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It’s really cool that you noticed this. YES, arm swinging is a beginning component of training refined strikes similar to the ‘street’ sucker punch. Arm swinging is a common exercise in Chinese martial arts, but we take it to some peculiar places. You can see that people instinctively understand the lines it teaches – and those lines can have devastating effect for a wide range of reasons. That said, our school of KTS has an entire training program built around it to teach much, much more than sucker punching.
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I hope to get the first of the training manuals out by end of March 2017. Then we will work through each level.
These will only be available to those in the program, who are following the teacher track. Some of the content will be shared on this site to provide examples of the content.
Our hope is to have all five levels finished by early 2018.
Please note, these do not replace in-person training, but they will provide a host of step-by-step details that can be difficult to understand from watching video.
Stay tuned!
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This is where we encourage people to send in their videos for review. Poor Joshua was convinced he was on the right path, but his unwillingness to submit for review has resulted in him not really getting even close to what he should have been achieving. It’s hard to live up to this kind of disappointment, and can result in people looking for something easier to do. Don’t be like that! Hard work produces results!
Please, if you are in the program – put yourself out there, you will be better for it!
Your progression will be much greater with right guidance!
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Sapu is an idea, not a technique.
There are essentially 3 different timings, 4 basic positions, and a virtually infinite number of depths at which it can be executed.
If you understand the timings, and displante and/or separation of bases and how it dictates the line of the sweep, you find a virtual endless variety in application. The key is not to worry as much about the WHAT as the WHY.
Join us in New Mexico next week and you can experience first hand.
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Steve,
Yes, it is the Monkey Foot drills taught by Pak Steve, with some additions drawn from the material itself. The numbering is just a convention developed in my club to keep things straight in our heads/make it easier to teach. I’ll be shooting video of it after the first of the year for the member site – as Pak Steve thinks it would be helpful.It is just the different combinations of upper/lower art positions and entering depths. I start with eight positions, then each one has different depths of application.
Dragon and Tiger walking are in the legwork set videos. Orangutang – that I always saw as an ‘idea’ – you can see Pak Steve perform it as well as Pak Chas on the old Djurus Satu 2000 video, as well as on clips on the member site – one is labled Orangutan, I think. Orangutan is also sometimes called just ‘ape’ – it is the long arm, long range condensing to close range application. Rooted of course, in some of our basic exercises.
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For students earning from the distance program, I often suggest that they start with the Kilap Betawi/Serak material Chas shows. This is easier to understand and practice. While doing this, work the legwork and handwork sets until your eyes bleed. You will learn good, fast self defense, while ‘Gartinizing’ your body to be able to understand the movement style in this school of Kuntao Silat. This is not the ‘only’ way to do it, but if you are unfamiliar with Pak Gartins unique method, it helps get you onto the path with less wrong turns on the way.
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In my clubs the art is broken down into phases –
Phase 1 features the complete stance set and tiger, dragon, monkey stepping
Kendang Djurus-Djurus 1-3 (Turning Djurus 1 & 2, 3)
Some additional pukulan djurus-djurus just because it is easy to apply. A total of 8 short ‘hand sets’
Some additional warm up exercises and basic kicking drills.
Walking the Tiga (Sapu/turn/beset)
Monkey Foot 1-8
Plus application off of the initial Djurus.
To this right, it usually takes about 12-18 months based on how often the student gets to class.
At this stage, one is formerly considered a student. And work begins on the Kendang sequence of Satu, Dua and Tiga. This usually takes 2-3 years to complete including the weapons work that goes into it. The breakdown is extensive.
More to come…
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Steve,
My condolences. Reminds me of the old admonition to respect everybody because you do not know what struggles they face.There is material in the works on the Chang style training as well as some deep dives on different material.
The Golden Free Form is a take on the Tai Keah material – good eye.
Best,
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Hi Paul, I have not seen the latest vids that are provided, so I’m not sure what content is available in which ones – but – the absolute best place to start is with the basic legwork and handwork. Get that down rock solid before moving on to other stuff and you will develop real skill.
A lot of folks rush through this because they are eager to advance, but believe me true advancement comes from doing the hard work first!
Welcome to the club, this art is extremely rewarding for those that choose to walk the walk!
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Just to clarify: My point is that Serak and KTS are fundamentally different, despite sharing common ancestors. What makes Serak good, is not a few Djurus – this is a deeply overrated idea in the USA.
While elements of Sera djurus-djurus, positioning and Langkah are present in KTS (For those that do not know me, I am very familiar with both arts, this is not a guess), the Chang style training changes this into it’s own thing. I’ve been doing both since the times in West Marin, and if you are doing KTS as Pak Steve practices, do KTS. Adding a few Djurus (that only contain movement ALREADY taught) that Pak Steve himself never really focused on isn’t really a net benefit.
Also note that the terms ‘base, angle, and leverage were never used to describe Serak technique until Stevan Plinck did so. It is an elaboration on the three arts strategy, but it is not a theory required to ‘get’ KTS. This kind of migration is normal – Lord knows I’m guilty of it too because we live in such an information rich society, but there are differences between how the different systems solve problems.
