copyright 1993- Chas Clements
In the KunTao Silat Malabar deThouars, the use of animal stylings derives from the Sumatran Menangkebau Silat of the Bugis tribe, the Three Crowns of China and the Five Houses of Shaolin practiced as KunTao. It practices specific martial skills, attitudes and variations by using the animal model to carry a memory of instruction. The deep training of the martial spirit is the quality of focus and visualizing that the practitioner can discipline his mind to accomplish. The activity of exercising in the attitude of a particular animal gives us an opportunity to remember intellectual martial knowledge in a physical manner for body memory.
Many animals are taken as models for martial practice, additionally there are variations of attitude and sometimes an implication of spiritual identification. The swallow, otter, Garuda or Raja-Naga, Noble Lady of Patriot Forest, Young Maiden Bathing are some of the types of martial forms practiced in the Indonesian systems on the hundreds of islands, and in the thousands of tribes that live on them. It is not only that the physical attitude is mimicked, but that the attitude and spirit of the model is emulated and studied. Obviously, the techniques of calling the animal spirit is outside the parameters of this article. This discussion is on the very basic level so as to speak to many arts.
The Monkey/Ape attitude in particular provides a sophisticated system of footwork for virtually all other combat practices. Any weapon, body type, purpose of fighting, etc. is well served by monkey footwork. Monkey is our closest relative of the animal group and his knowledge of combat is similar to our own. Monkey's concerned with keeping his head just as we are; Tiger fights Monkey, Snake fights Monkey, RajaNaga fights Monkey, he answers them all. Man has nothing to teach Monkey, we can only learn!
The smaller practitioner of KunTao Silat (Fighting Fist Concept) can utilize the monkey called "Monjet", the smaller monkey and the larger practitioner can use Kalong, the larger ape. Berok, Mandrill, Maccaque, Chimpanzee, Ngkrik, Tjikak, another Baboon type, and the "Old Man of the Jungle", Orang Utan, are some of the other "monkey or ape" stylings. The monkey styles of Honan Shaolin, aspected by both HsingPo (IeHsing Ie) and the PoKwa Zen (Paqua) are melded to the Silat understanding of the immediate combative nature. The monkey types modeled are those indigenous to the Indonesian archipelago and not those of the Chinese mainland. This cultural aspect of the monkey can account for much of the difference in the forma of the art, the Pentjak, as opposed to the more classical and formal Chinese performance. The silat, the combative knowledge, is the fruit of the synthesis of Indonesian and Chinese experiences forged in actual conflict.
The European/American "classical" style knife fighter goes for the big cut; he waits for, or forces, an opening and commits the blade edge deeply in the slash or the point to the stab. He will use the feint to call his opponents position into opening for the major wound. He is concerned in not being touched by the opponent; overiding his armor and smashing his defense in one passado.
The Western fighter has a cultural memory of large knives, armored opponents and fighting with the presentation of a shield. Western fighters stay behind the knife, they have very few decoy moves (besides the feint), and emphasize fully committed strikes to overcome armor or heavy clothing. Ancillary weapons, the rest of the body, are not used aggressively, positional and skeletal decoys are not explored, nor is the live hand aspect. The heavy clothing of the more northern peoples, and the easy availability of metal tools very early in the culture could have had some relativity to that stylistic requirement. Piercing, not immediately fatal, is favored; the major cut to the boney extremity is next, cuts to the body, external organs, attacks to the tendons or blood system are not commonly taught.
Many of the Asian arts wait for the big cut; Japanese/Okinawan/Korean, many of the Chinese wushu practitioners, northern India (the Moghul stylists), and so on. Again, the cultural memory is of strong clothing; large, heavy, broadly made knives- thick backed with a wedge ground edge geometry. Styles depend on broad movements, sweeping cuts utilizing the swing weight of the weapon, heavy pommel strikes and piercing with the inertia of the blade as a major aspect of the thrust. These styles also have to emphasize the recovery from the swing weight of the blade and the withdrawal of the blade from the wound channel. Great endurance is needed for the heavy sword or knife and emphasis is on that training.
It is in Indonesia that we see the expression of art known as 'Heartless Monkey'; an art of small knives, small slashes and stabs, small movement and big results. Heartless Monkey has no 'second thoughts'; no compassion, no regret, no remorse, no reservations. Heartless Monkey has no respect for your Humanity; your unique status as a Human Being deserving of anything, he sees you as a Snake. Think of Monkey- he screams and capers, plucking, pulling and twisting, always in motion. He doesn't react to attack or pain or fright. He attacks heartlessly, pitilessly, without regard for his opponent. He fights to vulnerabilitys; the skin, the blood, the tendons, the eyes, the breath. He immobilizes the skeleton and carves the meat off.
It is usually a small knife; sometimes single edged, sometimes double- always very sharp, very pointed, sometimes carried in sets, sometimes in singles carried around the body. Much of the time, the knife is carried in the front of the body, on either side of the navel. The knife in sheath serves as extra armor, a closed knife can be used as a small hand stick and the hand movements to access the knife are naturally to the center of the body. The common sheathes are wood or horn with no retaining device; they slip forth the blade instantly. It does mean that one must be aware of the knife at all times. The sheath is not attached to the belt or sash, it can be positioned in any way convenient.
