Silat Decoy arts use the idea of decoy in a number of different ways. In this post I will elaborate a bit on Silat decoy using fighting position, Personal Body Slapping and Upper and Lower Body Arts.

In fighting a decoy often refers to the idea of a fake hit or feint. Although a Silat fighter may utilize a feint they will much more often use their body position to try to make the opponent think that they are attacking from a direction or with a body part that is different from the direction or body part that they are actually really using. As a result sometimes strikes are thrown at odd angles or from strange positions compared to most conventional fighting methods.

The application is to cause the opponent to not see what you are actually attacking them with until it is to late and ideally they never see or realize what direction or / and what body part / tool they are being attacked with. Only, if they are still awake, after being hit should the opponent know they were hit and as soon as their focus goes to where they were hit then another technique is applied somewhere else equally unexpectedly.

In Silat Decoy you will also find the practice of personal body slapping. The slapping in Silat can be used to make the opponent look in the direction of the sound of the slap while a real strike comes from another direction. A personal body slap or stomp is meant to be disorienting or distracting even for an opponent who is moving and fighting more intelligently.

Also, in Silat Decoy arts we have the upper and lower body art. The lower body art uses foot, knee and leg methods including leverage including tripping and trapping. The upper body art is everything above the waist. To use decoy with the upper and lower body arts is a fairly simple matter but it must be trained to be performed well.

One of my favorite Silat Decoy techniques is as follows: An upper body strike is thrown or defended against while I am stepping on the opponents foot. The opponent sees the upper body strike / defense but does not see the step on the foot.

Another Silat Decoy technique is to kick the leg of an approaching attacker and when they are pitched by the contact then I apply the upper body art strike or grab to them. They do not realize the upper body art is happening until it is to late.

In the next post I will continue to add some info about the Silat Decoy art with a focus on Silat Welcoming Postures.

One of the basic principles studied when practicing the nine angles of attack regarding external blunt trauma striking is that power can only be transferred one of two ways.
1. Strike through the target
2. Bounce off of the target
When you stop on the target at the point of contact with the target then no or very little power gets transferred.

When practicing the nine angles of attack first practice swinging all of the way through the target from one side to the other in the cases of angles one through six so from extreme right to extreme left or vice versa and from up to down and from down to up in the cases of angles seven and eight.

The next way to practice the nine angles of attack is to bounce the strike out and back in at a point midway in front of you. Practice doing it where you throw an angle 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 then an angle 2, 4, 6 and 8.

If you look at the possibility of strikes using each hand once and either retracting from a bounce or striking through then you have approximately 17 possibilities with each arm / hand multiplied by the same number of possibilities with the other hand. So 17 X 17 = 289. If you throw either hand one more time then you have another 17 minimum possibilities for a total of at least 4,913 options just by using these nine possible basic moves with either a pull through or a retraction.

One of the major secrets of so-called Karate blocks is that they are not blocks at all but are in reality pressure point strikes. The only way for them to be effective and actually work is for the practitioner to do as I have stated above. This may seem strange since most Karate forms strike or throw a block and then stop.

This method of stopping the motion at best was only meant for very new beginners to learn the kata patterns and at worst it is an outright deception that is intended to keep non-devotees in the dark regarding the actual applications of the art. There is unfortunately a lot of this and it is not limited to Karate.

The idea that these pressure point strikes are blocks is something that crept into the teaching of the Karate katas in the 1960’s. I have spoken with more than one person who trained in the 1960’s who have personally stated that one day they were learning the moves as pressure point strike and at the very next class they were being taught as blocks without any mention of how or why this came to be and without ever again mentioning the reality of the moves as pressure point strikes.

