Some thoughts about tenaga dalam (internal strength)

[Rebo Paing]

I have heard many claims of tenaga dalam (internal strength) and how to develop & nurture it over the years, some sound fanciful/magical and some sound more practical. I can't speak about that which I don't know, therefore my understanding of tenaga dalam is based only on my own body knowledge experience.
I define tenaga dalam as a "dynamically relaxed neuro-muscular-skeleto holistic body-structure resulting in integrated movement, which develops maximal focus of energy to any given point of choice". This I think is true of any physical activity, and certainly true of any MA. Like anything else, there are degrees of outcomes which depend on a level of body knowledge and other physical factors unique to each individual.
How we go about developing our tenaga dalam in silat, is the province of that area of development and activity we call ketrampilan, which literally means skill in a particular endeavour e.g. ketrampilan in doing squats or foward rolls etc.
Skill in silat is dependant upon the harmonious symbiotic relationship of two factors. The first factor is the ability of the body (ketrampilan) to expeditiously carry out the requirements of the strategy, which incidently is the second factor (the art of strategy is a ketrampilan of its own). Without ability one is unable to carry out the strategy, and without the strategy one is unable to make the ability count.
At this time, I wish to discuss ketrampilan with a view to what parts of the body we wish to develop and how that affects the development of tenaga dalam.
I think that most people would agree that the ability of the body to do what it is asked to do, is influenced by how it is trained and the emphasis put on particular outcomes. For example, to be able to move fluidly into an angles advantage against an opponent one might focus on what physical and mental qualities one needs in order to facilitate movement. Let us add to that requirement and ask of our-selves that at every point during our movement we are also able to apply an effective strike or offensive application. We soon realise that a movement orientated activity that requires the unity of balance, leverage, fluidity and power will also require a structured methodology to achieve the intergration we seek.
A possible solution to this problem could be found in the following two tiered practice.
1/ Develop the core (body core - pusat/pusar awak/badan ... which I think is more than but includes the area that CMA call dantien).
2/ The practice of Gerak Nurani - which paradoxically is NOT gerak nurani during the training stage, but is a process of seeding our instincts and discovering and extending the limits of the body and mind. (I think in a modern sense using current terminology, it is similar to neuro linguistic programming).

Next (as soon as I can) I will talk a bit about developing the body core, among other things ...

Salam

[Kiai Carita]

...I define tenaga dalam as a "dynamically relaxed neuro-muscular-skeleto holistic body-structure resulting in integrated movement, which develops maximal focus of energy to any given point of choice". ....Salam

Hi Bro,

This definition seems very long winded to be comfortable to use. Can't you mull over it more to make it more simple? Simple people like myself don't understand :D

Aku Cinta Padamu
KC.

[Rebo Paing]

My dear brother, you are the poet, make it more poetic if you wish :p ... as long as artine ora ilang! (the meaning is not lost)

Rahayu dik KC

[Rebo Paing]

What is the body’s core? When we’re talking about muscles, we are referring to the deep mass of skeletal muscle tissue that wraps around our mid-section, supporting our spinal column, passing underneath through the perineum, the pelvic floor muscles – that point between the anus and the reproductive organ, as well as the smooth muscle of the diaphragm. (Note, that if you do a search on “body core”, you’ll find many articles on the scientific terminology and the function of etc :) ).
Imagine that the body core is an egg-cup or a bowl that provides the stable base for our spine, head arms and legs. In fact, the body core comes into play in every movement activity we do that requires balance and loco-motion and a strong body core is a requirement to keep the spine healthy and flexible.
It goes without saying then, that a strong and flexible body core is a basic requirement to any activity such as silat and is a pre-requisite for the expression of tenaga-dalam.
However, to express tenaga-dalam during stillness and in movement it is not enough to have a strong and flexible body core, its in my opinion important how we breathe and how we train.
In the old days, people appeared to “just have” the ability to express tenaga-dalam, through training in a particular style. I think this phenomenon needs investigation. In the old days, life was tougher. For example, not so long ago people in my village (Sekaralas, 7km towards Gunug Lawu from Walikukun) used to routinely carry 1 kintal (100 kg) of rice on a pole across their shoulders, and easily transport that weight at a brisk trot 7km or more. In the modern world this practice is considered undesirable because of the possibility of impacted vertebrae in the spinal column etc. However the body adapts to many stresses, and when pushed to certain limits will (I think) develop the requisite habits to facilitate what is being required of it.
Carrying a 100 kg weight balanced on a pole across the shoulder while performing a shuffle run across a distance has the following benefit. It requires that the muscles balance the forces being generated by the contraction and expansion of the muscles in the core area and requires an efficient cardio-pulmonary system to persist with the activity. So, the egg-cup becomes thicker (especially around the pelvic floor area), more elastic and responsive to changing requirements dictated by the need to balance weight (control the pull of gravity) on un-even terrain. In addition the breathing becomes more efficient as it is impossible to perform this activity without maximising breathing technique and posture. This ability cannot be acquired immediately. People train through necessity from childhood and the process is gradual.
Another habit that my countrymen have (pre westernisation) is to ndodok (squat on your heels) when resting or doing the toilet. Thus the flexibility in the pelvic floor muscles to perform this action is developed at a young age.
The question then is, how do we duplicate the results safely in a modern context.

More to follow ...

[Narrue]

The example of a man carrying a weight balanced across the shoulders is a good one!
Lets now imagine that not only is the ground uneven but it is muddy and slippery because of the wet season. Naturally the man can not walk completely upright so he lowers his centre of gravity to increase stability on the ground.
Think of walking on ice, you will not walk completely upright but you will naturally go into a horse stance like posture. Add the weight to your shoulders and now you are walking in horse stance with a heavy load on your shoulders. Due to the heavy load you are also breathing deeply.
The result of all this is that you are in a stress posture whilst doing deep breathing exercise.

[Orang Jawa]

The example of a man carrying a weight balanced across the shoulders is a good one!
Lets now imagine that not only is the ground uneven but it is muddy and slippery because of the wet season. Naturally the man can not walk completely upright so he lowers his centre of gravity to increase stability on the ground.
Think of walking on ice, you will not walk completely upright but you will naturally go into a horse stance like posture. Add the weight to your shoulders and now you are walking in horse stance with a heavy load on your shoulders. Due to the heavy load you are also breathing deeply.
The result of all this is that you are in a stress posture whilst doing deep breathing exercise.

Salam Kembang...Very deep bro :)
Good example Narrue..
What we all take for granted is a "weight transfer" Balance is important, but without the understanding of the art of weight transfer, you will not be able to excute the tasks, whatever is it accept just stand in one place. I'm the proponent of teaching weight transfer from the very begining.
I had talk about it, but most people just ignore the important of weight transfer. They think the silat technique is automatically teach them the art of weight transfer....not true. Without the understanding of weight transfer. Your techniques/movements would not be effective, robotic, and ineffecient.
And I could be wrong too.
Tristan

[Rebo Paing]

Excellent Narrue!

Walaikum salam Mas Tristan :) ...
I have read your response in the langkah application thread and I agree totally with your opinion on the importance of the art of weight transfer.
However that post is easily lost, hard to find etc, it would be very beneficial (and an honour) if you were to start a special thread and give a tutorial on the art of weight transfer so that we may all benefit.

Rahayu
KA

For KC, email me on your thoughts how to simplify the meaning ... love you too little brother :) .

[inthespirit]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to offer you some ideas and similarities I noticed between your discussion of tenaga dalam and internal strength practices in Chinese internal martial arts.

Please note, I have plagiarised much of what is to follow from here http://www.itcca.it/peterlim, I have also added some personal comments.
:Angel:

In Chinese internal martial arts, internal strength is a combination several physical factors:

1) Rooting - For strength to be properly generated, it needs to have a base to provide the resistance to form a base for it to push against. The emphasis on pole standing (i.e. Zhong Zhuan, standing practices)in many martial arts is to build up this base by lowering the centre of gravity of the body to enhance stability and the efficient transfer of force from the centre of gravity to the ground. This means that the centre of gravity (Dan Tien, Hara) should first be identified by the practitioner and isolated so that it can be distinguished clearly. The stress is on strong support with the minimum of effort utilizing the efficient structure. One way of looking at it, is taking away the muscles and having the body aligned such that the bones, tendons and ligaments are still standing. Lowering the qi/yi (energy/intention) to the Dan Tien which roughly corresponds to the body's centre of mass helps achieve this.

2) Coordination - The different joints and muscles in the body must be coordinated to work together to produced a strength born of the whole body working efficiently together. When antagonistic groups of muscles do not work in a coordinated fashion, tension is created which lessens the resultant force. The coordination is also with breathing which affects the state of the body. Coordination using the centre of mass as a base which is supported by efficient structure allows an efficient path for strength to flow. Hence the importance of the Dan Tien not only as a origin point of the root and the exertion of strength but also as a region where qi is stored and emitted from. Relaxation and awareness of the centre during movement are important factors in this aspect.

3) Alignment - The proper alignment of the bones in the body provides the structure by which the force is transmitted and provides a clear path for strength to flow from the point of focus to the ground. With the bones efficiently bearing the stress of the reaction force, the musculature can work efficiently without unnecessary exertion. Standing practices have much to do with developing these alignments. As mentioned previously it should be such that if the muscles are removed, the body is aligned such that the bones, tendons and ligaments are still standing. This basically teaches your body to rely on the bones and connective tissue for support, hence allowing the muscles to relax.

