Friday, May 21, 2010

Basics in Silat Sera - Curriculum

A series of articles by Todd Ellner and Tiel Ansari, from Guru Plinck's website:

The Sera curriculum is really very small. There are eighteen fundamental upper body exercises known as djurus. There are four essential footwork patterns called langkas. A short form called djuru sempok teaches multiple opponent footwork and kicking.

Students demonstrate their ability to improvise while maintaining good form and intention through a framework called djuru combinasi or kembangan. There are sets of techniques for a number of weapons.such as the knife, the big knife, the staff, the whip and the cabang. A number of exercises such as leg work, sensitivity drills, and counter-for-counter frameworks develop important skills and attributes. They show up in different forms depending on the skill of the students.

Gurus pass on or develop exercises of their own. A common one would be a set of sambuts - two- or multiple-peson attacking or defending combinations which illustrate important tactical principles and useful tools. Add a few throws and locks, sparring and similar techniques and you pretty much have what is taught in Serak.

This isn't a very large syllabus for a comprehensive martial art. The guiding idea may be summed up as "Simple tools used with sophistication". The training methods and teaching progressions of the system force students to apply a relatively small number of movements in many different situations in many different ways combined in any order with anything else that he or she has been taught.

3 comments:

  1. Dear Mr Perry,

    Thank you so much for posting all these articles on Sera on your website. I have to say that these articles have been by far the most helpful in helping me to get a glimpse of the art.
    I currently reside in Tokyo and I was wondering if Guru Plinck would be willing to consider teaching me if i was going regularly to your area for 1-2 weeks at a time ? Thanks in advance for your time.

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  2. Pascal -- I expect Guru would consider it. Send me your email address and I'll forward your note to him.

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  3. Dear Mr Perry,
    Thank you so much for your quick reply. Basically, my e-mail address is pascalmasse@hotmail.com
    If acceptable to Guru Plinck and the current members of your group, the idea behind my request would be to go and stay in your area for 1 week-10 days, attend regular classes and, if Guru Plinck is free (I do know he has a family, a job and other responsibilities) and willing, train a bit more during my stay. If the first trip goes well, then it would become a regular occurrence (1-2 times a year ?) with me continuing to train here on my own in Tokyo between the trips. I don't know if that's realistic/acceptable from Guru Plinck's perspective but that is the concept I have in mind.

    Thank you so much again for your reply and for forwarding my query to Guru Plinck.

    Best Regards

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