Anyway, one last word on the nine angles of attack. If you look at an angle 2 it moves in the same manner as an upward block (pressure point strike) in traditional Karate. If you look at an angle 6 it moves like a downward block in traditional karate. If you move your arms pulling in behind yourself with a angle 3 and 4 and then move your hands back out in front of you with an angle 3 and 4 then you are performing another Karate hand move. In fact with the nine angles you can achieve every karate hand blocking (really striking) and striking moves in the majority of Karate styles all of the way up to the 3rd degree black belt. Not bad for a little nine move set that can be easily learned in just a couple of hours.

Click here to read Part 1

5. Angle 5 is like a golf swing. Your right arm continues from where you stopped behind your neck and shoulder on your right side. You then swing it through hitting their kidneys or scooping up one of their legs or knocking a kicking leg away. I highly recommend using an open hand slap to do this. Angle 5 finishes behind your neck and shoulder on the left side of your body.

6. Angle 6 picks up where angle 5 left off. Angle 6 is like a reverse golf swing. Your right arm continues from where you stopped behind your neck and shoulder on your left side. You then swing it through hitting their kidneys or scooping up one of their legs or knocking a kicking leg away. I highly recommend using an open hand slap to do this. Angle 6 finishes behind your neck and shoulder on the right side of your body.

7. Angle 7 picks up where angle 6 left off. Your hand is in the shape of a fist. Raise your right arm straight up into the air and then drop it straight down in front of you as you turn. Continue the motion finishing with your fist behind your neck and shoulder on your left side. Think of Angle 7 as a strike to the top of their head, top of their nose or into their teeth. Try to make the downward angle so straight that opponent will have trouble actually seeing it. Angle 7 can also be a downward arm break.

8. Angle 8 picks up where angle 7 left off. Your hand is in the shape of a fist. Drop your right arm straight down into their groin and then raise it straight up in front of you as you turn. Continue the motion finishing with your fist behind your neck and shoulder on your right side. Techniques for Angle 8 include the groin, the bladder, the stomach and under the chin. Angel 8 can also be an uppercut.

9. Angle 9 is a straight punch with a fist out in front of you.

The Nine Angles of Attack are a basic numbering system that we are utilizing to make it so that two practitioners can rapidly drill and play. The utilization of the numbers are that each number is used to convey a specific angle direction and technique designation. This is so that when I say the number 1 my partner knows exactly what I mean and no further explanation is necessary.

It is also so that when we discuss where an error or problem occurred we can speak about it in terms of numbers thus saving a lot of time and energy. For example if my partner brought an angle 1 but would have been much better off to bring an angle 5 then I have stated a whole paragraph by telling them “you wanted an angle 5 on that one”.

There are many different systems that utilize different numbering systems for the angles of attack. I have found the one I am listing here to be the most useful for me as the numbering system is simple and easy for beginners to quickly learn. The angles of the angles of attack do not change if you are empty handed, if you have a knife or if you have a stick. The angles are the same regardless. The biggest difference in position if you have a knife is if you are holding the knife in a stabbing position or in a slicing position.

All of the angles except for angles 5 & 6 utilize the hand shape of a hammer fist. Angles 5 and 6 tend to use the open hand.

The Basic Nine Angles of Attack are:

1. Angle 1 is an arcing motion to their temple or where the neck and shoulder meet. The important thing to remember is that your right arm rises from behind your own right sided neck and shoulder area and goes as high as possible before it falls. The angle 1 flows through and finishes behind your left neck and shoulder area.

Angle 1 can also be used to hit through their arm if they are standing in a fists raised like a boxer position.

2. Angle 2 picks up right where Angle 1 left off. Angle 2 is an arcing motion to their temple or where the neck and shoulder meet. The important thing to remember is that your right arm rises from behind your own left sided neck and shoulder area and goes as high as possible before it falls. The angle 2 flows through and finishes behind your right neck and shoulder area.

Angle 2 can also be used to hit through their arm if they are standing in a fists raised like a boxer position.