4) Focus/Intention - The above three characteristics are dependent on the focus of the strength which determines its efficiency. Focus denotes a point where all the body's potential is directed at and also to the task to be accomplished by the resultant force. This is trained by meditative type practices which include the aforementioned factors.

5) Weight Transfer – In Chinese Internal Martial Arts there is a huge emphasis on differentiating within your body fullness and emptiness, closing and opening. With respect to weight transfer, one basically learns to move in such a way that the weight can be easily/habitually fully transferred from one leg to the next. This leaves the practitioner with more options when loosing balance and more weight to shift in to and out of movements.

6) Spiraling – This is to do with relaxation and twisting of the soft tissues, much like a spring. After a certain amount of practice the soft tissue become conditioned to this twisting and gain a more springy, elastic feel, resulting in more motion within every movement, which in turn produces more energy. It is similar to comparing a still drill and a spinning one.

All of the above are mutually dependant to some extent, in the sense that improvement in one area will lead to improvement in another. There are also other less-physical or even meta-physical factors to do with the mind and energy which add to the effect of the aforementioned practices.

Hope that’s of some use to you.

[Rebo Paing]

Thanks all for your individual insights to this point! I learn too.

Remember that this discussion is a step-wise process ... and that's the problem with writing it's kind of 2 dimensional in that it advances in a linear progression through time ... and I know that there are other issues that are as important that should arise from time to time.
Now that I've described in passing, a couple of the environmental factors that I think influence the cultural development of an art, I will detail what my system uses as a set of ketrampilan to aid in the development of the body core. (In my eyang buyut days horse riding was a primary skill. These days horse riding skills not part of the curriculum.)
1/. "Latihan ngadhek jejeg" (practice standing upright/rooted) Feeling the body relax through standing - with feet about shoulder width apart. Let gravity pull the shoulders down, chin not protruding, knees slightly bent and toes gripping the earth. The spine has to find it's optimum balance point on the pelvic girdle and there should be a gradual elimination of all muscular tension as a result of poor body alignment. Combined with the breathing technique which I'll describe next ... and once the breathing becomes natural ... this techniques is incredibly relaxing. OK, the breathing is as follows, in the standing position when drawing breath in it is done by pulling the diaphragm down i.e by wrapping the core area between the navel and the perineum and to some extent to the end of the spinal column. It's should be a 'peres' (squeeze) sort of feeling ... and this action draws the air down into the lungs. The lungs have to feel like they are sticking flat against the inside of the natural curvature of the back, and the floating ribs feel like they detach and expand to accommodate.
The way I explain the sensation of lungs sticking to back is to encircle your arms in an embrace in front of you (fingers not touching, palms towards your own face ... like hugging a tree) and then while breathing in reverse the palms (turn in toward face until palms facing out) and push very slightly. If done properly, you should feel the lungs flattening out on the inner back curve ... hehe and maybe not, because it's difficult explaining this in writing. However .... when practicing relax through standing arms stay by side with forefinger running down seam of trouser.
Points to remember during practice:
a/ Focus on the posture alignment and learn to be sensitive to what your body is telling you.
b/ Drop shoulders .. most people carry stress in shoulders in between shoulder blades and slight hunching up. If you drop with the out breath you can feel your lungs being 'peresed'/squeezed of all air ... totally naturally by body, not by deliberate thought.
c/ At the same time, focus on your breathing ... breathing should not feel forced and you shouldn't have a tensed feeling in abdomen and diaphragm ... if you do, use the deep breathing that is comfortable for you, ( however the breathing as I've described is how we breathe naturally in SKA).
d/ Don't obsess about the tingling in the tapak siki/kaki (palm of the feet) or the hot running up leg or the itching on the crown. All part of natural process.
e/ Do for as long as mind is comfortable, 15 - 30 minutes is fine. This can be done frequently, on train, in lift, in office etc.

2/. "Latihan ndodok" or squatting has three phases. Again this is a relax exercise.
Phase one. Don't change the preceding position, and sink into full heel squat (not tip-toe squat). Keep same breathing as above. Feel tension dissolve bit by bit and stay down for 15 min or so.
Phase two. Weight transfer on one leg (don't rise - still full squat) and stretch one leg out to side. Aim to eventually get leg straight ... this helps create flexibility in the lower bowl portion of the body core. Do same with other leg. Do a few times each leg to maintain flexibility.
Phase three. Rise up from full squat position to ngadhek position, but this time raise arms in arc (along sides) until co-incide fingers touching with upright full extension (keep within principles of ngadhek jejeg i.e. knees bent, toes, spine alignment etc) ... you should be breathing in while rising. Once up, breath out while scooping arms to waist high, palms facing up. Breathe in while arms arcing to side and slightly to front as if pushing something down to abdomem area and sink bak into full ndodok squat. My children (ages 12 and the twins are 8) do phase three at least 30 times.

3/. "Latihan jaran kepang" because it is like a dance movement from the jaran kepang dance. Get into low wide horse riding stance, drop gravity through core bowl and relax shoulders arms palm up next to hip girdle. Then twist and lower one knee to centre line between both feet. Alternate knees. My children do this 30 times.

4/. "Latihan nyambut ngisor" sort of a hybrid squat (all squats are flat heel squats - not toe squats) onto one leg from a wide kuda kuda, while performing a slow inward twisting open palm threading strike along the length of the extending leg with the hand ending at the foot (sort of like a Phase two of latihan ndodok). The other arm has open palm rotating out to above temple. This exercise is done slowly with a feeling of strength along arms and legs.

5/. Last of all, do a lot of walking or "Latihan Mlaku", however the walking must observe the following. Must lower centre of gravity, knees slightly bent, shoulders dropped, breathing as prescribed, gripping ground with toes and heel (even when wearing shoes) ... and observe that it is the pelvic girdle and floor that is moving the trunks of the legs. Observe when full weight is transfered on to supporting leg when moving other leg.

FWIW these are the set of skills or ketrampilan I wished to share on how we use to develop our body core. I am sure that there are many other exercises that are just as good ... for example, I think that a surfer or a skier develops the same attributes in the body core naturally by virtue of the requirements of their sport.

My children call the set of exercises Ilmu Cendol, because the legs feel like jelly when done properly. Cendol is a jelly-noodle like substance that is used in a drink made of coconut milk, gula Jawa or kelapa ... and the drink is called Cendol hmmm yum!

Finally, it is hard to convey this over written medium. I apologise in advance if descriptions are confusing, but I hope that I have managed to convey the idea. I think it is always important to listen to your body and listen to what it is trying to tell you. Treat the body gently and ease into unfamiliar exercise, nothing happens quickly. The key is that you maintain muscle and tendon elasticity ... weight training using free weights might also have some benefits, especially high reps low weights regimen ... but I certainly would not recommend the machines that guide the weights. Personally I don't use weight training anymore, although I did many years ago whilst in the army.

Rahayu, more to follow ...

[Narrue]

Nice post Kembang Alas, I bet your children love standing in kuda kuda :D

The exercises described are similar if not exactly the same as those I have seen in qigong. Most exercises of this nature are preformed from horse stance or slight adaptations to that stance.
I think of these exercises as stress postures synchronised with visualisation and breath control.
The effect and purpose of many to these exercises is to cause a release of energy from within the body core which is a compensation effect due to the stress generated whilst holding the postures.
Prior or immediately following such exercises it is common to slap, brush or massage the skin to further increase the efficiency of these exercises. Consumption of herbal preparations, the application of oils to the skin or dunking in cold water are also things commonly done.
Such exercises stimulate the endocrine and lymphatic system and it’s not uncommon to notice overproduction of saliva or a pain in the kidney area whilst holding these postures.
These exercises also help to expel toxins from the body whilst also opening and unblocking channels within the body.

[Rebo Paing]

Thnx Narrue :)
The final link in the development of tenaga dalam from my perspective is the latihan of Gerak Nurani, which literally means pure/ inspired movement or meditation in movement (olah rogo).
In latihan gerak nurani, the principle is : Greget (with feeling), Sawiji (unity) Sengguh nora Mingkuh (courageous and responsible). The highest level of Latihan Gerak Nurani is called Gregel, which is where intention and spirit unite with movement.

Greget (with feeling). When we are in a physical conflict situation, it is necessary for us to focus completely and not allow distractions to infringe on our awareness, in other words we have to 'get in the mood' to be able to deal appropriately with the situation at hand.

Sawiji (unity). Relies on total dynamic relaxation of the body to achieve integrated movement, to respond appropriately to any threat or any intrusion or potential intrusion into our circle of influence, our body space, regardless of our position at the time. The hands and the feet move in unity linked by the body core or even directed by the body core.

Sengguh nora Mingkuh (courageous and responsible). This is where our spiritual and morality training influences our reactions how we learn how to commit to action. Our reality is that life and death are inseparable sides to the same coin. We are part of the tao, alam-semesta, the holus-bolus-infinty-plus-everything before we were born, while we live and after we die. It is our journey and all of us experience it at the time appropriate to us, whether we prepare or not. The choice we can make then, is to live and to die appropriately with the spirit of a warrior.

