Southeast Asian Martial arts generally, and KunTao Silat specifically, are famous for effective use of the elbows as offensive and defensive weapons. But aside from these more obvious applications of the elbow in striking, blocking, and deflecting techniques lies a deeper principle: the elbow is one of the keys to martial arts. The elbow is […]
Archive | General
Pioneers of KunTao Silat
Happy Birthday Pendekar Steve Gartin!
Happy 75th Birthday to Pak Steve!
Distance Learning
Confusion Over Self-Defense
Confusion over Self-Defense The subject of self-defense, “real fighting”, & or whatever you call it causes a great deal of confusion in the martial arts world. Discussions over which style is best, what techniques work & which don’t, the usage of force multipliers, & legalities many times dissolve into the hell of one or […]
Everyday knife carry and practice
Self Defense vs Fighting
Depending on your background and life experience, the following statement may or may not make sense to you: fighting and self-defense are NOT the same thing. Now, let’s clear some semantics up: by “fighting” I am referring to a mutual physical conflict between two or more participants. “Self-defense” in this essay refers to the protection […]
Internal/External Horse Stance: The Root of KunTao Silat
Depending on long you have been in martial arts, or how wide your experience has been with the innumerable traditions available to us now in the 21st Century, you may or may not have noticed that some version of Horse Stance (aka Tiger Stance in Malabar) is found in virtually every system. Even “modern” combat […]
Why Forms?
In American martial arts culture, particularly with the influence of Bruce Lee, it can be common to encounter the argument that the choreographed solo practice routines we call “forms” in English and “Kata,” “Djurus,” “Hyung,” “Taolu,” etc. in other languages are a waste of time. When you consider how most “strip mall” Dōjō conduct their […]
KunTao Silat: The Healing Art (?)
Greetings to all in KTS, Recently I found myself undergoing an emergency appendectomy, or the removal of my appendix due to inflammation. While the entire experience is an educational story all its own on many levels (which I may share at some point for those of you who are interested in the healing arts), for […]