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A Students' Journey

Friday, 04 December 2009 16:59

The Black Triangle Silat tribe students write about their journey in the dark gift of harimau minangkabau pencak silat.

Ian Llewellyn (Black Triangle Silat UK Tribe)

Minangkabau Harimau Pencak Silat - a set of beautiful words that’s meaning, heritage, tribal roots, reputation and very soul are as dark, complex and diverse as the rainforest and marshland it originates from. This is a story of my journey into Harimau Silat. As with any journey they are a voyage of discovery, along the way we experience joy, pain, friendship, solitude and a myriad of obstacles and emotions. My journey so far has been all of the above. I was introduced to the fighting art of west Sumatra by my Pendekar (teacher) Scott McQuaid. Although for many years we had shared friendship I knew almost nothing of his art. Only once did I catch a glimpse of him training in Harimau Silat with his Pendekar Paul Bennett in South end Essex. I never questioned my teacher about what it was or where it was from and had no real desire to know. It was at that point in my life simply not my path. However time changes much and fast forward six years, a mortgage, beautiful baby son and wife and I am standing in Hong Kong airport shaking my Pendekar's hand. I was about to enter into the humble beginnings of my Harimau Pencak Silat journey.

My first lesson was on a stone floor in a run down gym/hostel in Tsim Tsa Tsui in down town Hong Kong. After three hours of kudas (stances) body mechanics and a bucket of sweat I was exhausted but alive. My first taste of Harimau Silat was a hard one and the realisation that you need incredible leg strength and power was a telling sign on my fitness and strength as for three days after I hobbled around Hong Kong! However training continued in the mental applications of Harimau Silat to situations of war, peace and ultimately life. My time with Pendekar had changed me. My mentality, approach and understanding of what a “martial art” is had radically altered. This would stand to be the most unexpected lesson I would learn in my time in Hong Kong. My journey into the realm of the harimau had begun.

I arrived back in England knowing I would not see my Pendekar for some time, as his own path of learning and exploring his art is ongoing. I was alone in the art and at many times lost but this was a good thing as I had to fight and struggle to learn from memory, diagrams, phone calls and emails and of course trial and error. I learned a lot from this experience I was happy to explore the art in my infancy and explore what I had learned I was happy like this as I knew I would see and train with my teacher in the future and although on the other side of the world he guided me mentally and physically.

Steadily my interest in the origins of Minangkabau Harimau Pencak Silat and the landscape of Sumatra and Indonesia began to ripen, as did my already ripe love of wildlife and the natural world. In particular the Sumatran Tiger (Panthera Tigris Sumatrae), which is the make up and symbolism of the Minangkabau fighting, style. When in battle the Pesilat (silat player) embodies the power and resolution of the tiger engaging into war with nothing-in mind but the kill. My journey into Harimau Silat started sculpting me in many ways and is leading me into helping to conserve the Sumatran tiger threw raising money and awareness to highlight the plight of this particular sub species of tiger. It stands that Harimau Silat and the Sumatran tiger are inexplicably linked and my journey is conserving the heritage, roots and soul of a true warrior and also the beauty and essence of our fighting art the Sumatran tiger.

My teacher always placed great respect and emphasis on the importance of history and lineage behind Harimau Silat. From the Indonesian archipelago to the British Isles Guru Richard De Bordes insured the continuation and evolution of Harimau Silat from the dense jungles to the concrete jungles of the U.K. Threw Guru Randolph Carthy, Pendekar Paul Bennett and Pendekar Scott McQuaid our tribe continues in the shadows alongside the tiger and perhaps one day you or me will spread our message like those who fought and walked before us. Harimau Silat raised many issues within my self. The journey I am on is seemingly as much mentally demanding as it is physically. Struggling to understand my place, my role, our place as humans in this world is complex and has been pondered and never understood by anyone. We are not meant to understand life and not meant to understand Silat, we seek to learn, to search, and grow, as humans in all aspects of understanding be it fighting, family life, meditation, training, education, travelling or being at peace. We seek to learn the basics. We grasp the roots never the entirety there is simply not enough time for this. We may master the basics but we never become a master. Perhaps we need to master the basics of respect for human life threw our associated arts and in turn our earth, oceans, forests and wildlife and leave a legacy behind for the generations who follow in our footsteps. And the fight we need to be engaging in is the one to make our planet a better place for all its inhabitants. However with this said the origins ethics and purpose of Harimau Silat are not forgotten. The art is derived from war, survival, the tiger and evolution. And those elements remain the very core and epicentre of the art and in the world we live in today we need that. If out of a system of fighting can come peace then this is a great thing. And in the world we live in today we also need that!