To achieve Greget, Sawiji & Sengguh nora Mingkuh we go through tthree stages.

The 1st stage is where we 'seed' the appropriate body knowledge pertinent to the task we might envisage. This is true in anything. When we learn how to drive a car for instance, we learn how to coordinate clutch, brakes and accellerator with steering, indicators and to develop an acute awareness of what is happening in our sphere of influence. While learning this it can all seem chaotic, but eventually we learn to relax as our 'body knowledge' takes care of things.

In our case (as pesilats) we are developing holistic body reaction, i.e. we deal with the specific problem related to reading and feeling the opponents intention and how to respond. There are many ways to ward off a punch to the head, but there are fewer ways to do so without expending extraneous movement and energy. There are also additional tactical requirements such as where do I want to be when attacked from side A, B, C etc. Programming these responses into our 'body computer' or creating appropriate 'body knowledge' is the function of seeding.

How we as individuals respond to threats is different depending on many factors. We are for the most part who we are. For example my character tends to lean to being hot-headed, and (in my youth) not care of the risk too much, while my brother would take more care in calculating the risk. Recognising this in our selves is an important factor in developing an 'own style', recognising strengths and potential weakness with regard to martial development.

The 2nd stage extends into single practice and then in two man practice, where a scenario is played out to demonstrate a particular strike - a two or three step latihan nyambut ... maybe similar to some versions of sticky hands using the ideas of appropriate method/movement discovered in the first stage ... and then into free form, both as an individual (kembangan) or against an opponent or multiple opponents.

The 3rd stage involves meditation as its base ( attention on the breath similar to some Buddhist breath/attention meditation practices). This stage extends into one's entire life and how we learn to deal with the every day experience through all it's many nuances, how we make choices. We never stop learning, about our 'selves', 'others' and our environment.

Salam bersilat!

P.S. actually there's 3 stages ... which I've added :D

[Kiai Carita]

In the old days, people appeared to “just have” the ability to express tenaga-dalam, through training in a particular style. I think this phenomenon needs investigation. In the old days, life was tougher. For example, not so long ago people in my village (Sekaralas, 7km towards Gunug Lawu from Walikukun) used to routinely carry 1 kintal (100 kg) of rice on a pole across their shoulders, and easily transport that weight at a brisk trot 7km or more. ...

Kakang,

Actualy, strong men would carry 100kg on each side of the pole (pikulan - an other traditional silat weapon). I remember lying for three weeks on my back in Panti Rapih hospital in Yogya for a dislocated hip-bone, from carrying too many bricks up an over the sides of rice paddies (galengan) while helping to build a friend's house. It is not easy.

But talking about Sekaralas, the even more amazing feats of strength were perormed by the blandong- teak thieves - our village was surrounded by government teak forest - all cut down during the 'Reformasi' era when the 'little people' took back. Remember (almarhum) Joyo mBendhol? He could run fast carrying a big teak trunk and when he put it down he could make it so heavy no one could lift it. In that way he could steal many teak trees and school all his children.

There are many versions of tenaga dalam in Indonesia. In PGB we are followers of the Chinese tradition but schools like Hikmatul Iman and the school that originated in Margaluyu Cimande, tenaga dalam is rather different. It would be interesting to get brother Sulaiman's Gayong perspective on this (has he has several times performed the Gayong tradition of mandi minyak-panas) but I think that there are two distinct paths in tenaga dalam in Ndhonezian silat mainly the Chinese internal method and the Islamic faith method which grew on an older Hindu and pre-Hindu method (like agama Sunda Wiwitan). Often you can see in Cimande Banten or Hikmatul Iman or Pagar Nusa demonstrations where girls and children demonstrate ilmu kebal. They do not train difficult kuda-kuda or geseran or breathing, rather they fast and recite verses of the Qur'an and they become invincible to sharp blades.

Hikmatul Iman is a particularly interesting school as it has a different core than the Chinese and also the Guru Besar never studied silat. He was a fan of silat comic books and one day recieved guidance from God and founded a tenaga dalam silat school! Check him out in google he is proof that you can learn silat from comic books!

By the way historically there has always been a competition between the Chinese tenaga dalam and the indigenous ones, like in the history of the real Mustika Kwitang (as oppossed to Jim Ingram's hijack version) but it must be said that some charlatans are out there to impress people with stories of 'bats flying out of their mouths', 'spirit keris' and 'spirit tombak' or the spirit of Let. Col. Untung who was named after the slave-become-king Untung Surapati and had the same luck to be executed.

The Mukadimah Guru Besar of PGB states that 'ilmu' happens because there is reality in nature that is captured by the awareness of man. Alam takambang jadi guru said the datuks of the Padang lands. There are many types to tenaga dalam in Ndhonezian silat. Particularly common would be the tenaga dalam used to guard property. Remember the thieves in Eyang's and at Pak Suradi's who thought they were in deep water and were swimming on the ground till people found them in the morning? They were caught by the tenaga dalam of the owners of the property. All power comes from Allah.

Warm salaams to everyone,

KC

[Gajah Silat]

Pak KA,

Latihan jaran kepang

Just to clarify, do we lower the knee all the way onto the ground?

Matur nuwun

[Rebo Paing]

Hi Gajah Silat :)

Yes, you lower the knee all the way to the ground ... in a controlled manner, make sure not bang knee onto ground.

Sami-sami GS

Di'mas KC,
Yes I remember the blandong, they were amazing. But closer to home,remember when we used to hang around with Pak Chip and his brother, the tukang kayu's? They had tenaga dalam from their occupation. Not an ounce of wasted energy in there daily performance.
Bapak said to me once, that a lot of the silat in Tanah Jawa was influenced by pedagang Tionghua(Chinese traders) who hired and taught locals to help protect their goods. I think also that there was influence from India, as the two great religions normally associated with ancient Asia was Hinduisme and Buddhisme, both coming from India and making a syncretic bond with Jawa kebatinan ... thus we get the mix of kebatinan with breath and health & power (yogic & qigong) training. Now we have the influence of Islam as well which adds another dimension.
As you know, philosophically I try to follow a syncretic mix of the old ways of Eyang Kakung. According to Bapak, he (Eyang Kakung) and his brother followed the way shown by Sheyk Siti Jenar. I was also influenced by the tao philosophy from one of my past teachers, Prof. Lee Pei Dong (Chen Taiji at uni).
I know Eyang Putri was famous for her deep skills ... however, I find myself at the cross-roads of an age that requires practicality and I don't have the skills Eyang Putri had. My sons need to practice practical ilmu (i.e. one that I can teach), so tenaga dalam is for body health, and a healthy body is provides a stable base for a healthy mind!

The Mukadimah Guru Besar of PGB states that 'ilmu' happens because there is reality in nature that is captured by the awareness of man. Alam takambang jadi guru said the datuks of the Padang lands.

Spot on!!! :D Absolutely my belief too! It is also exactly what I am trying to say about the old ways ... the way followed by Eyang Kakung and by Bapak.

In the end, I believe that the value of silat can be expresed as the following,
1/ It has to increase and maintain physical & mental health.
2/ It provides us with a way for us a way to protect the ones we love, and our-selves.
3/ It gives us the opportunity to be useful to others.

Rahayu

[Rebo Paing]

The 3 mystical animals used to seed Gerak Nurani - Antaboga (King of the Naga's - sort of syncretic snake with dragon being), Singa Barong (Singa - Lion) & Garuda (Rajawali - Eagle, but a Garuda is a mystical bird of prey).

Why is it that so many MA's use animals to describe the inspiration behind the movement or strategy? I think it's because in an essentially oral tradition, it is an invaluable aid to use mimicry, such a descriptive, evocative and narrative based device to aid in the pursuit of acquiring the core meaning and quality of that which we are trying to convey.
Everyone instinctively knows that lions/tigers are indomitable, dangerous and can crush ribs with a single swipe of it's massive paw ... even if you've never confronted a tiger, you intuit a destruction that it might be capable of.
So, despite the fact that we acknowledge that the method is archaic, we still use the process of evocation by using the 3 mystical animals mentioned above in Silat Kembang Alas because it is effective.

What follows is a description of the qualities of the 3 mystical animals whose perceived attributes are evoked and mimed to attempt to find the spirit/inspiration behind the strike, move or strategy.

1/ Antaboga is the king of the Naga's in wayang performance. Naga's are sort of snake and sort of dragon in character ... a snake with mystical qualities. A common snake is ula. A Naga, particularly Prabu Antaboga, is courageous and has human type attributes, moral & ethical, very strong and uses his whole body in a fight.
His attributes are speed (kilap), strength/power (prakosa), penetration (nebus), entwining/cicular & flowing (ngulet), wrapping (gelut), sticking (nempel) and whipping (nyabet).
Antaboga is of primary importance to SKA because we also use the Naga to describe the striking parts of our arms. The hand/fist is the head (Sirahe Antaboga), and the fore-arms the side, back and chest. The bicep area is the belly, but the shoulder (our shoulder) is also shoulders of the Naga, and the elbow (sikut) is also the sikut ... just to confuse things!

Rahayu & more to follow ...

[Silk Road]

Asalaam Aleikum Kiai Carita,

Since you brought it up...what about this Lt. Col. Untung and the slave-become-king Untung Surapati?