The biggest, and something really impossible to get over video, is the application of Displante. Both arts use this, and I’d wager KTS received this idea from Serak. Depending on the Serak school, there are many ways to achieve this – from hitting (pukulan) to compression, to yeilding, etc. All of these are great strategies and offer much. But the KTS has a different body skill – to create the Displante with a touch. This can be a very light movement, yet it still displaces the opponent. It can be done WITHOUT movement. This is best demonstrated in person, it sounds oogey-boogy mystical, but it is simply the result of proper training. This is achieved only through diligent study of the basics and Qigong practice in the system.
I love Serak and Bukti Negara 2.0. Those are great systems.
I also love KTS – THIS KTS. Because it is a great system that stands on it’s own. It deserves to be taught and explored as Pak Steve developed it, with minimal ‘interpretation’ until his lessons are fully inculcated. There are unique jewels of information that deserve not to be clouded by getting pulled into the past.
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Joshua,
Welcome to he circle! And please give my regards to Guru Brandt.I’ll pass your invitation to help to the GCC team, help is always welcome!
Just so you know, it looks like there will be a seminar / gathering in the SF Bay area in September. That’s not exactly next door, but it’s close enough that it might be possible for you to join us. Details will be going up soon!
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This line of conversation rarely, if ever bears fruit. My senior students routinely test their art against others. WE always have the respect and admiration of combat sport players. The simple fact is KunTao Silat is fundamentally different. It fulfills the promise of martial arts better than virtually any art I have ever seen (I’ve been training MA since 1979, both Traditional and Combat Sports). If you pay attention to what is being taught AND stick to it closely, you get results right out of the box, no assembly required.
My students include one of the top Muay Thai Arjarns in the USA, Pro boxers and former BJJ/MMA types. There was never any debate about it’s relative value once they tried it out.
Now, the problem here is popular opinion is against so-called traditional arts. And frankly, the competitive grappling scene has done a much better job of providing solid education to their audience than most traditionalist schools have. But I would argue that KTS is no ordinary school.
Take two people – one less talented for fighting, and one pro fighter. Give the less talented guy KTS and I’ll put money on it that he will beat the pro fighter. I’ve seen it time and again. (Of course, ridiculous extremes are not the consideration here.)
And Tim is certainly correct – MMA keeps evolving due to what happens in the ring. I’ll take it a step farther – if you base your street survival on ring consensus – you are living in the past and will get whupped. And I’m not alone in that assessment. My friends in the Muay Thai and MMA world voice the same concerns.
So when you choose your method of training, look to find the right tool for the job. Not the consensus decision.
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Way back in the 80’s, it was George Morin who made me kiss the floor on the gravel parking lot outside of a kenpo studio in Westmont Illinois. Years of Judo and bare knuckle karate and kung fu and I was dispatched without effort. It certainly built a yearning to learn Kuntao Silat!
If you poke around on Facebook, you can find him. He’s certainly very precise. Almost a kind of polar opposite to the endless flow and subtlety of Pak Steve, where the precision is on the inside.
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Hi Jim,
Like anything, it comes down to what you are looking to achieve. There are many videos on the market by people who I am sure are fine martial artists. But KTS is something distinct from most of the FMA practiced out there, and the difference is in it’s very DNA. Kuntao Silat is a syncretic art that teaches many things as one – instead step 1, step 2, step 3 – it has step 1 (23456789) and so on. But the beauty is you do not need to focus on each and every step – you simply follow the lessons of the movement, and all of the other attributes pour out. In my 36 years of martial arts training, I’ve never seen a system that taught bladed defense so naturally, so quickly and so spontaneously. To really get the benefit, it is best to spend time with a skilled player in the art, but absent that you do a lot worse than trying the video. Although it might be better for you to simply start at the beginning – not worry about ‘The Kerambit’ as a separate thing, and try the DLP course – this would give you the tools to pick up a Kerambit, a water bottle or virtually anything and have self defense skills that are efficient, practical and effective. (As long you train.) It’s up to you. But I thought I might through that out there. -
Jim,
I might recommend this to you: -
Just a side note – our lineage in KTS comes through Steve Gartin (although like other long-timers we also trained under and certified under Willem in the past as well). So any all players in the various streams of his teaching are welcome to join us. If you are a DLP student, we will work with you to help you get through the program.
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Back in the day, my training partner and all around training genius Vince Brown introduced me to kettlebells and eventually clubbells. With Pak Steve’s blessing we integrated these *safer* tools over the big monkey wrenches/tool boxes/heavy found objects Pak Gartin was trained with.
Even if you closely follow just the training (and safety) methods available for free on Youtube, you can significantly improve your practice in a way that is very synergistic, just like KTS.
There are some unique exercises as well, evolved from Pak Steve’s teaching. We’ll try to shoot some of these as instructional clips by summertime for inclusion in the DLP section. (I may be talking out of school here, as I am not involved in the DLP, but I’ll shoot the vids and if Pak Steve is okay with them, I’m sure they’ll be made available.)