3. Angle 3 picks up right where Angle 2 left off. Angle 3 goes straight across like a sideways hit to their neck or ribs or kidney, sternum or spine and finishes up behind your left neck and shoulder area again. The difference in your striking height is not determined by the position of your arm as much as it is determined by your legs.

Angle 3 can also be used to hit through their arm if they are standing in a fists raised like a boxer position.

4. Angle 4 picks up right where Angle 3 left off. Angle 4 goes straight across like a sideways hit to their neck or ribs or kidney, sternum or spine and finishes up behind your left neck and shoulder area again. The difference in your striking height is not determined by the position of your arm as much as it is determined by your legs.

Angle 4 can also be used to hit through their arm if they are standing in a fists raised like a boxer position.

We have almost finished the second Phase 1 DVD. Click Here to Pre-order before Thursday March 4th you will save over 20%.

Phase 1 Vol 2 includes: Class 03 – Habud, Class 04 – Stealing the Energy & Class 05 – Alive Hands.

Pentjak Silat is an extremely effective and deadly martial art. Pentjak Silat is found in the islands of Southeast Asia and developed there as an extreme defense for extreme situations.

Pentjak Silat is the overall name for the indigenous styles of martial arts from Indonesia and Malaysia including the entire area of Micro and Macronesia. This area ranges all over Southeast Asia from lower Thailand up into the Philippines and all of the islands in between which include but is not limited to such commonly known places as Java, Bali, Singapore, Borneo, Sumatra and Komodo island (of Komodo dragon fame). In Pentjak Silat there is influence that can be found from most other Asian cultures including but not limited to China, India, Tibet and Burma. China literally dominates the area to the North of the islands and the Chinese are the largest immigrant population in the islands.

The origins of Pentjak Silat are known to be from the island peoples which includes but is not limited to headhunters, cannibals and other tribal peoples who have a long history of fighting and hunting for each other. This also includes fighting over territory, trade routes and property.

As a fighting art, for an individual, Pentjak Silat takes into account the nature and and tactics used by the adversary. In this case a lone individual would need to be able to defend themselves from an attack from an enemy tribe who are attacking in the same way and manner in which they go after food or kill a tiger. This kind of attack means that the enemy will try to find a victim out by themselves and then the enemy combatants will attack as a group who are armed to the teeth with bladed weapons and whenever possible they will attack by surprise. As a result Pentjak Silat is a vicious and suddenly explosive art that is deadly effective with a focus on survival.

The preferred fighting techniques of Pentjak Silat are bone breaking strikes, joint manipulation breaks, pressure point strikes and the use of bladed weapons. Pentjak Silat fighting methods include an extensive knowledge of the anatomy and physiology including extensive knowledge of the inherent weaknesses found in human beings and most living creatures.

The origin of the meaning of the words Pentjak Silat are relatively unknown. However, today Silat is commonly understood to mean the fighting aspect of the art and Pentjak refers to the idea of performance or practice. Together Pentjak Silat refers to the practice and performance of the deadly fighting arts from Indonesia and Malaysia.

• Title: Intensive Healing (empty force) Chi Kung workshop
• Location: 113 e Broadway, Maryville TN 37804
• Workshop Flyer: Chi Kung Healing workshop April 2010 TN.pdf
• Description: 3 Day Intensive. Secrets of Universal Healing (empty force) Chi Kung.
  Four Workshops in 3 days. Covered will be Absorbing, Building, Emitting, & Healing with chi. Includes sensing, interpreting, balancing, & healing specific injuries & illness with chi. Certification is awarded upon completion of workshops
• Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, April 22th, 23th, & 24th 2009
• 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. each day
• Price:$650 – Before Tue April 20, $725 – on or after April 20.
• $200 student discount
• Contact: Richard Clear (865) 379-9997
  

Dates for the next Combat Tai Chi workshop have been set. Click here to download the flyer

• Date: March 26, 27 & 28 2010
• Time: 10am – 6pm each day. There will be a 1.5 hr break for lunch each day.
• Where: 113 E Broadway Maryville, TN 37804
• Cost: $495 per person. You must register in advance. Space is limited.
• Contact: Richard Clear • (865) 379-9997 • rclear@clearstaichi.com

During this workshop we will cover the second part of the Combat Tai Chi program. This is a stand alone workshop. You Do NOT need to have attended previous workshops to attend this one although we recommend studying the “Internal Power” DVD.