On the 16 of September 2005, I boarded a plane bound for Indonesia to once again meet my Pendekar and train with him, observe, learn, and travel for two weeks in the land where Silat begun. Travelling into Indonesia and the island of Sumatra was a long awaited experience and my anticipation to meet Instructor McQuaid and see the Country had been building for some weeks. Landing at Jakarta airport I was greeted by my friend I was pleased to see a friend and his face amongst an enthusiastic crowd of Indonesians all vying for me to take a taxi with them. Feeling disorientated but in good spirits we headed to the city centre and a place to rest. Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia and is a colourful busy city bustling with tuk tuks, taxis and some other ingenious modes of transport.

After some food a rest and a good look around the city Pendekar trained me on a stone floor in a small room this was to be only my second lesson since starting silat over 7 months ago but the whole time between these long awaited lessons I had been preparing threw my own training. Within minutes the floor was a wet mess of sweat and it was a good lesson in coping with terrain the floor was a barrier to be overcome. My teacher has always taught me to observe and be prepared for any terrain be it carpet or concrete. I immersed myself in being guided and corrected I had to grip hard to the floor and low to keep a steady footing and at many times coming un stuck and fighting to keep control. I used any means necessary to remain balanced even shunting against furniture to get grip and grounding using the furniture to my advantage. This served as a good lesson and my pendekar realiterated that in war there is no rules if you slip or fall deal with it and make it your advantage. There is no reset button, there is no “lets start again”.

The next day we flew into Sumatra and I could see the broccoli shaped forests I had longed to observe as we flew over the crest of the Barisian mountain range that stretches down Sumatra like a backbone. Landing at Minangkabau airport in west Sumatra I had my first taste of the land and its transport. Bartering a moped ride from the airport to the bus station in Padang was a funny experience and I got my first taste of the very welcoming and friendly Sumatrans. After agreeing a fee we were of Haring down the road with my mopeds rider in full pantomime mode singing and laughing and shouting “Welshman, Welshman” We boarded a bus bound for Bukkitingi. The buses and characters you meet are quite something and the taste of cigarette smoke is never very far away nor is the bizarre driving antics that are a mixture of full throttle over taking on bends and very sudden stopping to beeping the horn at everything that moves.

Finally we arrived in Bukkitingi the ground where in 1610 Harimau Silat begun and three hundred and ninety five years of evolution later we stood on the same soil. We booked into a home-stay and rested. Bukkittingi is the main city of the Menang province which covers a large part of west Sumatra and is a hive of activity bustling with markets, food stalls, horse drawn carriages, mopeds and mini vans. Next morning we headed to Sianyok Canyon to view the forest, terrain, villages and Mount Merapi (Fire Mountain). On the way into the canyon we spotted the only tiger we would both see on our journey through Sumatra. Standing guard at the start of the canyon was a battered old statue of a tiger bearing the words AWAS meaning look out. Seeing the old stone tiger had a profound effect on both pendekar and myself in many ways it has so many connotations linked to the path we are walking and the path of tigers not only in Sumatra but worldwide. Upon my return to England I have looked at the picture I took many times and the more I look the more it speaks. We carried on trekking threw villages with traditional minangkabau housing and their amazing roofs based on bulls horns that reach for the sky. The jungle backdrop combined with Mount Merapi, amazing views and the people we met where a special experience.

The next day we made time to trek into the jungle with a guide to see the world’s biggest flower (Rafflesia Arnoldii). The flower is rare, endangered and is heading for an uncertain future. The flower can reach up to a metre in diameter and weigh up to eleven kg. Pollinated by flies attracted to its stench of rotting carrion it lives more like a parasite and is a botanical oddity. It has no root system, stems or even leaves just the flower is present and it survives by draining all its nutrients and life support from another plant the Tetra stigma Vine. Like all parasites it lives of the host for its life cycle then reproduces and soon after dies. After many photos with the big guy we headed back to Bukkitingi to see a traditional dance and performance of Silat.

