When is someone ready to learn Pencak (Pentjak) Silat? That is a good question that I get often from people. A lot of times depending on who you are learning Silat from you will get different answers. For example if you are learning silat from someone that only practices it and teaches it every once in a while out of a gym that teaches 7 other arts in the mix then usually they will tell you you can learn it when you are ready or when you have the basics down. But my question is the basics of what? Silat? or other arts? Why does one need the basics of jeet kune do or wing chun or BJJ or Kali to learn Silat? That is like saying I want to learn to cook Indonesian food and I tell you you are not ready yet you must first learn how to cook Italian food in order to learn how to cook Indonesian food. Now if you ask people that do Silat every day of their life and teaches it 5 days a week they will tell you you are ready to learn it when you are ready to show up and train. There is no time limit as to when any one can learn Silat. Anyone at any age and with any skill level can learn Pencak Silat. It is not determined by knowing or not knowing any other art or discipline. Although it is useful to have cross trained in other arts it is no required in order to know Pencak Silat or to be on the path of mastery with in Silat. Now next question who would you rather learn to play piano from? Someone that plays piano every day of their life and is considered a professional in their field? Or someone that plays piano only a little bit every once in a while? How would that be different from learning Silat from some one that only dabbles in it as opposed to someone that actually lives it? The only way to really learn something like silat is to learn from people that are truly the embodiment of what you are looking for. The argument i have heard in the past is well you need Jeet Kune do to understand how to punch & Kick and you need Kali to understand weaponry and you need Muay Thai to teach you how to kick with your shins and to use your elbows, you need BJJ cause you need to know how to grapple or ground fight etc etc. Well truth is Silat uses elbows, punching, Kicking, Locks, ground fighting, stand up fighting, weaponry and the list goes on and on. You will only find out for yourself when you actually come to train with someone that actually does Silat for real and does not dabble in it. There is nothing wrong with other arts they are all good but they are not prerequisites for you to learn Silat if that is what you really want to learn. If you find yourself with a dabbling instructor that only dabbles and dangles a silat carrot in front of you and promises to you that you will learn silat only after you have mastered the basics of everything else they are selling to you but doesnt really lead you to what silat really is then you need to ask yourself what is it that you really want to do? Cause if you really want Silat then you go learn Silat from someone that can actually teach you. If I want to learn how to shoot and handle a gun I go to someone that knows everything about guns and has the experience in fire arms that can actually teach me how to use them properly. I dont go to a sales man at walmart that carries guns and ammo that always "stays on the shelf" but has probably never shot one nor even knows what to do with it.
If you are ready to do the following:
- Be very focused in learning how to survive any combative situation.
- Be very focused on learning how to strengthen you mind Body & Spirit so you could survive any situation life throws at you.
then you will be ready to train Silat.
New Class Schedule is as follows for 2013
Monday - 9:30 am
Wednesday 8:pm
Friday 9:30 am
Saturday 12pm
Sunday 9:30 am
Location:
216 sw 29 rd
miami fl 33129
For more information Please Contact Guru Santiago Dobles
contact: 7867520052
sdobles@gmail.com
Have a wonderful & Safe & Blessed New Year 2013!