Thanks Brother,
Silk Road

[Narrue]

There are many versions of tenaga dalam in Indonesia. In PGB we are followers of the Chinese tradition but schools like Hikmatul Iman and the school that originated in Margaluyu Cimande, tenaga dalam is rather different. It would be interesting to get brother Sulaiman's Gayong perspective on this (has he has several times performed the Gayong tradition of mandi minyak-panas) but I think that there are two distinct paths in tenaga dalam in Ndhonezian silat mainly the Chinese internal method and the Islamic faith method which grew on an older Hindu and pre-Hindu method (like agama Sunda Wiwitan). Often you can see in Cimande Banten or Hikmatul Iman or Pagar Nusa demonstrations where girls and children demonstrate ilmu kebal. They do not train difficult kuda-kuda or geseran or breathing, rather they fast and recite verses of the Qur'an and they become invincible to sharp blades.

Hikmatul Iman is a particularly interesting school as it has a different core than the Chinese and also the Guru Besar never studied silat. He was a fan of silat comic books and one day recieved guidance from God and founded a tenaga dalam silat school! Check him out in google he is proof that you can learn silat from comic books!

By the way historically there has always been a competition between the Chinese tenaga dalam and the indigenous ones, like in the history of the real Mustika Kwitang (as oppossed to Jim Ingram's hijack version) but it must be said that some charlatans are out there to impress people with stories of 'bats flying out of their mouths', 'spirit keris' and 'spirit tombak' or the spirit of Let. Col. Untung who was named after the slave-become-king Untung Surapati and had the same luck to be executed.

The Mukadimah Guru Besar of PGB states that 'ilmu' happens because there is reality in nature that is captured by the awareness of man. Alam takambang jadi guru said the datuks of the Padang lands. There are many types to tenaga dalam in Ndhonezian silat. Particularly common would be the tenaga dalam used to guard property. Remember the thieves in Eyang's and at Pak Suradi's who thought they were in deep water and were swimming on the ground till people found them in the morning? They were caught by the tenaga dalam of the owners of the property. All power comes from Allah.

Warm salaams to everyone,

KC

The difference between Indian and Chinese internal systems is mainly in the way energy is thought to circulate in the body.
In Chinese systems the three main channels in the body are at the front, through the centre of the spine and at the back of the body. In the Chinese systems energy is thought to circulate down the back and up the front of the body completing a circuit called the macro cosmic orbit.
In Indian internal systems the three main channels of the body are to the left, right and through the centre of the spine. In the Indian system energy is thought to circulate down the two side channels and up the central channel through the spine.
The two pictures below illustrate the two systems, Chinese left and Indian right.

[Kiai Carita]

The 3 mystical animals used to seed Gerak Nurani - Antaboga (King of the Naga's - sort of syncretic snake with dragon being), Singa Barong (Singa - Lion) & Garuda (Rajawali - Eagle, but a Garuda is a mystical bird of prey).

Why is it that so many MA's use animals to describe the inspiration behind the movement or strategy? I think it's because in an essentially oral tradition, it is an invaluable aid to use mimicry, such a descriptive, evocative and narrative based device to aid in the pursuit of acquiring the core meaning and quality of that which we are trying to convey.
Everyone instinctively knows that lions/tigers are indomitable, dangerous and can crush ribs with a single swipe of it's massive paw ... even if you've never confronted a tiger, you intuit a destruction that it might be capable of.
So, despite the fact that we acknowledge that the method is archaic, we still use the process of evocation by using the 3 mystical animals mentioned above in Silat Kembang Alas because it is effective.

What follows is a description of the qualities of the 3 mystical animals whose perceived attributes are evoked and mimed to attempt to find the spirit/inspiration behind the strike, move or strategy.

1/ Antaboga is the king of the Naga's in wayang performance. Naga's are sort of snake and sort of dragon in character ... a snake with mystical qualities. A common snake is ula. A Naga, particularly Prabu Antaboga, is courageous and has human type attributes, moral & ethical, very strong and uses his whole body in a fight.
His attributes are speed (kilap), strength/power (prakosa), penetration (nebus), entwining/cicular & flowing (ngulet), wrapping (gelut), sticking (nempel) and whipping (nyabet).
Antaboga is of primary importance to SKA because we also use the Naga to describe the striking parts of our arms. The hand/fist is the head (Sirahe Antaboga), and the fore-arms the side, back and chest. The bicep area is the belly, but the shoulder (our shoulder) is also shoulders of the Naga, and the elbow (sikut) is also the sikut ... just to confuse things!

Rahayu & more to follow ...

Rahayu Kakang,

Peace to all..

Hyang Antaboga (not really Prabu to me and you) is the God of the Earth. Boga means food, and whoevere tills the Earth will have food. He reigns underground and is also the foundling father of Raden Wisanggeni, the Jawa son of Arjuna who goes to heaven to and beats up all the Gods when Dewasrani (the god of the Nazarenes- youngest spoilt son of Batara Guru and Durga) tries to use upstairs influence to marry his Mom and become the hero of Jawa. BTW, Wisanggeni Gugat is the lakon of the wayang I will, insya'allah be performing in camden the end of summer.

Hyang Antaboga is a naga, depicted in Jawa as a huge crownd snake with a wize face. He is very wise and rarely gets involved with mortals. A characteristic of the naga fighting is the opponent doesn't know where the head, body, or tail is. You think it is the head, suddenly it is the body. You think it is the tail, suddenly it is the head. Hyang Anantaboga gets angry, earthquake happens.

Warm salaams to all,
KC

[Kiai Carita]

The 3 mystical animals used to seed Gerak Nurani - Antaboga (King of the Naga's - sort of syncretic snake with dragon being), Singa Barong (Singa - Lion) & Garuda (Rajawali - Eagle, but a Garuda is a mystical bird of prey).

Why is it that so many MA's use animals to describe the inspiration behind the movement or strategy? I think it's because in an essentially oral tradition, it is an invaluable aid to use mimicry, such a descriptive, evocative and narrative based device to aid in the pursuit of acquiring the core meaning and quality of that which we are trying to convey.
Everyone instinctively knows that lions/tigers are indomitable, dangerous and can crush ribs with a single swipe of it's massive paw ... even if you've never confronted a tiger, you intuit a destruction that it might be capable of.
So, despite the fact that we acknowledge that the method is archaic, we still use the process of evocation by using the 3 mystical animals mentioned above in Silat Kembang Alas because it is effective.

What follows is a description of the qualities of the 3 mystical animals whose perceived attributes are evoked and mimed to attempt to find the spirit/inspiration behind the strike, move or strategy.

1/ Antaboga is the king of the Naga's in wayang performance. Naga's are sort of snake and sort of dragon in character ... a snake with mystical qualities. A common snake is ula. A Naga, particularly Prabu Antaboga, is courageous and has human type attributes, moral & ethical, very strong and uses his whole body in a fight.
His attributes are speed (kilap), strength/power (prakosa), penetration (nebus), entwining/cicular & flowing (ngulet), wrapping (gelut), sticking (nempel) and whipping (nyabet).
Antaboga is of primary importance to SKA because we also use the Naga to describe the striking parts of our arms. The hand/fist is the head (Sirahe Antaboga), and the fore-arms the side, back and chest. The bicep area is the belly, but the shoulder (our shoulder) is also shoulders of the Naga, and the elbow (sikut) is also the sikut ... just to confuse things!

Rahayu & more to follow ...

Rahayu Kakang,

Peace to all..

Hyang Antaboga (not really Prabu to me and you) is the God of the Earth in wayang kulit. Boga means food, and whoever tills the Earth will have food. He reigns underground and is also the foundling father of Raden Wisanggeni, the Jawa son of Arjuna who goes to heaven to and beats up all the Gods when Dewasrani (the god of the Nazarenes- youngest spoilt son of Batara Guru and Durga) tries to use upstairs' influence to marry his Mom and become the hero of Jawa. BTW, Wisanggeni Gugat is the lakon of the wayang I will, insya'allah be performing in Camden the end of summer.

Hyang Antaboga is a naga, depicted in Jawa as a huge crowned snake with a wise face. He is very wise and rarely gets involved with mortals. A characteristic of the naga fighting is the opponent doesn't know where the head, body, or tail is. You think it is the head, suddenly it is the body. You think it is the tail, suddenly it is the head. Hyang Anantaboga gets angry, earthquake happens. A naga is always sakti. It has scales, sisik, like steel. A naga can also nyembur, spray venom, indeed, all every bit of it's body is venomous.

Warm salaams to all,
KC

[Rebo Paing]

Thanks di'mas KC (btw ... KC is my real flesh and blood younger brother :))
and thanks Narrue for your helpful insights!

to continue ... When describing the fist, if the forefinger protrudes a bit (in CMA called Phoenix fist) we have netranipun (mripate) Antaboga, the eye of Hyang Antaboga. The first two knuckles are the horns and the last three knuckles are the forehead (bathuk) ... depending on the type of punch we use the eye, the horns or the forehead. We also use use the fleshy side of the bottom of the fist (like a hammer fist) and we allude to that as the jowls (Pipine Antaboga) etc.

