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Let us talk silat....
This is from an interesting interview with my first master the late C. H. Turpijn and I decided to forward it:
COR TURPIJN
The uniformed boy is on his knees, panting in the dust. Tears of impotence well on
his face, mixing the sweat that gushes from his brow. He gets up again, knowing that
the Japanese officer will throw him against the parched ground floor again, just as hard.
Arigato Gozaimazu. You're kicked and beaten and have to say "thank you". He wanted to
join the Japanese army to fight the hated Blanda's (whites-avd). No one had told him that the
"liberators", the Japanese, would be even crueler than they. Hashimoto laughs. He pulls
him up by his hairs again. He likes this game. To the ground again. Then, a red haze comes
before the boy's eyes. Mataglap! (Berserk- avd).
Forgetting everything, he instinctively reacts like a caged predator. A flashing move, and
the bayonet is pulled from his belt and is stuck from below into the neck of the man
above him. Shouting. Screaming. He runs away, into the protective jungle.
Against the backdrop of war ravished Indonesia, Cor Turpijn grew up. As a child of 13 he
was recruited to join the Heiho, Indonesian auxiliary troops which were part of the Japanese
army. When in 1945 the English landed, heading Indian troops, the situation became even
more chaotic; large scale massacres of Europeans, engagements between English and
Indonesian troops, and the occupation of large parts of Java and Sumatra by Indonesian
troops.
SETIA HATI Sabda Ing Pendita, Pencak Silat
Founder of the Setia Hati style,
Guru Ki Hadji Ngabehi Surodiwirdjo. After the incident with the Japanese army instructor,
the 13 year old Turpijn fled into the jungle and sought
refuge in an Islamic monastery, called Pondokan
Pesan. Here, from these Indonesian Islamic devotees,
he came to know his Guru, Ki Hadji Ngabedi Surodiwirdjo,
the founder of Pencak Silat Setia Hati.
Together with 13 of his contemporaries, a time had
arrived for him which would keep him locked away
from the outside world for 7 years.
ILMU BATIN
"It wasn't just physical training we had to endure.
Our mental capacities were strengthened there.
We were taught to believe in what we could do
with our bodies, so that at a certain point we
believed we were invulnerable. People laugh about
this of course, but in Indonesia this is seen in a
very different way. Of course your body is
vulnerable, but with your mind, you can achieve
very remarkable things...
The least of these effects are forgetting pain, not feel your injuries.
We had so much confidence in our inner power, the Ilmu Batin, that during training, we
didn't feel it when we were hit with sticks, Goloks and Parangs (knifes, machetes).
Normal people who haven't gone through mental conditioning will of course run up the
worst kinds of injuries, but if you've got that power, nothing will happen to you!".
The training took place in the deep of the night, only lit by the shining of the moon.
These exhausting sessions could go on until the break of day, their spiritual leader
driving them on, again and again. Besides walking the Lankahs, they practiced the
taking out of opponents a lot. There were no sparring sessions like here in Europe.
"Sparring wasn't necessary over there. If you got into a fight, it wasn't for fun! You
fought to survive. It was a matter of me or him. A fight is real, or it's a game, and
therefore not a fight.
During sparring, you use a physical force which is never equal to a mental force. You
never hit and kick for 100%, like I was taught and that what we had to go through
during those nightly sessions can't just be compared with what's happening here in a
dojo or gym. At all times, we were very much conscious of the fact that what we were
doing could decide over life and death.
So, I have to laugh when I hear people talk as if Pencak would be a dance. Of course,
some parts of it are made public that way, and shown at weddings and parties.
But don't be mistaken, Pencak in its most basic form is killing!"
INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM
Once the Japanese had been driven out, the troubles that had beset Indonesia were by
no means over. The English and the Indians came and tried to create some order. The
Dutch came back and tried to reclaim their old rights. But the seeds of revolution which
had been sown long before the invasion were now fully grown, and finally, there came
an Indonesian Republic. Cor Turpijn, who by this time had joined an underground
revolutionary group which fought the Ghurkas, the English, and later even other
Indonesian groups.
Fighting for his land, his independence, for his freedom. One on one fights of man against
man, in the jungle, where mainly guerilla tactics were used, were no exception.
"You should by no means imagine these fights as long drawn-out encounters. There were
two, at most three actions and ten he was taken out, or he was killed. You almost always
used weapons, but if you had lost it for whatever reason, you had to rely on Pencak Silat.
How that went? Well, I was a lot younger and stronger then, of course, I used what we c
allied the "cobra system". From a low, squatting stance, you jump up, scissors your legs
around his neck, and bring him to the ground like that. What also worked very nicely was
striking at the eyes, or breaking the jaw...
