Favourite animal mannerisms

Discussion in 'Silat' started by Sgt_Major, Jan 19, 2006.

  1. Sgt_Major

    Sgt_Major Ex Global Mod Supporter

    Which of your styles animals dop you feel most comfortable in? In my style we have Tiger, Monkey, snake, and crane. For me, my personal preference is the same order: Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Crane - one of the reasons probably being that Tiger is one I practice most, and crane being practiced least. Now, I know that I should be practicing all equally, or even my worst ones more, but I feel very comfortable in Tiger and monkey, but feel awkward in snake and crane.

    One of the best training sessions I had was in Kilrea (correct me liam if Im wrong) where Liam taught us animal blending, how to flow from one animal to the next without any delays, or stalls in technique or flow.

    So, 'fess up - Whats your best and worst animal?
     
  2. tellner

    tellner Valued Member

    There aren't any in the system I'm learning.

    If I had to choose a favorite it would be Warty Cane Toad - perfect protection against Mantis, Centipede and 10,000 Golden Bees. Its only weakness is against White Crane :D
     
  3. serakmurid

    serakmurid Valued Member

    There are 7 animals in Serak: Dragon, Tiger, Crane, Eagle, Snake, Monkey, and Bat (Naga, Macan, Blekok, Garuda, Ular, Monjet, and Kalong) . Although I don't think they're mannerisms, but they each have a hand position, stance and Langkah all their own. But there is also stuff that's gotta be from India I think like the Gajah and Gangi (elephant), too.
    The Dragon is pretty cool, a form I'm currently learning uses this sikap alot.
    Hormat
     
  4. Ular Sawa

    Ular Sawa Valued Member

    Favorite would be Ular (big surprise) followed by Tiger. Never been that keen on Monkey.
     
  5. CQC

    CQC Arsenal Gear's A.I

    There aren't any animal in the system I'm learning too.

    But after learning the system for almost a year,I can say that I love all the buah inside the silat system that I'm learning right now. :love:
     
  6. silatliam

    silatliam Valued Member

    I think one of the main conception outside of the silat world think, when we start talking about Animal Mannerisms is that we train the mannerism very much like the Chinese styles. I can only talk about my style (so they maybe other styles of silat which differ from us), but in Pukulan Cimande Pusaka the animal mannerisms are really more linked with attributes thoes animals have and how we can use them in Combat. For example when we talk about the Tiger Mannerisms (Harimau or Matjan) we know this training will be close to the ground, but also we take from Tiger the Power, strength, its cunningness, the way feline animals use their sight and hearing and even breathing to allow energy to go around the body. Their suppleness especially when attacking, and sheer determination. Each animal mannerism has attributes which blended with the human form can really develope a student.

    Having trained in "Buah" for many years. The animal mannerisms are inside the Buahs but are not really discussed its just a different way I think of teaching students. But many of the mannerisms we talk about you would see if the Buah was broken down completely.

    Just one other thing some people dont realise is that mannerisms are also broken down into ranges of Combat

    ie Tiger - Close Ground
    Snake - Close and upright
    Monkey - Middle range
    Crane - Long Range

    and each in our style is linked to a element which has certain fighting attributes we try to develop.
     
  7. tim_stl

    tim_stl Valued Member

    we only have two- tiger and monkey. i'm not as agile as others, so my monkey looks more like ape. i prefer tiger, because i like to get 'personal.' :)



    tim
     
  8. tellner

    tellner Valued Member

    I've been thinking a lot about animal mannerisms and styles lately. Leaving aside (but not discounting) the shamanic aspects I think I'm beginning to see what they're really for. There's no way you can move like a bat or a water buffalo let alone a snake. There's very little you can learn from animals that way. Heck, my wife and I stretched for half an hour a day for a couple years, and the cat would still walk in, sneer at us and start licking her own butt. "Foolish slaves, can't you even do this?"

    But they are superb for modelling intention.

    We learn by monkey see, monkey do. Animals are excellent for this. Like so much else, though, it works best if you know what you're imitating. Every Chinese farm-kid knows how a preying mantis acts. Anyone who grows up in a village in Southeast Asia knows about water buffalo. So they make excellent models. If you aren't familiar with the animal and don't know its mannerisms and behavior it won't be nearly as good a fit.
     
  9. Monyet Nakal

    Monyet Nakal Valued Member


    Excellent points, and it makes me wonder just how much of "animal style" martial arts are, in fact, based on 'monkey see, monkey do' and how much of it is justifying why that style of fighting you came up with looks sort of like a snake striking, etc.

    I'm sure the reality is somewhere in between or maybe is a case of 'which came first...' and I would guess that individual studies are dependant on which side of the spectrum you put your emphasis on. I mean we've all heard many different systems of pentjak silat claim the legend of the woman doing her washing and observing the monkey and the tiger fight (or the crane and the tiger fight or the monkey and the snake fight, etc.) and I think the comonality of that kind of story makes it fairly evident that its mostly just a curtain to hide what's really going on backstage.
     
  10. tim_stl

    tim_stl Valued Member

    i recently attended a lecture/demo from a man attempting to interpret one of the manuals left behind by a famous 15th century italian duelist/instructor named fiore dei liberi. not only did he have to study the archaic dialect in which the book was written, but he studied the same education that italian men of that time recieved, in order to put the concepts taught in their original context. numbers used are symbolic, and there were even four animal symbols (lion, tiger, lynx, elephant) which represent the four cardinal virtues. he mentioned that he got the idea from asian arts which model animals, specifically the preying mantis, just as you mentioned.

    i prefer the two animal model (tiger and monkey) because it can encompass many of the universal dualistic principles that seem to exist across cultures.



    tim
     
  11. tellner

    tellner Valued Member

    A few years back I attended a seminar co-hosted by historical fencing master Ramon Martinez and noted scholar of the occult John Greer. It was on Spanish fencing and Thibault's circle. To really understand how Thibault organized his thoughts and get some insight into his book you needed to understand the culture, the times, hermeticism, the idea of the memory palace and similar things. The actual fencing was more accessible. After all, we still have two arms and two legs :)
     
  12. Infrazael

    Infrazael Banned Banned

    Is the Silat interpretation of the animals anything like Chinese Martial Arts?
     
  13. Sgt_Major

    Sgt_Major Ex Global Mod Supporter

    Can you give me an idea about the chinese interpretation, so I can use it as comparison? Im not really fluent in Chinese MA's
     
  14. sharp KILL

    sharp KILL New Member

    I think every style has its own general goal or job ..
    eg:monkey = speed , random eye looks , light wieght prefer.
    tiger = Aggression , power , often ground
    snake = ground , fast strikes ,
    some give flexblity some power some both etc..



    I think that if you study a style it would b be obvious for the learner what is the point for this or that style .
    ... you dont have to study the shape of animal bones to know a style ... :D
     
  15. Marco O

    Marco O New Member

    Whenever we are doing animals, i find myself reverting to Tiger and Snake even though there are 12 all up (Tiger, snake, dragon, pheonix, fighting chicken, rooster, turtle, eagle/bear, swallow, monkey and another which i cant remember).

    Now and then i'll try and incoporate the other animals, but find tiger and snake most comfortable to train with.
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2006
  16. RAMANA1

    RAMANA1 New Member

    salaams todd,yes there are some elements of animals in your system,,,there is some minang influence in your art especially in low kuda turn arounds that you do,that are meant to counter harimau..if youve not been exposed to indo silat,not dutch indo,you probably havent made this observation yet..please update stevan site hes doing seminars all over from febuary-august,just so people can get out to see him...
     

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