2/ The Singa Barong is one of the characters in a Reok performance (actually the main character). The Lion is straight ahead no nonsense & courageous personality. It gets straight to the point and doesn't beat around the bush. As such, it's personality is not alus, not polite and is always impatient to end the fight by the most direct means possible and a tendency toward a frontal attack. The attributes of the Singa must be tempered with the attributes of the other two to reach its full potential.
The singa attributes are, it has agility and dexterity (trengginas), is fierce and ferocious (ganas), is direct and straight (leres), has knock down power (gempur) and sweeping/scything power (babat).


3/ The Garuda is the mystical Rajawali (eagle) in wayang performance. He is very wise and is the opposite in many ways to Singa Barong. Garuda does not jump to conclusions so quickly and tempers decisions with wisdom. However the more mature outlook doesn't make Garuda any the less effective and makes for an extremely cool and wiley opponent. Garuda's attributs are that he is wise, cool and detached (wicaksana), martial and intergrated with no wasted movement (gagah), elliptical/ circular (ngiter), shocking in attack (ngabruk), evasive i.e difficult to attack (ngendo).

Using the 3 animals, encourages the SKA performer to think in a combination of the direct with the circular/elliptical and underpins the spirit of the performance. I mentioned before that the Singa's attitude requires it to be tempered by the other two animals. Really, this is true of all the animals, because a true player will fuse the three creatures into a single personality - achieving the gregel of Gerak Nurani.

What I haven't detailed here is the different types of pukulan, langkah and jurus that are used to seed Gerak Nurani. Generally speaking we approach these things from a conceptual basis rather than saying this is how to re-direct energy in a verbatim manner. The player is provided the "template" (in a manner of speaking) of a particular strike, move or combination and then explores variations until satisfied that many possibilities are covered.

I will respectfully stop at this point for a while. I make this small offering in the spirit of the family of man, across peoples and across cultures, in the hope that through this spirit we can all be motivated to do our best to listen to others and to share what we have without prejudice.

Wasalam
KA

P.S. I nearly forgot, all in all there are 17 attributes, to go with the 17 petals on the emblem (coat of arms) of Suryaningngalogo. 17 or Pitulas is a special number in Javanese thinking. Pitu = Pitulungan (to help) Las = Welas Asih (to have compassion) ... Dimas KC can you explain in greater detail please?

[Narrue]

Perhaps someone could translate these, lectures on the subject?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JC5cwcpkAU&search=tenaga%20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlRzueBsQxw&search=INNER%20POWER

[Rebo Paing]

Apa kabar Narrue!
I'm on dialup and I can't seem to see/ hear past the intro which says "What is that which is called tenaga dalam?" ... maybe I can slip in at work and have a look on their computers ... we'll see.

Salam
Krisno

P.S. For those who are interested, I have basically the content of my posts on a weblog I'm keeping about Silat Kembang Alas. It's all very low tech :D .
If you check my profile, you'll see my web-address (kembang-alas.blogspot.com)

[tellner]

It's all sort of academic, really. Most of us will never even be competent at the external aspects and basic principles of Silat. I'll certainly spend the rest of my life trying to get past beginner and close enough to see intermediate on a clear day. The esoteric part? It would be like quantum gauge theory in primary school arithmetic class.

[Rebo Paing]

It's all sort of academic, really. Most of us will never even be competent at the external aspects and basic principles of Silat. I'll certainly spend the rest of my life trying to get past beginner and close enough to see intermediate on a clear day. The esoteric part? It would be like quantum gauge theory in primary school arithmetic class.

Hello Tellner,

We will always be beginners :D
However I disagree with the gist of your post ... being that the only esoteric thing about tenaga dalam and silat (and anything else to do with your own body dynamics) is that you need to harness the potential in your own body and mind. My opinion of course!

What is silat really at its core? Just principles for mind-set (getting in the goove so as not to juice-out on adrenalin) and for moving the body. Nothing more, nothing less. Silat IMO depends on tenaga-dalam, so without tenaga dalam, the silat is only 'partially expressed'. Different aliran, probably different principles.

Breathing is physical and has do-able principles. Dynamic relaxation is physical and has do-able principles also. Everything about developing the body-core is physical withdo-able principles. In fact if you excelled at Yoga, you would have more than enough fundamentals to express tenaga dalam in anything you do ... not just silat.

I remember a story told to me a long time ago... about a Russian ballerina who kicked a sailor to death in her cabin, when the sailor tried to grab her ... was she a pesilat? No, she was a ballerina who expressed her 'tenaga-dalam'.

I think sometimes the cultural baggage of different schools of thought might make it appear more esoteric than it needs to be, the reality is that some people will always have more talent and some people more experience ... but in the final analysis silat is about is extending our 'selves', physically and mentally.

Tellner, you personally have every possibility into excelling in the art mastering movement and tenaga dalam, the only obstacle is the mind.

Salam

[Narrue]

Apa kabar Narrue!
I'm on dialup and I can't seem to see/ hear past the intro which says "What is that which is called tenaga dalam?" ... maybe I can slip in at work and have a look on their computers ... we'll see.

Salam
Krisno

P.S. For those who are interested, I have basically the content of my posts on a weblog I'm keeping about Silat Kembang Alas. It's all very low tech :D .
If you check my profile, you'll see my web-address (kembang-alas.blogspot.com)


Good thank you Kembang Alas. This guy seems to be an authority on the subject and I don’t think I have seen so many certificates on one person’s wall before. I see he mentions something about the elements Tanah, Air, Api, Angin and the Chakras in the body. I guess he has adopted the Indian system as a base.

[Rebo Paing]

Rahayu Narrue,
The guy's name is Mohammad Nor Abdul Rahman, and he starts off by saying that the school (perguruan) used to be called Perguruan Wali Putih but changed name in 1990 to Cakra Alam (alam is nature or 'the whole of nature') ...he then goes on to say that Tenaga-Dalam is something that is found in people's bodies ... that they activate the red & white blood cells that results in a tremor in being/nervous system(?) that presents as "super power"

His further ramblings seem to be a syncretic mix of Hindu, Buddhist & Muslim ideas ... however I didn't listen to the end because I think he's misguided.

I think there are levels of understanding of the different states and possibilities for the human body, but my personal ideology is that I don't need to know everything to that deep level to make my body work for me in my area of choice. I think that as a pesilat, it is not that difficult to reach the deeper aspects of body dynamics ... and I think it is attainable by anyone who learns to feel the body in a dynamically relaxed state.
The people in villages across Java learned the state through everyday survival activities ... life was hard. These days you can still see it even in modern nations ... look at skiers, surfers etc. They might not know it, but when they aren't thinking about it and moving on the board at one with the elements, they are expressing their tenaga dalam ... all it takes is to transfer the mind set and body mechanics into a silat framework... and voila! Most people though impose a mind-set of restrictions when they play a different 'label'.

Salam
KA

[Rebo Paing]

I have already talked about the importance of developing the body core. It is of paramount importance to silat, without it the player is using disconnected localised force.
Why is it undesirable to use localised force? ( i.e. force emanating from forearm only or shuolder only etc). Because disconnected force is simple to lead, to re-direct, easy to topple and lacks power.
In other words it is ineffective.
Discovering body knowledge of the body core, requires sensitivity on the part of the practitioner. Only after there is concrete body-knowledge of the activation of the body core, can there be a progression to the art of applying force onto an external object (opponent). This is an extremely important juncture, because habits created through the use of localised non integrated force are very difficult to eradicate.
The ramification of this idea is that the practice of pukulan, jurus and langkah is counter-productive until the pesilat has the body-knowledge of the body core that we are discussing.
(Note that we approach the ideas of pukulan, jurus and langkah a bit differently than what appears to be the norm. Particularly pukulan and jurus where the principle is more important than any static form ... which ties straight in with the beginning practice of Gerak Nurani).
In the past people talked about connected power. What this means is that all parts of the skeletal & muscular system work in concert/ harmony, each part linking with and magnifying the efficacy of the other. Just as we don't use localised muscle power in movement, so to do we NOT neglect the integration of the rest of the body in relation to the body core. It is not enough that one has a practical and working understanding of the integration of movement through the body core (which in this case equates to achieving the quality of power movement), but also we need to be able to amplify the quality we possess and be able to express sufficient martial power (putting the power into power movement) without which it would be difficult to overcome an opponent who might be naturally strong, big and fast.

The next series will discuss some ideas on the subject of increasing martial power without losing speed and fluidity.

Salam

[Kiai Carita]

My sons need to practice practical ilmu (i.e. one that I can teach), so tenaga dalam is for body health, and a healthy body is provides a stable base for a healthy mind!

Dear Pendekars,

As Kakang Kembang Alas asked in an email, I will here for my nephews write what I know of a practice common to old Jawa called Gerak Nurani.

Gerak means movement and Nurani is a composite word from Arabic Nur (Light) and Aini (Eye) so Gerak Nurani means Movement (of the) Eye of Light (Conscience). The idea behind Gerak Nurani is to surrender totally to God and let all your movement be in accordance to God’s Will, be Pleasing to God, and be Blessed by God. Because of that the training of Gerak Nurani, especially the ‘opening’ or the first time when the adept is led through the gates in to the surreal world of the different level of consciousness, must be started with prayer and surrender to the Creator and the Sustainer of the Worlds.