  In a town hall we waited patiently the backdrop was set with rich drapes of coloured fabrics flowing from the ceiling to the floor with gold’s and blues encapsulating the stage. A fine array of drums, gongs and flutes awaited their masters on low tables. The dance and music were better than I had expected and the female dancers showed many characteristics of our f ighting art. The fluid movement and low stances were important to observe and it showed me where the beauty of our system comes from. When I watch my teacher train or perform a kembangan (flower dance) among the devastation and brutality of the systems movement is a beauty and this element is Harimau Silat’s most attractive feature. The music to accompany the dances is a variation of drums, gongs, flutes and singing that at points builds to a thunderous tempo and you can start to feel the stirrings of war as they build the music to a pinnacle then as swift as it arrives it drops to a easy going almost steel drum sounding melody. Again it resembles the easy-going attitude of the people but the undertones are more serious as soon the music flares as quickly as it mellows. This to draws comparisons to Harimau silat as the pace and rhythm is broken, built up, dropped low and then powered of only to relax back ready for the next wave.

Before long, the Persilats where on stage and due to perform as they scattered broken plates over the stage, part of a traditional ceremony to accompany a dance known as Tari Piring. Three Pesilats engaged in a performance of silat and it was good to see silat performed in its home and it was a good performance. But the silat was an amalgamation of styles and it was hard to pinpoint any of our system in the performance and it pointed strongly to the fact that our Harimau Pencak Silat was not to be found even in its ancestral homeland or if it was we did not manage to find it. Once again comparisons with the tiger are drawn and as it is fast becomes extinct so to does Harimau Silat in its homeland. It’s a fact that more tigers are privately owned in America than are living wild in the whole of the tiger’s natural range across Asia. With that said it seems our system of silat is also now only to be found in pockets around the western world and is as rare as a tiger in its homeland. However the performance had a positive effect on me and I gained a lot from the dancers movements and I have no doubt it has already started to influence my silat.

We left Bukkitingi satisfied and headed for Manijau, a two-hour bus journey from Bukittingi, and descended into the extinct volcanic crater known as Lake Manijau. It is a beautiful spot set deep inside the crater with dense jungle climbing to the top of the crater and is buzzing with dragonflies, butterflies, birds and reptiles that constantly dart in and out of rice paddies and streams. We trained hard in Maninjua in the open air on the terrain with traditional houses, jungle and people all around it was good to train and learn on the soil I felt humbled by the experience. The training was harsh and consisted of my teacher demonstrating takedowns and attacks. My legs took a pounding with the force of the attacks but it is simply part of the process you have to experience. We stopped at Lake Maninjau for a few days and spent the time talking about silat and learning and discussing many different topics and issues. The time spent was very peaceful and at times I would look around the borders of the crater that confined us and feel so detached from the outside world that it felt like you did not exist.

The journey continued up into north Sumatra towards Lake Toba and the home of the Batak people. Along the way we trained and observed everything that was offered. Pendekar schooled me on the use of the Pisau (small knife) and Kriss (wavy knife) and showed me how it’s used in war and how it is perfectly at home in the hands of a pesilat. The Kriss is a fantastic weapon and seeing its use was a real eye opener and a really important lesson. During the knife lesson I observed a part of silat I knew was there but had perhaps not fully comprehended. For the first time I actually saw silat in its true raw form as Pendekar showed me the applications of the pisau. I realised that this art is truly derived from war all intentions and movements are the kill. In that lesson I was stopped dead in my tracks as I looked at my friend and realised that not only was he my friend and teacher but also he is a something more he is a warrior. In his movement I could see the battlefield the blood and I could see his capabilities its applications were clear. Even now looking back to that lesson I still get the same feeling and it still scares me and will stay with me forever. In reality the art is dark but full of light. In reality its applications are as devastating and are patient as a tiger. My time in Sumatra has given me a lifetime of lessons to work on and I sometimes think I will simply not have enough time in my life to even see these basics clearly.