You don’t want to miss this event! Participants will receive live hands on instruction and correction for a fraction of the cost of the DVDs. This workshop will contain a lot of the high level hard to find information that many people spend years just trying to find, much less acquire. We highly recommend that you bring a notebook and take a lot of notes. Plus everyone who attends the workshop will receive a 50% discount on the DVDs we film that weekend.

Kun Tao is an extremely deadly form of Street Kung Fu that is the old hand Kung Fu from the temples and family systems of China. Kun Tao is primarily found in Indonesia and Malaysia. The largest immigrant population in Indonesia and Malaysia are the Chinese. The Chinese began migrating to the spice islands in the 1200’s and as a result the islands became a melting pot of Southeast Asian martial arts including Kun Tao.

Kun Tao is 2 words in Cantonese. The word Kun means fist and the word Tao means way. Together they mean Fist Way or Way of the Fist. In Mandarin the words for Fist Way are Chuan Fa. There are approximately 350 known Kun Tao Styles.

Kun Tao is an art form that due to its deadliness was outlawed in the islands and until the last 85 years or so was very rarely taught to non-Chinese and even only rarely taught to non-family members who were Chinese. Fortunately by the time World War I ended there was a very large mixing of cultures in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Dutch were the primary European colonists in the area establishing plantations and growing such things as tobacco and coffee.

The main source of trade and money in Malaysia were the Chinese and with the large amount of trade both East and West came people from many different cultures and back grounds and multi-generations of people who intermarried and over the centuries had become part of the culture. As this occurred Kun Tao and Silat began to grow beyond its roots and spread outside of the cultures from which they came.

In 1954 when Sukarno came to full power in Indonesia he forced all people of mixed blood and non-Indos to leave or be beheaded. As a result a number of serious Kun Tao and Silat practitioners who were of mixed Indonesian, Dutch and Chinese descent fled the country and went to Holland, other European countries and eventually the United States. As a result Kun Tao and Silat came to the USA and was taught to Americans starting in the early 1960’s.

Kun Tao can now be found in most major cities in the United States.

Kun Tao techniques tend to be devastating close range explosive techniques utilizing rapid fire blasting strikes and rapid grappling breaks. The old hand street Kung Fu training includes specialty palms and jing expressions as well as animal form training and the internal arts of Hsing-I, Pa Kua / Ba Gua and Tai Chi. The primary commonality of most Kun Tao styles and methods is the lethal nature and unique and unmistakable expressive explosiveness of the Kun Tao arts.

When you use proper waist and knee power together while relaxed you will gain the benefits of whole body power. Start by first taking the waist and knee power exercises and doing them without any waist or knee movement and then do them with both the waist and knees acting in coordination at the same time. There should be a significant difference in power.

Also, if you shift your body weight from one side to the other by shifting on your feet and then allow the weight to transfer into your pushing or pulling action then you will add another dimension to your power altogether. Trained properly you will find that this kind of training will give you powerful movement and striking ability while you are relaxed and moving relatively effortlessly. The trick to using this for self defense is to train fluidly and softly while maintaining the integrity of your body enough so that whatever action you are performing is done by your whole body as fast as you can move to do it.

If you apply yourself to this training then you will find that the transference of body weight required to perform 1 Touch knockouts is something you can build into your movement so that whole body power is available whenever you need it. This kind of movement is essential for all of the advanced material in Clear’s Silat.

Keep up the Good Training.
Please send me any questions you may have.
Regards.
Sifu