Before the adept is ‘opened’ –meaning have his first training in the art- (s)he must cleanse herself and repent of her sins for she is going to ask that The Most Powerful use her movement as an instrument to carry out the Will of the Most Merciful. It is most important that the adept cleanses herself and surrenders with faith to the Will of God for a while (can be long) before she practices the art other wise someone else might be moving the body, the Spirit of a Macan or of a Naga, of a Jinn or of Shyatan, for instance.

In the silat Karuhun of West Jawa, often there is ‘possession’ by an animal spirit. The tradition of Gerak Nurani sees this practice as undesirable for the practitioner has no control. In Jawa, the pesilat in trance possessed by an animal spirit or any other spirit is called kelenggahan (possessed – sat on), rather than lungguh – sovereign, sitting strong. So the first steps towards Gerak Nurani are simple: get closer to God.

Technically before the studying of Gerak Nurani the adept should practice sitting still in a relaxed and pasrah state letting his body be embraced by the nature of the Earth (lahir) and his mind by the nature of the ( Inner) batin. Thoughts come, images go, but always the adept must stay relaxed, pasrah, breathing gratefully like a sleeping baby. There are no chakras to concentrate on, just concentrate on the body’s sitting and the mind’s relaxed non-judgmental state. In Jawa this is called the laku of ilmu Kanthong Bolong, practiced by Ki Lurah Petruk of the wayang kulit. There are two poems connected to this that come to mind:

Ilmu Kanthong Bolong
(The Knowledge of the pocket with a hole)
Yen ana isi lumuntur marang sesami.
(If there is anything in the pocket it will be shared with fellow creations)

So before Gerak Nurani is taught the Kanthong Bolong needs to be good. The adept must show generosity in spirit and also materially towards all life and also the adept must be able to sit in the sila position, in a relaxed state with his backbone correctly aligned in the embrace of the gravity of the Earth until his thoughts calm down and his mind becomes wening -clear. With practice everyone can experience the stillness of the ‘body-core’ can later be maintained while standing, walking, whatever. The martial philosophy of Kanthong Bolong is apparent in the other poem:

Sugih tanpa bandha, digdaya tanpa aji, nglurug tanpa bala, menang tanpa ngasorake.

Wealthy without riches, powerful without amulets, mount-an-attack-far-away-and surround-the enemy without an army, win without humiliating.

When the adept shows the signs of being in intimate contact with her Nurani, and her stillness is satisfactory, the teacher must find a good time and place to bring her into the experience of the art, or in Jawa: dibuka - opened. The good time would be a time when there is dramatic weather and a good place would be any place in open nature where there is a lot of space. To get to this place the adept and the teacher must journey by foot through difficult terrain long enough to be quite exhausted when they arrive.

Through the journey the adept and the teacher should be in worshipful mode and upon arrival assume the Kanthong Bolong practice position on the ground. The difference is that now they do not stay still, rather they must follow every krenteg (split-second-to-split-second-desires/will-of the-heart) on and on, flowing without stopping, until they are not exhausted anymore. In the dibuka training session they should follow their krenteg with their eyes shut for at least several hours, better still, several days. A great camping game to do! From there the adept is on her own in terms of Gerak Nurani and should follow her religion more sincerely and strengthen her faith with good prayers and good deeds which will make her Nurani cleaner and sharper.

Walt Whitman summed it up neatly when he wrote: I sing the song of myself …It is the Self that needs to be present while practicing Gerak Nurani. In Jawa there are several levels of self and we want to access Ingsun Sunyata, the HyperReal Higher Self that Longs for God and according to our songs the accessing and the Self itself is thus:

Datan ana aku datan ana karsa lan pangira
Let there be no I let there be no pretension or anticipation
Sing ana Ingsun Sunyata
Let Manifest the ‘Hyper-Real-Higher-Soul’
Ingsun Sunyata iku Tanpa Rupa.
The ‘Hyper-Real-Higher-Soul’ has no form.

Although in a trance, the practitioner is sovereign and knows what she is doing. The trance is being one with the Greater Energy that Flows through the Universe by the Will of God. In Suryoningalagan-speak, they would say, lenggah, ora kelenggahan – sit down, sovereign and sober with even heightened sensual perception, and have no one sit on you!


Warm salaams to all,

KC.

[Rebo Paing]

Now that's deep Dimas KC :p

Back to how to increase martial power ... what does connected power (martial power) depend on? It depends on strong pliable girdle (body core) and strong legs!
The biggest problem most people have in any strenuous activity is often the legs, especially the knees. There are two mutually supporting ways to make things easier on yourself :
1/ be your ideal body weight (not an ideal body building weight ... but an ideal natural weight for your frame size)
2/ develop the muscles surrounding and supporting the knee action, so that the entire leg is doing the supporting, and not only the cartiledge surrounding the knee joint.
So how do I get strong legs and a pliable girdle ... why, latihan mlaku of course.
This post will be about how to do latihan mlaku with greget, sawiji and sengguh nora mingkuh ... and after walking as prescribed for many-many hours, days and weeks you will (if doing it properly) reach the level of gregel with your mlaku.

So ok, this is how you seed the method to mlaku correctly.

more to follow ...

[Rebo Paing]

Back to the discussion at hand ... what does connected power (martial power) depend on? It depends on strong pliable girdle (body core) and strong legs!
The biggest problem most people have in any strenuous activity is often the legs, especially the knees. There are two mutually supporting ways to make things easier on yourself :
1/ be your ideal body weight (not an ideal body building weight ... but an ideal natural weight for your frame size)
2/ develop the muscles surrounding and supporting the knee action, so that the entire leg is doing the supporting, and not only the cartiledge surrounding the knee joint.
So how do I get strong legs and a pliable girdle ... why, latihan mlaku of course.
This post will be about how to do latihan mlaku with greget, sawiji and sengguh nora mingkuh ... and after walking as prescribed for many-many hours, days and weeks you will (if doing it properly) reach the level of gregel with your mlaku.
So ok, this is how you seed the method to mlaku correctly.
Stand with feet shoulder width apart or slightly closer than that, make sure that your stance is comfortable i.e. there is no strain in your body to maintain your position. (We've already gone through the process of eliminating strain in the body posture ... ensure that you are standing according to the requirements of latihan mlaku!)
What we want to do now is to walk a few steps and feel what it is like when done slowly. The problem with doing the latihan at speed without understanding with your body, is that it is very easy to drift back into previously ingrained habits while walking. Feel what it's like (use greget), you might feel the following sensations: a feeling of fullness acros the lower part of the abdomen, a tightening up across the entire pelvic floor, when you move your legs it's as if where the top of the legs join the pelvic girdle, that the stumps are being mainpulated by the core/girdle. Grip with the earth with the toes on each step, which activates the calf muscles as well. Eventually it feels like the legs are a autonomous unit with an intelligence of it's own, able to traverse varied terrain with confidence ... freeing up the upper part of the body and the mind to deal with other things (keeping in mind that the body still is integrated). When you have the body-knowledge - take the latihan on the open road! Use it everywhere you walk. Remember to let gravity drag/drop the shoulders and let the lungs spread out on the back.
Additional advantages of this latihan is that you develop a choppier walk, it is easy to suddenly change direction and remain stable, it is also easy to change height, from high to ndodok without difficulty. Latihan mlaku uphill and downhill develops all aspects of the cardio-vascular system. Good luck with the latihan.

more to follow ...

[Narrue]

The development of strength in the human body can be split into two parts, the physical development of muscles, balance, coordination etc and the internal aspects.
The physical part should not be confused with the tenagadalam (inner serpent) internal aspects although there is obviously a connection between the two.
As stated before the core of the body can be developed physically by doing a number of sports and activity’s. I don’t think that anyone would argue with the fact that rugby players develop a strong body core. Those that practice yoga at an advanced level have unbelievable strength, coordination, balance and control.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx0V3jgFYzk&search=flow%20yoga


From an internal perspective the development of strength is just one aspect covered among many but it has a lot to do with a person’s connection to the Earth energetically speaking.

A tree with shallow or a poor root development will be easily uprooted in a storm no matter how strong or big the trunk and branches are or how tough the wood is. Likewise a person who has a poor connection to the earth will be easy to move no matter how big he may be.

In MA people talk about rooting and griping the ground with your toes but in reality it is not a physical skill and you obviously can’t grip the ground with your toes unless you happen to have claws and not feet. It is said that a true man breathes through his heels but what does it mean, we are obviously not talking about air in the physical sense and rooting is not a physical skill.

The development of the energetic pathways in the human body is closely reflected with the development of the teeth. With the development of the last wisdom teeth the body connects to earth (energetically speaking) and it is at that age when the body naturally bulks up and becomes physically strong.

In ancient times this earthy aspect in the human body was developed by meditating on the earth and animals that are closely connected to it. The boar is an incredibly earthy animal and due to its connection with the earth it is also very strong and dangerous. We have all heard the saying “as happy as a pig in (X)”

Practically these exercises can be done either standing, sitting or whilst doing a circular dance form also involving breathing exercises.

It was not uncommon to have to spend nights alone in a cave, many a cave painting shows shamanic depictions and these practices could be considered shamanic in origin, also the oldest religion on earth.