My last destination in Sumatra would be Lake Toba the largest fresh water lake in South East Asia. Lake Toba is a beautiful destination and a great place to train and recover with fantastic views of forest, landscape and good people. The Lake itself has a timeless quality and has seen many ages and was once an active volcano of gigantic proportions and can be seen by the epic proportions of water that now fill its crater. Situated in the lake is the island of Tuk Tuk and has many craftsmen that carve an amazing array of tribal faces and figurines the island also boasts hot springs traditional dances and music as well as some great spots to just relax and take it all in. However my time in Sumatra was coming to an end and we headed further north to Medan the second largest city of Indonesia. Ready to depart from Medan airport I left my Pendekar as I had found him on arrival amongst a sea of bustling Indonesians and said goodbye.

On the journey back to England I had plenty of time to reflect and look back at what I had learned and what I was only just beginning to learn. Sumatra is a great place with really good friendly people and a fantastic array of wildlife, terrain, eco systems and so much more. Indonesia is the world’s biggest chain of islands and has something to offer every traveller that visits its many different islands. My journey had been about learning and seeing where our art came from by training on the ground by meeting its people and seeing its nature by catching a glimpse of the Shadows of Sumatra.

Photos credited to Ian Llewellyn, Pendekar Scott McQuaid and The Sumatran Tiger Trust.

I would like to thank the following:
Alyson, Jem and Rodney
Pendekar Paul Bennett
Pendekar Scott McQuaid
Those who walked and fought before me.

For information regarding classes in Harimau Pencak Silat in North London, you can telephone 02082271969.

Alternatively email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If you would like to learn more about the Sumatran tiger and the ways in which you can preserve the last of the Indonesian sub species please visit www.tigertrust.info and see the many ways in which you can help.

All Tiger Photographs are copy written by The Sumatran Tiger Trust. Thank you for the loan of these pictures of wild Sumatran tigers.

 

Dave Russell (Black Triangle Silat Hong Kong Tribe)

March 16th, 2009

Instinctively since childhood I've felt a connection with two things which i felt were entities within me, a ninja, and the tiger, with their untenable deadly, yet beautiful and above all, rare styles. Thus i developed an interest in oriental martial arts, but never found one that 'called me' or 'clicked' with me internally. Years later, My path lead me to Hong Kong, where i began taking up kung fu, as a 'more practical form' than many popular ones today,( Japanese, Thai, boxing, etc. ).

Wing Chun was the one that stood out to me as a highly practical/ tactical and highly mental type of art and I've since been studying this system. But it seemed to be 'incomplete' to me in certain areas, so I started to look for something with ground work fighting involved to help combine with my combat training.

Student David Russell and student Jaideep Khilnani

Silat bases itself on more primal, raw, one may even say barbaric or animal principals from the very first lesson, using an ever present, highly 'overlooked' weapon, the earth below our feet. Taking a different approach to the battle of hand play type of chess games most styles tend to have, instead of addressing battles as a human vs. human. Conflict, engaging the current moment and possibilities of demise as an animal. An animal revered and respected for its agility, grace, and lethality possessed is the tiger, a.k.a. the Harimau.

The training, or should I say transformation lessons, are intense, especially for the first few months. Being in burning trembling pain as each muscle in your legs tightens to an explosive point really tests your mental and physical conditioning. As the classes progressed occasional cuts and injuries would arise through the immediate application of this style. But you know how it is, the deeper the cut is made, the deeper the message is engraved, as we continue to the next stone page...

 

Richard Cabelka (Black Triangle Silat Hong Kong Tribe)

March 23rd, 2009

I have always wanted to study a martial art. Ever since I saw a bunch of old movies with Bruce Lee and Jet Li as a child, I was fascinated by the art of fighting, the incredible whole-body coordination and perfection of physical skills. For a while, I even tried jumping over a growing shrub like the hero of an 80’s Korean film ‘Hong Kil-Dong’, hoping that just like him I would be able to leap over fully-grown trees one day.

I have a brother who was also interested in martial arts at various points in his life—he studied karate at the high school and later on taekwondo at the university. He’s nine years older than me and therefore he’s always been a kind of a role model to me and someone I looked up to. When I was a kid, he would wrestle with me and teach me some simple arm-locks and twists, which I would immediately put into practice during sparring scuffles with my friends. I would typically win these friendly tussles as I was very flexible and my pain threshold was quite high. But when it came to a real fight, I didn’t have it. I would get to a point where I could finish the fight, but I wouldn’t, because I didn’t want to hurt the other person by punching them in the face or kicking them in the nuts. Needless to say, my opponents often didn’t have these reservations and my hesitation meant that the fight quickly turned around.

