Silat conditioning and flexibility

[mikeruurds]

Greetings!

I've just started training in silat and I've noticed that my lack of flexibility is going to affect my ability to adopt any of the lower stances that are often used.

I was hoping that any fellow silat players might have some tips or daily exercises/stretching that I could practice to rapidly improve my flexibility without causing myself injury.

Thanks for your help! :D

Mike

[tim_stl]

I've just started training in silat and I've noticed that my lack of flexibility is going to affect my ability to adopt any of the lower stances that are often used.

I was hoping that any fellow silat players might have some tips or daily exercises/stretching that I could practice to rapidly improve my flexibility without causing myself injury.

nothing's going to rapidly improve your flexibility. stay consistent in your stretching and relax. search around the web for some gymnastics flexibility training if you're looking for something in general. but, nothing's going to help your comfort, mobility, and power in the lower stances more than actually training those lower stances.

probably not the answer you're looking for, but i've been where you are, and there's no substitute for consistent training. what style of silat, and what stances?



tim

[mikeruurds]

Hey Tim

Thanks for the quick response. I've just started training Pukulan Cimande Pusaka with silatliam in Dublin, Ireland and I don't know what the stances are called as I've literally just begun my training :o . I have a few training DVDs which show some harimau "forms" which entail keeping pretty low to the ground (ow my groin!). I know that this comes much later, but right now I can't see myself ever getting myself into those positions :p .

I look really silly in pre-training stretching as I am by far the most inflexible person in the class :D . I'll take your advice and keep practicing till the flexibility comes. I've done a bit of net-scouring since I posted and found a book at www.elasticsteel.com which should give me some info to help things along.

Thanks again for the advice!

Mike

[Gajah Silat]

Don't worry it's always difficult to start a new style. Feeling unbalanced, inflexible and clumsy :)

Everyone started off like that. It'll improve in time, just stick with it and keep practising those 'langkahs'(leg forms).

"Try to get lower", will probably be something you hear a lot :D

Luckily, the system I study doesn't have all those hardcore Minang Harimau postures-those guys must really suffer to begin with. I'm not familiar with the Cimande legwork myself so a can't offer any insight there.

Anyway, good luck & stick with it :)

[mikeruurds]

Silatliam's assistant kept telling me to "get lower" tonight... I'm an inflexible 6"1 tall clumsy oaf :)

I'll keep reminding myself to stay low! Thanks for the encouragement guys :D

Mike

[fugleebeast]

I'm also a 6'1" inflexible oaf.

Check out www.rmax.tv. Scott Sonnon's got a good approach to this sort of thing. His "Warrior Wellness" dvd is an incremental routine to loosen up your joints. The "Intu-Flow" dvds are the same thing, just the newest production by the company. It has some new exercises but either product is very good.

I've been doing "Intu-Flow" daily for about 3 months now and it has helped quite a bit. It's not a magical pill, you have to work at it, but the results are pretty impressive. My balance and flexibility in Silat has markedly improved since I started.

If you're interested, they have a pretty good forum where there's alot of information available.

-Todd


Edit: I'd like to add that I'm not affiliated with rmax at all. I'm not trying to advertise their products, just let people know about them. I just found their programs a few months ago and have been getting pretty good results. The head guy over there seems to have a pretty good rep in the Silat circle that i'm slowly getting involved in but I couldn't care less if you buy their products or not =)

[Gajah Silat]

Yeah, Mate I'm a mere 6ft, 15stone clumsy oaf too :D

[tellner]

First, I'd really like to second the suggestion that you check out Scott Sonnon's material. It really is a better mousetrap. And it's very compatible with Silat. In fact one of my Silat training buddies (Steven Barnes) is doing a workshop next month with Coach Sonnon.

There's a sort of free-form routine we do for just the sort of thing your talking about. It's hard to explain in words, but maybe you can get something from my description.

Get in a low forward stance, Silat style. Imagine it is one leg of a square. That square defines the boundaries you work in. Go from groundwork position to groundwork position within that square. Include the ones where you "post" with one of your hands on the ground, sempok/depok, ground kicking positions, four corners, low sweeps, turning around, etc. Add a handstand or two if you're feeling acrobatic. Cover all the sides and angles of your square. Do until your legs give out. Repeat :)

[Ular Sawa]

Find some low postures and slowly sink into them and hold them while you fell the stretch in your legs. Whatever routine you go with, do it gradually as the last thing you want to do is tear a hamstring or some other leg muscle. Good luck. Cheers.

[mikeruurds]

Hi guys

Thanks for all the tips. I've already purchased the elasticsteel programme, but I'll be sure to get the Warrior Wellness DVD if the former doesn't work for me :) Pity I didn't know about it earlier!

Tellner... thanks for the "square form" suggestion. I'll give it a shot :D

Thanks again!

Mike

[Moridin]

You just need to put in TIME and WORK in stretching and exercising. That's ALL.
It's simple. Really, really simple.

Your teacher must have done warm up or stretch routines at the lesson. Or maybe he expects you to do that before class. So what he (probably) told you is to do these things at home. As every decent teacher will tell people to practice stuff at home or at least think about stuff at home.

So it's all down to you. Silat nearly always demands people put in time to stretch. That's what most people will say about Silat.

