and hearing. By training using theseelements, the silat exponent is able to tap deeper energy sources because he isacting in harmony with nature.

J. Element Meditation

This meditation is done either cross-legged or in the half or full lotusposture.

1. Bring your hands up, clenched loosely into fists and rest them on yourhips. Next, as you breathe in, extend your arms in front of you, fists turningso that the palm sides face down. As you do so chant “earth” either audiblyor under your breath, and visualize all that earth means to you. This maymean a sense of heaviness, solidity and strength; whatever earth means toyou.

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2. Then as you breathe out, open your hands and turn them so that the palmsface upwards, and push them up with the base of the palms cupped togetherin front of your face until they are level with your forehead. As you do thischant the word “water” visualizing all that this means to you.

3. As you breathe in again, press your palms together and push them downtowards your solar plexus, this time chanting the word “fire”, while visualizingwhat fire means to you.

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4. The final part of the cycle, requires that you extend your arms infront of you at about waist height, palms facing down, and then make theminto loose fists, which you then turn over and pull back into your hips as youbreathe out, chanting the word “wind”. The visualization this time mustinclude all that wind means to you.

The basic training for the four elements consists of sitting or standingand performing moves that may be associated with these elements while atthe same time striving to ensure that the physical movements embody thequalities of the element they represent.

Such movements might be for example a heavy, solid front punch torepresent earth,

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followed by a soft inner block to represent water.

Next a sharp, short palm strike represents fire,

and finally a powerful elbow strike represents wind.

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By practicing this sequence of movements repeatedly the exponentbegins to identify and train the feeling and quality of movement associatedwith each element. Exploration of the four elements is limitless because ofthe many and varied forms in which the elements manifest. For example fire,could be a small flame, or a raging forest fire, it could be a slow burning fuseor an explosion.

Using the principle of “from the outside to the inside”, the teacherfirst shows the student a series of basic exercises connected with the elementswith the expectation that once he is familiar with these then he will progressto follow the principle of “from the inside to the outside” and develop hisown unique sets of movements which embody the elemental qualities.

Physical movement originates from the pusat (the navel) or centre,and the whole body must be used to generate power which comes from theearth through the legs, is controlled by the waist and then directed out throughthe arms. The nature of this power will depend upon which element is beingused thus it may be rooted and heavy or light and fluid as the situationrequires.

When delivering power in punches or strikes, the weight is sunk downthrough the heels into the floor. This ensures stability should the opponentcounter at the moment of striking and also enlists the aid of gravity ingenerating power.

K. Energy

The silat exponent has a deep understanding of the energy systems ofhis body. This not only encompasses breathing and the dynamics of motionbut also the deeper aspects of the body’s spiritual energy.

In silat culture the energetic body consists of a number of interlockingcircles of rotating energy. The tendency of this energy is to rotate outwardsfrom the body along diagonal lines. By being aware of this the silat exponentis able to harmonise his movement with that of the energetic body, thusachieving greater efficiency and power. The emission of energy from the centreline outwards, is what underlies defensive movements while movementfocusing from the sides of the body inwards is offensive.

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Watch out for thisbook at SMC soon!

http://silatmelayu.comThe Malaysian Martial Heritage


Silat Tua is training to develop human beings not

clones. Thus training in the art reflects all that is

natural. Consider the life cycle where the baby at

first is weak and totally dependent, then it grows

strong and independent as it reaches maturity, and

then finally with the onset of old age weakness sets

in again.

Thus the Silat trainee starts weak and gains

physical strength but this then declines; along the

way, however, experience and the use of strategy

and tactics compensate for any decline in mere

physical strength.

The silat exponent learns to take equal advantage

of everything and nothing. The Pendita Guru, the

mythical hermit founder of the art wandered the

earth with nothing, yet was able to make use of

everything in his day to day survival.

The Silat exponent knows that we enter the world

with nothing and we leave it with nothing and

anything that we appear to possess along the way,

in terms of material goods cannot be taken with us.

In Silat Tua the answer to the question, “What is

Silat?” contains much more than might be

imagined. Author, Guru Zainal Abidin’s teacher,

Tok Guru Aziz always stressed that true Silat

begins the moment you step out of the house.

Every step must be taken with humility and

without ego. The true Silat exponent should

express love and compassion to all and behave in

such a manner that no one has any reason to

harbour ill-will against him let alone want to attack

him. Seen in this light Silat is the art of living life to

the full, avoiding the dangers and pitfalls that face

man and being prepared for any eventuality.

Thus it is truly the art of life.

Zainal AbidinShaikh Awab

Nigel Sutton

ISBN 978-983-42328-0-1

2328017898349

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Silat Tua: The Malay Dance of Life - Preview