When I reached my teenage years, I very briefly studied karate myself, only to be disappointed by a crowded class, lack of attention from the teachers and what felt like empty forms without much practical application. I went through about 2 or 3 months of introductory classes and after that decided that I did not want to continue. Nevertheless, my interest—at least on an intellectual level—in martial arts didn’t cease. Since lots of the martial arts come from Asia and are often closely intertwined with different religions or schools of thought, I eventually became interested in Buddhism and Taoism. I was fascinated by the word ‘enlightenment’ and wanted to learn more. This lead me to an intense study and practice of meditation and mysticism. I was really dedicated—I would sit and meditate for hours every day for several years, trying out different techniques and approaches. My meditation practice eventually became less formal and turned into a general interest in personal growth and development. I am very curious about human nature, who we are and how we can live to our fullest potential. One of the things that also holds a deep attraction for me is the exploration of true essence of masculinity, of being a fierce and fearless yet deeply loving and humble man and warrior. And having the ability to defend myself and even kill if necessary seems like an essential part of it.

In any case, I didn’t have a chance to pick up a martial art while I was growing up because I mostly lived in small places where no good martial art classes were offered. When I got older, I moved a lot and didn’t want to start learning something new only to move once again and stop.

But the desire has always been in the back of my mind and I eventually became tired of dreaming and decided that I need to take action. Given my meditation background, I was for a long time philosophically speaking closest to aikido or perhaps tai-chi. However, as my understanding deepened and evolved, I slowly realized that true spirituality embraces much more than sitting cross-legged on a pillow and being all lovey-dovey and soft. There is no light without darkness and I now wanted martial art that was practical, grounded, reality-based, with no-bullshit approach. I didn’t want to practice it as an ‘art’ or ‘sport’—I was looking for something that would teach me not only to protect myself, but in general toughen me up, help me get in touch with my warrior core and improve my self-confidence. I’ve read good things about Krav Maga, Systema, Jeet Kun Do and was also considering Wing Chun (although to be honest, I was never very impressed by what I saw in various videos available on the Internet).

Living in Hong Kong, we have an advantage of close expat community and very helpful Internet forums. Not knowing much about the local martial art scene, I’ve asked for an advice which martial art available in Hong Kong I should pick up based on my requirements of effectiveness and high degree of applicability in reality. I got bunch of replies and among them was one from a guy named Jay. He said that he’s training in a virtually extinct form of Pencak Silat and if I want to know more, I should send him an email. I did and we kept the communication going for a little while. Eventually, Jay sent me a link to Pendekar Scott McQuaid's Black Triangle Silat website. I did my research and read everything on the site and elsewhere on the Internet to find out more about the art. I also watched all the videos on YouTube, etc. My favorite one is ‘Voice of The Black Triangle Silat Tribe’ which, in my opinion, beautifully captures the intensity of the art, its history and Scott’s personality as a teacher and fighter. When I heard him say: “It’s pretty much engage, close the distance, get the job done,” I was sold. I knew I found what I was looking for.

From there, it was a pretty straight-forward process. I came to see a class that Jay had with Scott to get even a better understanding of what it was all about. The class was in Kowloon Park and we’ve had a small incident with a local Chinese kung-fu teacher who tried to kick us out saying that only the Chinese martial arts can be practiced there, that it’s a space where his master taught, etc. The argument went on for about 10 minutes. We tried to reach a compromise with him, but he was intentionally difficult. I was impressed how Scott handled the situation and in a way it was a display of Silat in practice. He kept his cool, yet didn’t back down to the unreasonable demands of the Chinese teacher. When the Chinese guy became angry and aggressive, Scott calmly told him that they can settle it right there and right now. Needless to say, he didn’t want to. Finally, we just told him we’re going to stay where we were and carried on with our training. After the class, Scott interviewed me to see if I am a suitable student. I was nervous, but at the same time appreciated the fact that there is a selection process in place and not just about everyone gets to be taught. At the end, Scott concluded that I seem like a suitable candidate and invited me for the next class. Boy, was I relieved and excited.