The simple rule to remember is that strength development needs to be functional, not isolated. KTS is a natural movement system. This means it works the way your body works, using complex/compound motions to perform tasks where the different parts of the body sync in unison. Isolated training, like you see in weight machines or in body building is often counter productive for developing the kind of refined strength you need to develop in KTS.
That said, both Kettlebells and Clubbells provide excellent tools for development that can improve your cardio, core and grip strength as well as improve leg flexibility and strength. I’ve found that they also become essential when training older students as they make rapid gains in stance flexibility and strength possible, shortening the time it takes to master basic skills.
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There are now Studio Garuda KTS training groups in these locations:
Chicago (Northside – same as above)
West Dundee, IL
Oak Forest, ILScherreville, IN (Thursdays 7-9pm at Azatos School of Karate.)
San Antonio TX
And a new one starting in Chesapeake VA in the next few weeks.
For details email: SGKUNTAO “at” gmail dotcom. This email is obviously modified to defeat bots. Just remove the spaces and use the correct symbols. The old email above also works.
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It figures, it was one of our bigger Beat Down Chow Down events, and we didn't take a group picture. On the Studio Garuda Facebook page you can find photos of past events. I generally do not post video as a rule. But I think that will be changing. I tend to joke a lot when I'm teaching and I try to be very careful about being misunderstood. That said, I'll be taping some stuff in the near future.In other news, one of my students has moved to San Antonio Texas and has launched a practice group. Details to follow.
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Krav Maga and other 'combatives' focused arts can be useful for people who need a crash course in VERY basic self defense skills. The biggest variance I see is that unlike KTS it is simply not holistic. Krav Maga prepares you for a fight against an untrained aggressor. KTS trains you to fight multiple, highly skilled assailants. While you may never have to face such a scenario, the side benefit of KTS training is that it prepares you to face enemies you cannot avoid – age and injury. This whole body/mind approach is claimed by many – but very few arts exhibit it. KTS serves it to you on a silver platter.I came from a pretty serious combat sports background. With plenty of ring experience and experience live and bare knuckle with other skilled martial players. KTS is the answer. That's all I have on this subject.
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A few ideas to toss out here:Confusion on the evasive nature of Dua has a lot to do with calling it Langkah Dua, as the Langkah in the set aren't terribly evasive. The Djurus Djurus however, exhibit a technology for evading forward. Accepting force without giving up your forward energy or having to 'crash' the opponent.A bigger topic, one that has been around for a long time, is what is a variation? What makes it valid? How is it tested to be worth doing? Most of us have variations in us as a by product of past training, or particular preferences. Or in the case of the core sets in my club - grafting multiple variants from the source together into a singular practice just to be efficient in training.Later I'll start a new thread on the cultural and training implications of variance in training versus standardized training. Before I started this road, I was okay with standardized mass approaches, now not so much. But too much variation changes the nature of the art. Can you vary too far? Is too much flexibility before accomplishing something useful or destructive? Let's see...
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Sapu, Beset, Kinjit, Ankat, Puter Kepala – are all signatures of virtually all West Javanese Silat. How you get there, that is often what creates the difference in method and results.KTS has a wide variety of things that distinguish it from other methods as well as similar methods from the same lineages. But I am hard pressed to classify them as 'technique' or 'attributes'. Also, the variety of how you can focus those attributes and still be effective is considerable. Both of which may be why Derric feels there is no 'signature' technique.
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John, the point hitting from Ling Sing Toi is very interesting. I have had this conversation with both Sigung Steve and one of his teachers. The KTS approach is not based on memorizing complex formulas for point-hitting. Rather, it is the intent that matters. Your focused, yes malicious, intention focused on that twin dragon strike. The strikes themselves go to soft targets (obvious), as well as 'nests.' Now that last term is just a name applied to something observed during training, so maybe there is an official term for this, I don't know.But the nest is an area where there the architecture of the body points inward. For sample, run your fingers along the underside of your clavicle from the neck to the shoulder. You will feel your fingers slide not a depression just before the shoulder. This is a nest. The body is full of them. You practice the entries from Ling Sing Toi, and use them in free-flowing sticky practice and you will literally start to feel your twin dragon pulled to the target. You don't need to hunt for it.Finally, having
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@ Joshua.
Base, angle, leverage.
This is simply the realization that all 3 of these must be in place for a clean Serak ‘technique.’ And at least two must in place to make something happen.Your base is having your legs under you, you angle is your dominant position that separates their upper art from the lower art, leverage is the thing that takes them down. It is simply another way of looking at separating the bases.
Oddly enough, you find this exact same theory in BJJ in regards to ground work. If you look at Renzo Gracies book, you’ll find virtually the same explanation, only applied to something else.
That said, my advice with any of these arts, is pick a teacher and complete something. When you start out, it is easy to immerse yourself in the plethora of media available, all the different ‘related’ teachers. But until you learn something and get far enough down the road with a good guide, you won’t know what mistakes you are making. Now admittedly, I did train in several lines, but not always concurrently, and I was already an accomplished San Da champion, Judo competitor and Shuai Chiao coach. And even then when I was training concurrently at times, it slowed, rather than advanced my progress. Put a stake in the ground. Follow that path. See where it takes you before jumping around.
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