There are a number of such exercises to develop different aspects within the body and also fine tunes the senses, for example development of this earthy aspect will naturally increase your sense of smell. Boars and pigs are known to have a better sense of smell then dogs and it is a direct result of the earth aspect.

A person who has developed this to a high degree can at will make it almost impossible to lift them off the ground. Although their weight shows as normal when you try to lift them it’s like lifting a lump of lead. Obviously we wont all reach these levels but its important to know that strength is not all physical i.e. muscle development.

Below: ancient warrior’s helmet with a boar fixed to the top, symbol of strength and earth.

[Rebo Paing]

I on the other hand believe that tenaga dalam is purely physical.
Gripping the earth with the toes does make one more stable. Probably because it activates most of the muscles that have to do with stability e.g. when walking on slippery/muddy ground ...
It is difficult to talk about tenaga-dalam, as I'm talking about my own experience, my own understanding of tenaga dalam ... not something I've read in a book. I know that there is an entire thought system in MA which talks about Qi and energy paths ... I'm not saying it might not exist, although it isn't part of my believe system ... and it is not my area of understanding.

I am saying, I have no experience in Qi and 'earth energies' ... so what I call tenaga dalam, I see from physical aspects only ... and yes, if you have ever stood in the way of a footballer bearing down you with a rate of knots ... believe me, a footballer can display an awesome display of tenaga dalam :) .

As far as muscle development ... a body builder for example might look awesome, but not have the stabilator muscles fully developed, those inner muscles which aren't seen but are important anti gravity muscles. These are the muscles are in the inner core.

Also when developing striking power weight lifting is insufficient, because you have to have the body knowledge of the opposing sets of muscle/tendons which allow maximal tension when applying a strike. This happens through a different type of physical training than lifting weights ... but has nothing to do with meditating in some dank cave :D

The only nod I give to meditation is that (when done properly) it teaches the body to be in a state of optimal relaxation/tension. There are no shamanic properties of any worth to my way of thinking.


Wassalam

[Rebo Paing]

To begin developing power in strikes we first concentrate on endo/ngendo/ngendani which means to evade or evasion (the act of evading). Pronounced ng-end-aw
The methods to develop the martial skill in ngendo applies (IMO) to any strike or movement.
There are two principle energies that can be utilised in ngendo, that of nempel (sticking) and ngabruk (whacking/bashing/ ... with shocking power). How-ever, the latihan to develop the power for either set of energies is essentially the same ... it is the degree of control of tension that is different.
Remembering that the principles can be applied to any strike, I will describe the principles behind ngendo and how we seed the idea of ngendo into our body-knowledge system.
Ngendo is basically using the back of the fore-arm (punggunge naga or Hyang Antaboga) in a circular lifting from below position, followed by the second arm in guard position . Of course it can be applied from any number of positions but the basic idea is as described.
The body also will crouch/duck and is from a lower position against a higher position.It is NOT a block perse ... in that you are not opposing force with force ... but mainly re-directing in nature, although as detailed previously it can also be used as a nggabruk type strike.
If you understand ngendo, you can use it almost entirely as the only strike ... although that could be limiting. It is also important in ngendo to be aware of your future placement during movement ... don't ngendo into the other fist for example.
Before we begin the practice and through-out the practice we have to have total dynamic muscular relaxation and proper posture alignment, ilmu kantong bolong ... but I'm assuming that we are all doing that.
Next we need to develop greget (feeling) with regard to how the whole movement feels in different parts of the body. You have to really focus on the body, try to feel deep layer of muscle movement. We do this by moving the strike extremely slowly ... like in taiji.
The reason we move slowly is so that we do not rely on momentum inherent within the movement and consequently miss any of the cues the movement imparts during the execution of the movement while we program our body-knowledge, which in this case is to understand on a body-knowledge level the relationship of opposite forces between the extensor and the flexor muscles in our skeletal muscle system.
It is important not to move slowly in an empty manner, rather we should be using our mind to create the feeling that we are moving or ngendo against an object, this is also greget ... the body will oblige and accomodate, because it doesn't make the value judgement on whether the action is real or un-real. Be congruent with the exercise and the body will re-act as if it's real. Begin with a light amount of force and once understood build up to a larger amount of force, until you are ngabruk with greget and sawiji.
This exercise will increase control, speed, accuracy and power for ngendo ... but remember, the principle will apply to any strike ...
Also realise that ngendo is then explored from many different positions and variations, up, down, from the side, sitting etc. Each new position has to reach the greget & sawiji stage ... the power must be felt with congruence in the limbs/arms, and must not be a stiff power.

Wassalam,

P.S. Tenaga Dalam does not translate to Inner Serpent ...
Tenaga = Energy Dalam=Inside/Inner ... so translates to the energy from inside ... or Inner Strength.

Some aliran equate tenaga-dalam to the metaphysical or to the supra-physical. As I'm not a terribly sophisticated individual, my intepretation stems entirely from a physical experiential tangent :) .

more to follow ...

[Rebo Paing]

Imagine a rope that is being used to whip an object. While it is swinging around it is pliable but at the point of impact it becomes extreme high tensile and hard ... that is what you're aiming for in ngendo/ngabruk and that can only be achieved if you are relaxed and flexible like the rope. If you have stored tension in your skeletal muscular frame you won't achieve greget.
Without achieveing greget you cannot hope to achieve unity or sawiji.

So ... when you can do it slowly (like taiji), and your movement is congruent, you need to practice it at speed. Sometimes you might feel that there is an isolated part of the arm or fore-arm that tenses ... this is wrong. The arm should be luwes, pliable but tensile and the tension when it happens begins in the core and ends in the punggung naga. I forgot to mention that ngendo is normally performed with open palm. Movement is more agile when the hands are open and there is more control, also it is easier to direct the whole body. Closed or tight fists favour gross motor movements generally speaking and tends to isolate the power in the moving appendage and surrounding muscles only ... if you do strike with a fist make sure that it is loosely curled before impact and tightened only at the point of impact.
It would be counter-productive to rush into prcaticing at speed with-out the requisite body-knowledge.

Salam,
KA

[Rebo Paing]

Rahayu, thank you for reading this far.
I fear that I may be taking up space on this forum that is meant for discussion.
If you wish to continue reading my 'instalments', you may do so by following my web link under my profile ... or do a Google search on Silat Kembang Alas.

Matur sembah nuwun (thank you) for the opportunity,

Wallaikum Salam.

[Gajah Silat]

I fear that I may be taking up space on this forum that is meant for discussion.

I don't see why that should be the case, as it is part of a tradition of Silat :confused:

[Rebo Paing]

Hi GS,
I'm not leaving the forum altogether if that's what you thought I meant :woo: .

It's actually time consuming up-dating both ... but OK-lah ... seeing you twisted my arm :D :D

Thank-you.

[Rebo Paing]

We have already talked about the body-knowledge that is required in performing silat. It is the discussion that we've had on our understanding of what is 'tenaga dalam' or inner power.
To re-iterate, it is important to understand that the process to acquire body-knowledge or skill, is the same regardless of what type of strike we do. The difference exists in the type of power or energy through action that we wish to express, e.g. to differentiate between a sticking power (tempel), shocking, smashing and pounding powers (ngabruk, ndobrak and gempur), a scything power (sabit), a whipping power (sabet), penetrating or pushing powers (tebus and sodok), a chopping power (bacok) or a cutting power (sigar) etc.
The descriptions of power are essentially the descriptions of the quality of the energy behind a particular strike and are necessary as a way to transmit understanding of function.
There are subtle nuances of expression of power which are inherently more suited to particular strategies, for example in the jurus of sendal pancing (if you've ever been trout fishing, that initial throw out of the line followed by the whip of the rod), we can use combinations of sticking and whipping energies (nempel & nyabet) followed by shocking energies (ngabruk) ... the idea behind the strategy being that we create a reaction based on our understanding of natural instinct in that people invariably pull back when pulled, so we accomodate by changing our own direction helping the adversary into the direction his instinct propelled him.
However, as previously stated, a seeker 'seeds' (mbibit or di bibt) our body-knowledge using the techniques of Gerak Nurani, and it is important to understand that once the body-knowledge is understood that we don't obsess about labels. The appropriate strike and strategy will unfold depending upon the situational requirement.
It is certainly possible that using the principles of Gerak Nurani as understood by us, that we seed our body-knowledge subconcious with a completely different set of actions ... that is up to the individual, if you do tennis, then there are offensive and defensive actions inherent within tennis techniques for example.
In the final analysis, the idea behind the process is that we are not restricted by any form, we become independant of forms learned by rote or the form happens as we act. (Having said that, there is another set of ideas that we like to 'seed' into our sub-concsious and that is the idea of stratedgy incorporated within jurus ... )

Walaikum Salam

[Gajah Silat]

Hi GS,
I'm not leaving the forum altogether if that's what you thought I meant :woo: .

It's actually time consuming up-dating both ... but OK-lah ... seeing you twisted my arm :D :D

Thank-you.

:D Ha, I merely found your take on tenaga dalam without the esoterics a, more accessible way to look at things for a pragmatic man like myself :)

I did Yoga for a while, which is full of the old woo woo stuff too. I even went off to India.

My main reason for doing Yoga was twofold.

Firstly, it is well documented in medical circles that regular Yoga lowers blood pressure. Despite being reasonably fit high blood pressure runs in both side of the family. Practising Yoga lowered this to below 'normal' blood pressure.