But I didn’t quite know what I signed up for—the first class was hell. We did lots of kudas (stances) and less drills and I soon realized why Jay was heavily panting and sweating so much last time. My legs felt like they were made out of lead and by the end of the class, I could barely walk. The pain got even worse over the next two days and as my muscles struggled hard to recover, I was walking with the speed and style of a physically handicapped grandma. Fortunately, my body adapts quite quickly and while the next classes were still challenging and exhausting, they were not quite as bad as the first one. When Scott asked me to sign a form to release him from any liability should I get hurt or killed during the training, I experienced a wave of mixed emotions—fear and anxiety on one hand (“crap, what if something really happens to me?” ), and elation and bliss on the other (“awesome, I came across something really genuine and authentic here!”).

All in all, Silat has been an amazing process of self-discovery for me since the very beginning. I LOVE every aspect of it. The pain and exhaustion, the joy and thrill, the adrenaline, the brotherhood and camaraderie, the solitude of one’s journey. The conditioning, the drills, the getting rough with the other students. The harder and more intense the training, the better. I see it all as part of a bigger, hugely satisfying package. Sometimes I almost feel high after the class. At other times, I’m bloody frustrated because I can’t get a technique right or feel that I’m not making any progress. But in my heart I know that I have found something I’ve been looking for for a long time. Something that is meeting and rewarding me on a very deep, existential level.

The art itself is as deadly and vicious as it gets, but ultimately it’s not the moves that win a fight—it’s the mentality and dedication of the fighter. And not just a fighter—a warrior. And that’s why I’m so grateful to have Scott as a teacher. He constantly reminds us to engage, to get in, to finish the fight as soon as possible. No pussyfooting around, smash the guy’s head against the floor and move on. If the battle takes longer than 4 or 5 seconds, it’s too long. Our Silat is dark, it’s a warfare, not a sport. But we approach it humbly and wisely, ready to show our tiger claws and fangs only when truly needed. Minor injuries are common—I had a busted lip and I can’t even keep a count of scrapes and scabs on my hands, feet and elbows. But more serious injuries occur too—one training my knee joint snapped out and back in which was very painful. But as they say: “No pain, no gain.” Even the injuries are part of the journey.

Scott as a teacher is always patient, willing to help, correct us or explain the technique in greater detail. At the same time, he keeps the training intense and full-on—we don’t get to slack off. He’s dedicated to the preservation of the art and 100% present during the class. But what’s more, he walks his talk. There is no doubt that he’s a warrior himself and someone you wouldn’t want to mess around with. Ultimately, he’s a great inspiration and I can only hope to reach his level of understanding and embodiment of Harimau Minangkabau Pencak Silat myself one day. As he says in numerous places, we truly walk in the footsteps of giants...

 

Jaideep Khilnani (Black Triangle Silat Hong Kong Tribe)

May 4th, 2009

It's 6:30 am in the Big Durian (as the locals refer to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia). After dining at a West Sumatran-style restaurant last night, one complete with the kabau (bull) horn feature of Minangkabau rumah gadang (big houses) and distinctive exterior painting and being asked about what brought me to harimau by my lovely guide, I realized it was time to write about my experience and how harimau Minangkabau has become an indelible part of my life.

Since boarding my flight in Hong Kong, people have been asking me why I decided to come to Jakarta for a holiday, since the vast majority of tourists who come to Indonesia prefer to go to Bali. I've told them it's because I'm very interested in Indonesian culture in all its forms, including the food, clothing and music, and the diverse people that make up this enormous nation, and I felt Jakarta would give me a better taste of Indonesia as a whole than Bali would. I also got a great deal on my trip here, and I've been in touch with a native Jakartan for several months, so I decided to go for it. My work and study leave me with little time for leisure and travel, and I am so glad I made this trip. I've told a few people my passion for Indonesia is inspired by my study of pencak silat, and I get a variety of responses from “cool” to surprise and disbelief. The Indonesian-Chinese guy seated next to me on the plane looked at me like I was nuts for a while, then told me that my study of silat was good since most Indonesians prefer Aikido and Judo nowadays and that there is no more silat. I'd been told the same by Pendekar Scott McQuaid when I'd first met him (although he did say there is still “loads of silat” in Indonesia, just not harimau Minangkabau), so I wasn't too surprised by this. I'm proud to be studying an art that is almost extinct—sadly, just like the Sumatran tiger. Modern life, overpopulation and the world's insatiable desire for Sumatran timber are encroaching on the pristine jungle where the harimau sumatera stalks its prey.