(he stretches out his hands and very briefly touches the aforementioned places. He
only has a soft hand, but the accurate pressure reflects only too well the power behind
the move.)"
"You know, I have difficulty with seeing Pencak Silat as a sport. I was taught it so very
differently. My Guru said: "Death is the recognition of defeat", and I belief in that
very much. To be able to say you won from me, you have to kill me, it's as simple as that."
Then later, smiling: "But you know, that was then, things aren't that way anymore. I've
learned to see Pencak as a sport."
After the declaration of independence, all the fighters are called up and told they will have
to start to get an education. So, it's back to school for them. The disappointment for
Turpijn and his comrades is great when the promises made by the Sukarno government
aren't kept. Because he had never had the time to get a real education, he sees his further
rise in the ranks of the military cut off. After he has married an Indonesian wife, she
persuades him to come to Holland.
Holland, in the first instance did not appear to be the promised land. Also because of
his stubbornness and his temper he repeatedly comes into trouble. His limited knowledge
of the language and the pride of the Javanese, don't make him an easy person to get along
with.
PENCAK SILAT AS A SPORT
"Again and again I got into trouble. With my boss, with my colleagues, usually it came
to blows. Fired. Then I got another boss, and it was the same story again. Only because
I took care of
them so quickly, word went around that I was a good fighter. People started to ask: how
did you do that. What are those strange moves? What kind of fighting is that? People
wanted to be taught by me and because I had such a hard time adjusting as an employee,
I could start opening some schools. My only regret is that people in Limburg (because that's
where I started) know me only as a fighter. Once you've got that reputation, it's hard to get
rid off. I know, it's my own fault, but I was young and hot tempered and spoke the language
very badly."
"Also with my colleagues who taught Pencak I had a difficult time. I saw some of them
going through their stuff and didn't know what I saw. I couldn't understand that they
practiced Silat in such a sporty way. It was totally contrary to everything I had been
taught. Together with a good friend of mine, Pa Flohr, I talked about it, and his good
advice has helped me a great deal. To my knowledge, I was the first one to start to
spread Pencak through demonstrations at Pasar Malams (a kind of festive fairs of
Indonesian culture, food, etc.- avd) and such. Now I'm older, I can see that in Holland
the situation isn't like it was in Indonesian in those days that I learned Pencak there and
that one has to adapt to the spirit of the time.
After all, Holland is a civilized country, where jungle fighting really is a bit superfluous."
"It's a real shame that there is so much division in the Pencak world, because I know
there are so many people involved in it. Shortly, I will go to Indonesia to speak with
the Pencak authorities there, to find a solution for the entangled situation in Holland.
I'm glad that the Paka Buana (a union which has as its aim, to unite Pencak in the
Netherlands) is made up of so many enthusiastic young people. I'll do my utmost,
together with Pa Flohr, to propagandize it both at home and abroad."
"If I'm still teaching? Sure, regularly, even. Also, I often go to people's homes to
teach them privately. I used to have a lot of schools, 24 even, but, you know, taxes,
huh? They got me really good, so I had to slow down those activities. Now, I've
given over all those schools to people trained by me, and now and then they invite
me to their higher ranks. That goes very well and I enjoy that very much."
PENCAK WATERED DOWN.
Cor Turpijn is one of the last to have studied Pencak in its primal form and to the
question if the Pencak which he has been given will disappear, he answers:
"A lot of people have never "really" learned the Pencak and study it like I did in
Indonesia. They have learned it here, or learned a little over there and mixed that
a little with Kempo or Karate. That's why a lot of people laugh at the gracious
movements of Pencak Silat, because they (those teachers) never studied the other
side. That's not their fault, of course, but sometimes it hurts a little when I see
Pencak watered down like that. But, you also have to realize that Pencak was
developed with the Indonesian person in mind, who is usually lighter and smaller
that the West European. That immediately means that some techniques from
Pencak have to be adapted if they're going to be used against a European. This
means you have to work even harder to hit the soft and vulnerable spots. Look,
kicking someone in the head is nice and well, but the strong Europeans you
don't necessarily get down with that. Also, it is a dangerous technique, which in
a real fight is as dangerous to the person giving it as the one receiving it. My Pencak
Silat I have brought over to my children and a few special students, so in that respect
I can answer your question negatively. But, we're living in a civilized world with
different norms and values than I held 40 years ago.
The feelings that lived in me, the present generation has never known, and in that
respect, the real fight in the jungle, the jungle fighting, will probably disappear
when I die."
Let us talk silat....
