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Of the whole Legacy Series, this was the single DVD that I was most looking forward to, and after one viewing…well, to be honest, I was disappointed, and I couldn't quite figure out why. So I watched it again, and about halfway through came the forehead-slap moment I was hoping for, and I found myself thinking, “Of course!” If you're looking for a detailed, step-by-step, tick-the-boxes recipe for kembaggan, you're going to be disappointed. Kembaggan is just not that kind of thing. The whole point is improvisation; no one can *teach* it to you. About all anyone else can do is model it and *stimulate* you a bit, and the rest is up to you. So what can a video deliver, really? Not the 'lost secret to kembaggan' that I was unconsciously hoping for, certainly. A little history, perhaps. Maybe a basic sketch of what kembaggan is, what it's for, and how to get started. After that, there's nothing else to do but show it to you. Maybe in a few different variations -- slow, fast; with a short blade, long blade; bare, one weapon or two; maybe with a common item like a kitchen knife; different practitioners, different ages, different body types. This video delivers exactly that.As Solomon once put it, "He who walks with the skilled will become skilled" -- and Uncle Willem and SiGung Steve are not presently hanging out in your backyard all day, then having them on your DVD player will have to do until then. That's what this program is: a window into the kembaggan practice of SiGung Steve and Uncle Willem. Nothing more than that....but nothing less than that, either. Which, come to think of it, means that it *does* deliver the 'secret to kembaggan': PRACTICE.After 50 minutes or so of practice footage, Uncle Bill delivers a very informative discussion of different knife grips and grip changes. To be honest, I don't see myself ever, *ever* changing grips in mid-fight. The advantages of being able to are fairly obvious, but the consequences if I screw it up and drop the knife are, um, not conducive to living through the next few seconds. But--says Uncle Bill--that's not the point. Constant practice of grip changes gives you smart, supple hands, useful attributes for anything you do. (If you can change in mid-fight, that's icing on the cake.) Grip changes, here I come.The DVD concludes, appropriately, with Uncle Bill showing another short kembaggan.Guarantee you, I'll be wearing this disc out; you should too. Watch and learn...
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Great review, thanks for sharing…..some very good, honest, and relative insight.
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I, like GM Art, had the same concerns when I watched the Kembaggan video that comes with the DLP vids. The first time I watched the video series through, I was overwhelmed with all of the “memory” skills that had to be learned. I was thinking that this is going to take a loooong time to remember. I have watched all the videos through many times over and find myself drawn to the Kembaggan video. At first glance I didnt know where to start. I realized after watching it over and over that this wasnt something we had to copy move for move, but rather it was an interpretive dance. In the DLP series, you have all of the basics and forms to go over and by the time you reach the Kembaggan level you have a good base of technique and movement. I believe that the point to Kembaggan is to help the movement and technique become sub concious and comfortable with the practitioner. Like Sigung Steve Gartin says, first we must learn to stand properly and then how to walk and move properly. Its all part of the rebirth process! Great video.
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Woops!
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No, not at all stupid.
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Sorry about the mix up Art! Still a great review though and so far is one of my favs with the DLP program. I guess it is like someone taking up hip hop dancing for the first time. You would look more like a dieing bug than a great dancer…fast forward a few years and after a lot of hard work your a fantastic dancer. A honing of your craft!!
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Think of it in the terms of a dancer. When the dancer to be starts his training as a dancer, he/she looks bad! Awkward maybe! After enough time and diligent training, the dance becomes something that you “feel” and not something that your mind is trying to force. When you see a seasoned dancer in motion, it is a natural thing for that person. There is a science and technique behind AKTS and there is an art too. You have to learn the science first and allow it to develop into the art. Kembaggan is that “outlet” for AKTS to transition from the science to the art.
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Very well stated, both Tom and Travis!Kembaggan has just become an additional ingredient in the testing for each level.
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