I've always been interested in martial arts because I felt being able to take care of myself would be useful. I dabbled briefly in judo in my early teens under a former Olympic Gold medalist, Dave Starbrook, but for whatever reason, I didn't stick with it.

My next foray into the world of martial arts was out on Long Island, New York. There was a very controversial self-defense class being offered at the college I was attending out there, and since I needed some phys ed credits toward my major, I decided to take the course. While taking the class, one of the students, who was a fairly serious martial artist, sparred with me, and I realized I was totally unprepared for any kind of unarmed combat. It was an eye-opening experience and it provided me with food for thought.

When I returned to Hong Kong in February of 2005, I knew I was in a significantly safer place than NY, but I still felt the need for some form of protection. There was no pepper spray, no guns and no stun guns. I decided to look into impact weapons and blades. I've always liked knives, and I remember slicing my finger on a razor-sharp knife my mother gifted me in Switzerland at the age of 8 or 9 and being amazed (and horrified) when the blood just wouldn't stop flowing from the gash I'd created.

My passion for bladed weapons began to grow, as did my collection, but I still felt unable to really protect myself. That has since changed, thanks to my study of silat, and my more recent acquisitions have been exclusively Indonesian.

In 2007, I met someone who changed my life for the better in so many ways. Her passion for life and her attitude to tackling everything that came her way headlong fascinated me. I had a bad habit of trying to take the easy way out and I tried to do as little as possible, thinking life was all about experience and pleasure, and that one should do as little work as possible. Her passion toward everything she did, which she attributed to her study of the Japanese martial arts, was inspirational, as well as her ability to shut out pain and her flexibility, balance and physical ability. I thought I was tough in some ways. I was 220 lbs and could deadlift and leg press well over my bodyweight, but she was so much tougher. She'd successfully used what she'd learned to defend herself against a rapist in her teens. Once, we grappled for fun, and I realized (again) I really lacked knowledge on how to protect myself, although I ultimately pinned her just by using my mass. I also realized pinning someone is fine, but I didn't know what I was going to do from that point on (if I had to). She didn't like my fascination with firearms at all, an attitude I've found many martial arts share. My attitude toward guns is that they can be very efficient at stopping threats in the modern world, but ideally, one should be trained to fight with or without them. She told me if I wanted to delve into martial arts, I should find a teacher who incorporated philosophy into the training. Unfortunately, our beliefs and lifestyles varied significantly, and we lost touch. Meeting her was one of the most important learning experiences I could ever have had.

In early 2008, I ultimately stumbled upon a blade purportedly of Indonesian design known as the karambit, a claw-shaped blade inspired by Hindu mythology. It was entirely different from any of the other blades I'd owned, I was amazed at how efficiently and quickly it cut through anything and how well it fit the hand and integrated into any movement.Through my reading on the karambit, I eventually discovered the various combative arts of pentjak silat. Silat looked very strange, but I soon realized it was extremely effective and devastating in a manner unlike any 'martial art' I'd seen before, and many forms incorporate the use of the karambit and other edged weapons.

In July of 2008, I discovered harimau silat on Youtube. I'd never seen anything like it, and on one of the videos, entitled “HARIMAU PESILAT McQ,” Pendekar was talking about harimau and his passion and knowledge of the art were immediately evident. The calm, matter-of-fact tone of voice he spoke in when describing the devastating nature of harimau, interspersed with samples of Scott battering people into the ground, inspired me to check out the other videos his British student Ian Llewellyn had posted on Youtube. On one of the videos, the information box said Pendekar McQuaid was based in Hong Kong. I had to rub my eyes in disbelief. While I had little belief in myself and my ability to take on something as demanding as harimau (a problem that has plagued me for years—a lack of belief in myself and my abilities), I knew I had to get in touch with Ian and find out if I could learn from Pendekar McQ. Ian wrote back and said Scott would be in Hong Kong in late August, and that if I provided him with my number and e-mail address, Scott would be in touch.

I remember getting that first call from Pendekar McQ. I'd been researching harimau and I'd read virtually every article on the Black Triangle Silat website. My heart skipped a beat when I realized who I was speaking to. I'd figured it was a call about work, so it was a surprise to say the least. Later that week, I set up a time to meet with Pendekar, and we met by the Bruce Lee statue on the Avenue of Stars. True to form, I was 15-20 minutes late and dripping with sweat in the summer humidity when I arrived.