This is from an interesting interview with my first master the late C. H. Turpijn and I decided to forward it:
COR TURPIJN
The uniformed boy is on his knees, panting in the dust. Tears of impotence well on
his face, mixing the sweat that gushes from his brow. He gets up again, knowing that
the Japanese officer will throw him against the parched ground floor again, just as hard.
Arigato Gozaimazu. You're kicked and beaten and have to say "thank you". He wanted to
join the Japanese army to fight the hated Blanda's (whites-avd). No one had told him that the
"liberators", the Japanese, would be even crueler than they. Hashimoto laughs. He pulls
him up by his hairs again. He likes this game. To the ground again. Then, a red haze comes
before the boy's eyes. Mataglap! (Berserk- avd).
Forgetting everything, he instinctively reacts like a caged predator. A flashing move, and
the bayonet is pulled from his belt and is stuck from below into the neck of the man
above him. Shouting. Screaming. He runs away, into the protective jungle.
Against the backdrop of war ravished Indonesia, Cor Turpijn grew up. As a child of 13 he
was recruited to join the Heiho, Indonesian auxiliary troops which were part of the Japanese
army. When in 1945 the English landed, heading Indian troops, the situation became even
more chaotic; large scale massacres of Europeans, engagements between English and
Indonesian troops, and the occupation of large parts of Java and Sumatra by Indonesian
troops.
SETIA HATI Sabda Ing Pendita, Pencak Silat
Founder of the Setia Hati style,
Guru Ki Hadji Ngabehi Surodiwirdjo. After the incident with the Japanese army instructor,
the 13 year old Turpijn fled into the jungle and sought
refuge in an Islamic monastery, called Pondokan
Pesan. Here, from these Indonesian Islamic devotees,
he came to know his Guru, Ki Hadji Ngabedi Surodiwirdjo,
the founder of Pencak Silat Setia Hati.
Together with 13 of his contemporaries, a time had
arrived for him which would keep him locked away
from the outside world for 7 years.
ILMU BATIN
"It wasn't just physical training we had to endure.
Our mental capacities were strengthened there.
We were taught to believe in what we could do
with our bodies, so that at a certain point we
believed we were invulnerable. People laugh about
this of course, but in Indonesia this is seen in a
very different way. Of course your body is
vulnerable, but with your mind, you can achieve
very remarkable things...
The least of these effects are forgetting pain, not feel your injuries.
We had so much confidence in our inner power, the Ilmu Batin, that during training, we
didn't feel it when we were hit with sticks, Goloks and Parangs (knifes, machetes).
Normal people who haven't gone through mental conditioning will of course run up the
worst kinds of injuries, but if you've got that power, nothing will happen to you!".
The training took place in the deep of the night, only lit by the shining of the moon.
These exhausting sessions could go on until the break of day, their spiritual leader
driving them on, again and again. Besides walking the Lankahs, they practiced the
taking out of opponents a lot. There were no sparring sessions like here in Europe.
"Sparring wasn't necessary over there. If you got into a fight, it wasn't for fun! You
fought to survive. It was a matter of me or him. A fight is real, or it's a game, and
therefore not a fight.
During sparring, you use a physical force which is never equal to a mental force. You
never hit and kick for 100%, like I was taught and that what we had to go through
during those nightly sessions can't just be compared with what's happening here in a
dojo or gym. At all times, we were very much conscious of the fact that what we were
doing could decide over life and death.
So, I have to laugh when I hear people talk as if Pencak would be a dance. Of course,
some parts of it are made public that way, and shown at weddings and parties.
But don't be mistaken, Pencak in its most basic form is killing!"
INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM
Once the Japanese had been driven out, the troubles that had beset Indonesia were by
no means over. The English and the Indians came and tried to create some order. The
Dutch came back and tried to reclaim their old rights. But the seeds of revolution which
had been sown long before the invasion were now fully grown, and finally, there came
an Indonesian Republic. Cor Turpijn, who by this time had joined an underground
revolutionary group which fought the Ghurkas, the English, and later even other
Indonesian groups.
Fighting for his land, his independence, for his freedom. One on one fights of man against
man, in the jungle, where mainly guerilla tactics were used, were no exception.
"You should by no means imagine these fights as long drawn-out encounters. There were
two, at most three actions and ten he was taken out, or he was killed. You almost always
used weapons, but if you had lost it for whatever reason, you had to rely on Pencak Silat.
How that went? Well, I was a lot younger and stronger then, of course, I used what we c
allied the "cobra system". From a low, squatting stance, you jump up, scissors your legs
around his neck, and bring him to the ground like that. What also worked very nicely was
striking at the eyes, or breaking the jaw...
