Sais Matters

 

It was yet another fantastic weekend seminar with Cikgu Maul Mornie, foremost expert in Silat Suffian Bela Diri (SSBD), a well-known Bruneian fighting art. The Sultanate of Brunei is located on the Malay peninsula and is home to a very effective style of Silat.

This weekend, the focus was the tekpi, seen in Okinawan Kobudo as the sai. That, however, is where the resemblance ends. Similar weapons, perhaps, but very different in their training and application. As Cikgu Maul explains, the tekpi are principally used for striking, raking and stabbing, but also as training tools. Weighing a hefty 1kg each, the tekpi serve to condition the forearms, shoulders and back for effective striking and blocking in kuntao. In a sense, they are Silat "kettlebells". Repetition is key here, with the opening and closing used to develop coordination, forearm and grip strength and good hand position for trapping, grabbing and striking.

In Okinawan kobudo, the sai is regularly moved back and forth from closed to open positions. However, when used in silat, this is only done for conditioning purposes. In fighting, the tekpi is deployed in the open position from start to finish, thus offering extended reach and powerful impact when swung.

While the tekpi has some unique applications owing to its forked design, it is basically a short metal bar, so in striking it is almost guaranteed to disable or break anything it hits including head, arms/hands or knees. As a stabbing or raking tool, it concentrates tremendous impact force at the tip and can be used to skewer an unfortunate opponent.

Cikgu Maul spent a lot of time on the first day explaining and showing the proper grip and manipulation of this interesting weapon. In my experience of kobudo weapons nearly 45 years ago, there was not enough focus on this. As such, the sai were cumbersome and hard to manipulate effectively, so I focused on other weapons (kama) instead. Had I gotten the same instruction back then, the tekpi would have certainly been fascinating and intriguing to explore over the years.

Proper training with the tekpi encourages good distance management and footwork, and can help understand the mechanics of striking, pinning and disarms as well. In SSBD fights are ended very directly but for training purposes movements are combined to allow richer exploration and develop fluency.

This was my sixth seminar with Cikgu Maul. Every time he is able to provide simple, elegant answers to various martial arts questions I have had. Studying tekpi with him changed my understanding of this important tool. If you ever have the opportunity to train with him, don't miss it. SSBD is legitimately one of the most interesting and thorough martial arts systems I have seen, and Cikgu Maul is a fantastic example of the three key elements of elite Silat practitioners: Hormat (respect), Hina diri (humility) and Halus (refinement).

See you at class. 

Scars

 

Here is my latest scar. Well on its way to becoming a scar, anyway. Somehow, I ended up with a large cyst (tennis ball-sized) on my back between my shoulder blades, which subsequently became inflamed and ultimately had to be cut open, drained and later completely removed. The above is the result of almost 3 weeks of back-and-forth to the hospital. Stitches came out last Friday and my final visit (hopefully) will be this Friday. Thankfully, I haven't had a surgery in a very long time and had forgotten the process. Lots of consent forms and explanations, lots of downtime, lots of medications.

If you are going to get surgery, I recommend getting it done in Japan. Language issues notwithstanding, this country has very affordable, extremely high quality healthcare (are you listening USA?). My outpatient surgery out-of-pocket was about $120. I think the same procedure in the US would have been several thousand dollars at least. The fact that Japan invented sashimi might have something to do with the quality of the incision, too. In the picture you can see a drain on the right to help speed healing. They really do think of everything, don't they?

In the many hours to and from the hospital, waiting in the waiting room, waiting at the pharmacy, and so on I had plenty of time to think about things.

We often think of scars as ugly or embarrassing, symbols of some accident, bad luck, misfortune or just bad judgement. Stitches are a sign we did something wrong or that God doesn't like us and visited calamity upon us. We hide our scars and try not to talk about them. Scars make other people uncomfortable. Sometimes scars make for good party conversation, involving real (or contrived) stories about how we might have gotten them. Scars make a person look like a "tough guy" (or girl). Beautiful people don't have them. In some cases, surgical scars mean a part of us was removed, making us somehow no longer "whole" or "complete". It is said the best surgeries leave no scars at all. Taking care of surgical scars requires patience. Good hygiene is required to keep the wounds from becoming infected. Rest and recovery are needed so the wounds close properly. Skin care is used to minimize discoloration. A scar is almost like an "involuntary tattoo". Lots to think about and pay attention to.

Scars tell a story, too. Our story. They show we are survivors. After all, you only get scars if you survive. They show we can heal, we can recover. We can endure and persevere. We can move on, even if it hurts sometimes. Our scars do not define us, but they help explain our journey, and what happened along the way. They are the chronicle that we wear all day, every day.

Scars are not just on the outside, either. Sometimes the ones on the inside reflect greater injury than the ones we can see. Sometimes those take even longer to heal. Some never fully heal.

I would not say I'm proud of my scars. I would rather say that I have learned to accept them as part of who I am. I've made peace with them. My scars are part of my record which documents my limited time here on Earth. My scars are proof that I did not sit idly by, I got involved and took some risks. My story has been many things but it has never been boring. My scars prove that. I won't win any beauty contests, but that was never my goal, anyway.

I've got plenty of scars - inside and out. Now I've got another one. But I'm still standing.

See you at class