My first impression of Pendekar McQuaid was that he seemed like a regular bloke. He was dressed very casually, and he wore Airwalk skate shoes, which were all the rage when I was a teen. Meeting Scott for the first time was interesting. I'd seen him looking around and at the ground right before I walked up, which I thought was a bit odd. When I walked up to Scott, introduced myself and apologized for being late (something I seem to have to apologize for too much; I definitely need to work on that), he asked me about what I'd seen on my way to the statue. I'd pretty much run all the way since I was late, so I couldn't answer any of the questions he asked me because I really hadn't been paying attention to my surroundings. He even asked me about who was sitting on a bench behind me, and I had absolutely no idea. He asked me about my peripheral vision next, and I did better on that part. I knew there were a few people directly to my right, and I could see the man next to me. I heard a woman speaking, so I knew there were at least two people there.

Scott talked for hours and I took in every word. His knowledge of combat was immediately apparent and I was learning a lot right away. He mentioned the importance of looking for exits when entering a place and always being aware of how to get out if need be, and from that day on, it's something I've tried to do no matter where I go. Scott invited me to train at Ip Man Kung Fu/The Garden Hostel. He said I could try harimau out, and if it didn't work for me, he'd understand. Funnily enough, I was familiar with the location, having encountered it about a year prior to that. I'd gone in and asked the guy at studying in Wing Chun, he told me the Sifu wasn't around, so I'd have to come back to talk to him. For whatever reason, I never did.

My first lesson was gruelling to say the least. It was really hot and I couldn't stay on my feet because Pendekar kept sweeping and twisting me to the ground. Like he'd said in the video, I saw the room fly by and then I found myself on my back wondering what the heck was going on. My feet got torn up from sliding around on the tiled floor, but I didn't care. It was tough, I was sweating buckets, I was dizzy and my legs were screaming for me to give up, but I didn't. If anything, I knew I'd found a true challenge and I wasn't walking away. The next few weeks were tough, and I had real trouble getting home after training because my legs had been devastated by the stances and trying to stay and move low, and it didn't seem to be getting much easier! If anything, the sessions seemed to be getting harder. Eventually, after a month or so, my body started to catch up, but I still seemed to be ending up on the ground staring up at the ceiling.

I realized lifting weights hadn't helped me at all—in fact, the extra weight I had on me from eating voraciously to pack on mass had put me at a significant disadvantage. The heat and the water loss meant my body weight dropped from 95 kg (15 stone) to 85 (just under 13.5 stone) after my first month. Interestingly, since I started training with Pendekar, my passion for lifting weights has waned significantly. I can't even remember when I lifted weights last, but I feel I am in significantly better shape overall. I also feel that I can handle pain much better than I could in the past, and being struck during training is part of the process of preparing for combat in harimau. My balance has improved considerably from standing and sitting in kudas (stances) and I am lighter on my feet, which has been something I've always struggled with. Harimau has taught me to move more like a tiger than an elephant!

In terms of practicality, harimau has been a godsend. I feel I am much better able to deal with sticky situations than I would have been in the past. To put it simply, harimau works. It works incredibly well. It is efficient, fast, destructive and deceptive, and totally unique. The Minang masters of old knew how to manipulate the human body, and truly understood biomechanics and how to use it to devastate the opposition in the blink of an eye. At times, I am often amazed at how fragile we are and how simple it could be to take someone's life—or to have one's life taken. I am far more aware of my surroundings, which Scott stressed the importance of in my first meeting with him almost eight months ago. I realize now I was never really aware of my surroundings in the past, even though I thought I was, and I now notice far more about the world and people around me than I ever did in the past. Pendekar calls silat the dark gift, and I am both extremely grateful for and in awe of the knowledge I am receiving.

As I realized as I saw Hong Kong shrink below me as the garuda (an Indian demi-god who is half-human, half-eagle, and is an important national symbol for both Indonesia and Thailand, as well as being the name of Indonesia's national airline) I was seated on rose into the sky, we are so insignificantly small, but our impact on the world is entirely defined by our actions, accomplishments and how we choose to live our lives. Aside from allowing me to physically defend myself much better than I ever could before, practicing silek harimau (tiger silat) and the adat (traditions) are making me a better person in everything I do.