(he stretches out his hands and very briefly touches the aforementioned places. He
only has a soft hand, but the accurate pressure reflects only too well the power behind
the move.)"
"You know, I have difficulty with seeing Pencak Silat as a sport. I was taught it so very
differently. My Guru said: "Death is the recognition of defeat", and I belief in that
very much. To be able to say you won from me, you have to kill me, it's as simple as that."
Then later, smiling: "But you know, that was then, things aren't that way anymore. I've
learned to see Pencak as a sport."
After the declaration of independence, all the fighters are called up and told they will have
to start to get an education. So, it's back to school for them. The disappointment for
Turpijn and his comrades is great when the promises made by the Sukarno government
aren't kept. Because he had never had the time to get a real education, he sees his further
rise in the ranks of the military cut off. After he has married an Indonesian wife, she
persuades him to come to Holland.
Holland, in the first instance did not appear to be the promised land. Also because of
his stubbornness and his temper he repeatedly comes into trouble. His limited knowledge
of the language and the pride of the Javanese, don't make him an easy person to get along
with.
PENCAK SILAT AS A SPORT
"Again and again I got into trouble. With my boss, with my colleagues, usually it came
to blows. Fired. Then I got another boss, and it was the same story again. Only because
I took care of
them so quickly, word went around that I was a good fighter. People started to ask: how
did you do that. What are those strange moves? What kind of fighting is that? People
wanted to be taught by me and because I had such a hard time adjusting as an employee,
I could start opening some schools. My only regret is that people in Limburg (because that's
where I started) know me only as a fighter. Once you've got that reputation, it's hard to get
rid off. I know, it's my own fault, but I was young and hot tempered and spoke the language
very badly."
"Also with my colleagues who taught Pencak I had a difficult time. I saw some of them
going through their stuff and didn't know what I saw. I couldn't understand that they
practiced Silat in such a sporty way. It was totally contrary to everything I had been
taught. Together with a good friend of mine, Pa Flohr, I talked about it, and his good
advice has helped me a great deal. To my knowledge, I was the first one to start to
spread Pencak through demonstrations at Pasar Malams (a kind of festive fairs of
Indonesian culture, food, etc.- avd) and such. Now I'm older, I can see that in Holland
the situation isn't like it was in Indonesian in those days that I learned Pencak there and
that one has to adapt to the spirit of the time.
After all, Holland is a civilized country, where jungle fighting really is a bit superfluous."
"It's a real shame that there is so much division in the Pencak world, because I know
there are so many people involved in it. Shortly, I will go to Indonesia to speak with
the Pencak authorities there, to find a solution for the entangled situation in Holland.
I'm glad that the Paka Buana (a union which has as its aim, to unite Pencak in the
Netherlands) is made up of so many enthusiastic young people. I'll do my utmost,
together with Pa Flohr, to propagandize it both at home and abroad."
"If I'm still teaching? Sure, regularly, even. Also, I often go to people's homes to
teach them privately. I used to have a lot of schools, 24 even, but, you know, taxes,
huh? They got me really good, so I had to slow down those activities. Now, I've
given over all those schools to people trained by me, and now and then they invite
me to their higher ranks. That goes very well and I enjoy that very much."
PENCAK WATERED DOWN.
Cor Turpijn is one of the last to have studied Pencak in its primal form and to the
question if the Pencak which he has been given will disappear, he answers:
"A lot of people have never "really" learned the Pencak and study it like I did in
Indonesia. They have learned it here, or learned a little over there and mixed that
a little with Kempo or Karate. That's why a lot of people laugh at the gracious
movements of Pencak Silat, because they (those teachers) never studied the other
side. That's not their fault, of course, but sometimes it hurts a little when I see
Pencak watered down like that. But, you also have to realize that Pencak was
developed with the Indonesian person in mind, who is usually lighter and smaller
that the West European. That immediately means that some techniques from
Pencak have to be adapted if they're going to be used against a European. This
means you have to work even harder to hit the soft and vulnerable spots. Look,
kicking someone in the head is nice and well, but the strong Europeans you
don't necessarily get down with that. Also, it is a dangerous technique, which in
a real fight is as dangerous to the person giving it as the one receiving it. My Pencak
Silat I have brought over to my children and a few special students, so in that respect
I can answer your question negatively. But, we're living in a civilized world with
different norms and values than I held 40 years ago.
The feelings that lived in me, the present generation has never known, and in that
respect, the real fight in the jungle, the jungle fighting, will probably disappear
when I die."
Just kidding, of course. I've been training in Silat since 1995 and loving every minute of it.
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