But don't worry!! You are human and the human body can change in wonderfull ways. As long as you want to work, you can change yourself. In WEEKS! No money needed. Just work. You can do it. Talk with your teacher. He should know everything you need to do. Don't spend your money before asking the teacher.

[tellner]

Moridin, you are almost right on this. It takes work, but it has to be the right kind of work. "Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect".

[mikeruurds]

Hi again

We do a strectch routine at the beginning of each lesson (4 so far!)

I've purchased a stretching program devised by people more knowledgable than me (I hope!) so that I can learn how to maximise the benefit of my stretching sessions. The consensus is that my flexibility will improve as I train my leg forms and follow a stretching regimen - it'll take time, which is fine... I'm patient.

Thanks for all your replies :D

Mike

[Orang Jawa]

This exercise I found it in an old silat magazine.
You need to do a good warm-up first, a good warm-up means that your body starting to lightly sweats or prespires .
For lower body exercises: Stay in Kibadachi or horse stance, as low as you can, maintain a good body posture, move to the left x stance/juji dachi (right leg in front of left leg), then another x stance (now left in the front of right leg), and then bring right leg back to form a front stance finally bring the left leg back to form a horse stance. Do this steps starting to the left first and starting from the right. 25 sets to the left and 25 sets to the rights.
I will let you know how to the upper body condtioning after you do this exercises, that's the requirement. :)
Tristan

[mikeruurds]

Thanks Tristan

I'll give it a try after work today... I'll google any of the words that I don't understand :D

Cheers

Mike

Edit: I found the Juji-Dachi :) http://www.harushi.de/juji-dachi.htm

This might sound like a really stupid question, but how do you transition from Juji-dachi with right foot in front to Juji-dachi with left foot in front. Apologies, but I don't quite understand. Do you do another horse stance in between?

[Orang Jawa]

Thanks Tristan

I'll give it a try after work today... I'll google any of the words that I don't understand :D

Cheers

Mike

Edit: I found the Juji-Dachi :) http://www.harushi.de/juji-dachi.htm

This might sound like a really stupid question, but how do you transition from Juji-dachi with right foot in front to Juji-dachi with left foot in front. Apologies, but I don't quite understand. Do you do another horse stance in between?

Not stupid question Mike, its an old magazines, what do you expect? :)
By stepping forward (lift your left foot and placing it in front of right leg).
If its not elementary, x-stance and horse stance is on 50-50 weight distribution and silat front stance is approx. 85-15.
I can be wrong too,
Tristan

[mikeruurds]

Aha... now I understand :) I could do with a little lateral thinking today but I must confess that my mind is fried... busy finalising the group budget for the next financial year :bang:

Thanks again... I'll report back once I have given your exercise a go :D

Kind regards

Mike

[Orang Jawa]

Aha... now I understand :) I could do with a little lateral thinking today but I must confess that my mind is fried... busy finalising the group budget for the next financial year :bang:

Thanks again... I'll report back once I have given your exercise a go :D

Kind regards

Mike

I forgot to mention it to you Mike. After the front stance, transfer your weight to your right leg into a cat stance, from cat stance then move back to horse stance. Remember, silat cat stance and Japanese cat stance is the same weight/posture distribution BUT silat cat stance, the front leg with toes up and the hill down, Japanese the toes down the hill up... :rolleyes:
Tristan

[mikeruurds]

I forgot to mention it to you Mike. After the front stance, transfer your weight to your right leg into a cat stance, from cat stance then move back to horse stance. Remember, silat cat stance and Japanese cat stance is the same weight/posture distribution BUT silat cat stance, the front leg with toes up and the hill down, Japanese the toes down the hill up... :rolleyes:
Tristan

Perfect! Thanks Tristan! I'm including this into my morning Juru practice :)

Regards

Mike

[Orang Jawa]

Perfect! Thanks Tristan! I'm including this into my morning Juru practice :)

Regards

Mike

You're welcome! ;)
Now a little addition to that exercise.....Page 1, paragraph 3...a very old magazine.
1. Horse stance-both hands in front of you, palm up and both arms bend.
2. Tap/deflect with left palm hand, circular block with right open hand ended in X stance.
3. Tap/deflect with right palm hand, circular block with left hand, end with X-stance
4. Tap/deflect with left palm hand, cirucular block with right open hand, end with front stance.
5. Tap/deflect with right palm hand, circular block with left open hand, end with cat stance.
6. Circular block with left hand and back to the horse stance with both hands in front of you.
This will help you to train the art of weight transfer, correct stances, and most of all positioning. Each time you do this, think about your attacker's is at 12 o'clock and you are moving away from your attacker's firing line.
I know, I know, everybody will said: this exercise is too elementary Tristan :rolleyes:
That's okay too, Hey, I'm still reading in the first of page of the old silat magazine. What do you expect?
However, the magazine's also said, "if you don't understand the basic understanding of weight transfer, correct stances, and positioning, your jurus or langkahs are don't mean a things" forgetaboutit!
The magazine can be wrong too...
For whatever its worth, this is my Sunday sermon..
Tristan

[mikeruurds]

Hi Tristan

Thanks very much! This is exactly what I was looking for - a practical way to get myself feeling less "awkward" and increase my flexibility :D

I'll try the extra bits tomorrow morning and report back if I struggle with putting it into action :rolleyes:

You've been a great help!

Mike