The second was a vain attempt to get more flexible. This worked only to a degree as I am not very flexible and genetically limited.

However, what did happen was I became much more aware of the subtleties of my own body.

It also built up a core strength in the inner layer of muscles in the abdomen, spine and lower rib area. Now, although people can do sqillions of sit ups and get a six pack, this type of exercise is restricted to developing certain sets of muscles, generally the outer layer.

KA's take on tenega dalam seems to be similar to this, therefore for myself at least, it is a logical and practical take on matters

[Pekir]

Hormat,

I'm not responding into the technical background of tenaga dalam so much but on the connection to the esoteric or even ilmu whatsoever. Whilst I do appreciate the 'magic stuff' that surrounds silat (almost as an integral part of Indonesian society) I do think in to many cases it is advertised in a questionable manner by some of the guru besar2 or pendekar2.

I once responded politely on the content of a silat website where it was stated that silat without Ilmu Kebatinan/the magikal aspect wasn't true silat. Hence teachers who wouldn't offer Ilmu were more or less bogus. My respons/question was if it was really necessary to put it this bluntly because it didn't show the least respect to numorous serious teachers who have their own good reasons not to teach or advertise Magikal Ilmu.

The result was that I received a big package by mail which was even less respectful. The main message was still: if I wasnt getting magikal Ilmu it was no real silat and on top of that, because I and my teachers were of dutch-indo desendence I probably never learned the true silat anyways. We were in his opinion the natural 'enemies' of the Indonesians. I never responded to this BS.

In my opinion there is (or can) be a big difference between Ilmu kebatinan/magikal aspects and tenega dalam. Indeed a lot of traditional styles incorporate both of them, some present them as one. In relation to the tenaga dalam I concur that if possible it should be incorporated, the ilmu is to me a different matter. In our school, we do train tenega dalam and yes we do not train ilmu kebatinan in the sense of magikal training. Besides that I'm of the opinion that a guru can have good reasons to reserve his tenaga dalam and ilmu for his most senior students who have shown themselves 'worthy' (technical, mentality or both) for this aspect of training. Most of the students that start training will never reach this level, so why advertise this as a unique selling point.

So don't get me wrong, I take no offence (not at all) to teachers who incorporate Ilmu/magik in their curriculum, it's by all means part of the Indonesian culture. I'm pretty convinced this stuff is around and that there are guru2 who know their ways around this subject. I'm to much a dutch-indo not to believe. I only have some difficulty with those who received their magik skills almost like receiving an e-mail, use it to promote their apparent skills and negatively opinionate those who don't.

Bertemu lagi
Pekir

[Narrue]

UP or down, left or right, inwards or outwards, seen or unseen, internal or external, esoteric or exoteric…… either this or that and the same old argument about what is correct.

Most people would agree that a perfect human would be BALANCED but what does that mean in the context of this discussion?
Some people take the physical because it’s easy to understand and discard everything else as false whilst some reject the physical as unholy and seek to live in the clouds.
Both feet firmly on earth or head in the clouds, but why not one foot in the physical and the other in the spiritual. That reminds me in ancient times this would be explained with a particular posture which has the same meaning, perhaps you know it.

[Pekir]

Narrue,

We have different posture to train our tenaga dalam of which I couldn't really say if they are that ancient. In fact we train our tenaga dalam also in our asli langkahs too by not stressing the explosiveness of the movement but performing them slowly, focussing on breathing and direction of energy in conjunction with the movement. More or less like doing it in a meditative manner...

Pekir

[Narrue]

Pekir

I was not talking about a posture in which to do tenaga dalam training.
In ancient times postures and gestures had symbolic meanings behind them. There is a posture which means balance or the perfected human. The perfected human is balanced and balance only results when opposites are harmonised.
As I said some people stick to the physical and look outwards, others look to the spiritual and only look inwards but they are both extremes. One neglects his physical body and follows the spiritual path, the other neglects his higher functions and only has interest in the physical.
One seeks to perfect his outer self and the other seeks to perfect his inner self. The result is one develops a strong body (shell) but has no inner depth whilst the other has great inner depth but a week body (shell). Both believe they are following the correct path and looks down on the other but in reality they are both wrong. A balanced person looks up, down, inwards, outwards and in that way is complete.
A man can not live on bread (physical) alone but neither can he live on water (spiritual) alone, a smart man eats bread and drinks water.

What has this got to do with tenaga dalam? well some say it is to be found in the physical (posture) whilst others say it is to be found in the breath (prana). I would say eat bread and drink water if you want to be a strong boy ;)

[Rebo Paing]

Narrue said :
Some people take the physical because it’s easy to understand and discard everything else as false whilst some reject the physical as unholy and seek to live in the clouds.

As-Salamu 'alaykum Narrue & Pekir,
Everyone have their own way to understand that is true :) . I don't recall saying everything else that differed from my take was false though. In my view spirituality imbues everything I do ... we do. However when I'm concentrating on a mechanical problem, I need to focus on an answer which is grounded in my physical reality ... accepting that everything I am is because of Gusti Alah.

When I eat a banana, I do not rely on magik to get me through. I understand that there is an anatomical mechanistic solution to peeling the banana, guiding banana to open mouth, chewing banana 21 times and then swallowing. Then I know that my gut secretes digestive juices to further break down the banana so that my body can benefit from the vitamins and minerals that were part of said banana. I understand the problem from a mechanical physical reality and solve the problem the same way.

When I move or strike, I approach it the same way I eat a banana. My kebatinan is already part of who I am ... and I have no need to focus on it to solve problems grounded in a physical reality ... because it is always there.

Pekir said:
We have different posture to train our tenaga dalam of which I couldn't really say if they are that ancient. In fact we train our tenaga dalam also in our asli langkahs too by not stressing the explosiveness of the movement but performing them slowly, focussing on breathing and direction of energy in conjunction with the movement. More or less like doing it in a meditative manner...

It sounds similar ... have you actually read the thread?

Kind regards
KA

[Narrue]

Kembang Alas

Tenaga dalam is equivalent to Qigong or pranayama. If you only believe in the physical then that is equivalent to practicing qigong but not believing in the existence of qi/chi or practicing pranayama but not believing in the existence of prana. As for eating a banana, I agree with everything you said about the process except I believe that all living things have prana and therefore I would say that along with the calorific energy you absorbed from the banana you also absorb prana from it.
I agree with everything you said about physical training and developing the core however I can’t agree that prana/chi does not enter into this so let’s just agree to disagree on this point.

[Rebo Paing]

What is prana? Life-force? What is Qi? The subliminal electrical current inherent in all living matter? Life force?

The truth is I don't know ... and please, I'm not saying it doesn't exist either! :)

We all create frames of reference to come to grips with our own realities. It is what I think of as a world view or a life view.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your approach, you use the frames of reference of Qi and prana and that is fine too, however it would be misleading for me to describe what I know in that context because I only have a passing familiarity within the context of Qi and Prana. :D

Salam

[Narrue]

I would not say I take Qi/Prana as my frame of reference but when talking about particular subjects such as Qigong, Pranayama or tenaga dalam I think it is something that should not be omitted as my qigong teacher always told me that that was the whole point of doing the exercise in the first place or at least a major part of it.
In my opinion taking Qi as your frame of reference is probably wrong as is taking a purely physical approach. I would imagine that both have equal importance.
To improve everything needs work, sad but true. (1) If you wanted to strengthen your physical body you need to do physical work. (2) If you want to strengthen your vital force then you need to do breathe work and posture exercises. (3) If you want to strengthen your mind/intellect then you need to read books, meditate, set your mind at solving problems.
We can see that different things are required to strengthen different aspects of the body, One is not more important then the other. They are all different and all important.

When talking about tenaga dalam I consider it to fall into category 2 and therefore I would say breath work and posture are the core requirements here, and yes that involves knowledge of prana/Qi.

Out of interest what is the Indonesian word for Qi or prana i.e. what do Indonesians call the vital force.

[Rebo Paing]

Rahayu Narrue,

You are welcome to your opinion, I have already stated what I think tenaga dalam is ... so I won't mbolak-mbalik (go back and forth) here.

My intention in this thread is to share what I know to be true for me, and that doesn't involve the concepts of prana and qi (honest ... trying to understand the complexity would only give me a headache! :)).

However, I believe that by doing what I do, I achieve a high level of effectiveness ... and I get to test the results in the real world most days of the week ... and they aren't always drunk either ;) . It is also the methodology I use to teach.

Why don't you start a new thread and elucidate all of us with your knowledge of Qi, Prana and the more esoteric side of energy work? Maybe you might be able to elucidate a dunce like me :D .

I know of prana in Indonesian as tenaga prana & Qi as tenaga ci ... my younger brother Bram (Kiai Carita) might know of a more appropriate asli boso Jowo word?

Salam

[Pekir]

Kembang Alas,

I've read most of the thread, not all???

Regards,
Pekir

[Narrue]

Kembang Alas

From reading the description of the type of exercises you do for tenaga dalam I would say you are already doing qigong type exercises, just perhaps you didn’t realise it. I would also say that it will have the same or similar results anyway so no need to start another thread.
It’s good to recognise the existence of such things anyway.