With the large knife, its weight does the cutting- with a small knife, your body does the cutting. The leverage of a cut with a small knife is dependant on the rigidity of the wrist and the positioning of the horizontal bones of the shoulders. The large knife seems to require a powerful wrist and the positioning of the waist for the extra leverage needed by the greater weight committment. One learns to "ride" the small edge while on the opponent, maintaining the cutting contact as long as is convenient, repositioning the body to extend the cutting action.
The monkey sylings of Indonesian KunTao/Silat; Ketchak, Monjet, TjiKak, TjiNgkrik and others, characterize various of the primates, and those primates in different personae. The large apes are seen as TaiKeah (internal) practitioners; heavy arms, pulling with the waist, short rooted steps, strikes with the ends of the bones, very positional fighters. In contrast, the small monkey practitioners utilize light penetrating motion, capering and leaping in and out, plucking and grabbing, precision targeting of vulnerable points. The vicious actions of wild monkeys attack the eyes, groin, throat and face. The arms, hair, ears, loose flesh and fingers are used as handles and for distracting pain points to open other targets.
The knives of the monkey stylings range from the 'pisau', a light utility knife, to the 'golok', a heavy cleaver type. The 'badik' and the 'rentjoeng' are sharp pointed, slashing knives with short curved handles for positive hold and instant repositioning from blade front to blade rear. Very often the handle shape is for sitting in the palm of the hand or to be grasped by the toes, it also provides a slinging rear weight for throwing. The emphasis in any weapon knife is its' edge sharpness, point and grip shape. Other considerations are secondary.
The King of fighting knives is the Kris; a slashing, stabbing knife which depends upon its' shape for its' cutting utility. The undulate movement of the blade provides a continuing entering cut for the edge, the point is very sharp with a wound channel wider than any part of the blade. The 'pistol' grip allows for instant repositioning to accommodate changes in the combative distance. The etching of the knife forms a microscopic saw edge that cuts like terror through cloth or meat. The kris has no secondary usage as a tool, it can serve as a badge of rank and certainly reflects the "tribal" affiliation.
Best knives are of layered steel; 'pamur' steel is layed flats that are forge welded at low heat by an impu, a holy smith. Sheathes and grips are made of materials that have intrinsic power and spirit. In addition to the positive aspects of any layered steel blade, there is the concept of a 'holy' weapon; the Indonesian animist practitioners imbue their weapons with a spirit of their own. There is also available a more traditional patterned steel on the European model of twisted and stacked material. They are still quite expensive and made to very high standards of construction. Self steel knives are usually agricultural or commercial implements pressed into service as weapons, the property of the less technologically adept primitives or the poor.
As with other civilized cultures, weapons are an art form and treated with precious stones and other fine and rare materials, prayer and ritual attend their construction, convention and tradition surround their carry and use. Of interest to the anthropologist is the realistic martial usage that has now become ritual. Rituals of display, access, when and where what kind of knife is worn and under what circumstances will lead the practitioner to martial understanding unavailable anywhere else.
The unique hold of the small knife and the position that most characterizes the Monkey styling is the 'palming' of the knife. The butt of the knife is snuggled into the 'V" of the palm with the point and spine following the line between the forefinger and middle finger. This will align the point on the axis of the entire forearm, reinforcing the insertion of the knife into the opponent. This hold also lengthens a short knife by moving it farther along the hand than the common European hold known as the Sabre Grip. As the point is planted, the palm hits the butt of the knife to drive the end below the surface of the body. The practitioner then manipulates the opponents body into a lot of movement to maximize the wound channel inside.
This palming of the knife also allows the fighting movements to be of a more natural manner in the style of the practitioners hand fighting. The positioning along the major axis of the forearm, with the point aligned with the pointing finger, allows the practitioner to utilize the distance and focus that he trains most to do. A palming of the knife makes for a faster and more sure draw of the knife than does the full hand hold. One can release the knife and grab another very quickly if one does not have a commitment to a particular weapon. In an assault from ambush, the quick draw is made after the initial engagement with the opponent; forcing his body into a position will allow the recovery to ones' own body to make the draw.
The small knife is often used as a distraction to decoy the opponents' mind from the fatal attack. To show the knife to the opponent is to command his attention. To lightly wound him is to distract him and to produce terror in his mind; he will move his bone-shield in reaction to the pain. Often, in response to attack from ambush, the wise practitioner will draw the knife after the opponent is disarmed, grounded and seriously hurt. Monkey very often takes the opponents' knife and renews the attack armed with that knife.
A furious barrage of wounding attacks to the opponent will give him no opportunity to attack, only to react. A quick series of small wounds damages him psychically as well as physically. Unless your opponent is a deeply trained man of great mental discipline, he will feel the effect of small wounds as if they were great ones. It is the idea of being 'breached' that is so intimidating.
The 'displante' of moving the opponent along his weakest ground meridians by forcing a foot movement is the first step to taking his head. His strengths are being displayed by the choice of stance and posture that he is using- to force him to change that position is to challenge his tactic and raise questions in his mind about his next move. His reaction time slows down with the number of decisions to be made. One uses the decoy to call his responsive movement into a predictable attack forma.
'Attack the Guns'- First attack the means with which your opponent can hurt you; attack the hands or the arms for holding them. Attack the legs for moving his body too close to you. Attack the head for ever thinking that he should have bothered you. Simple cuts between the fingers, to the wrist tendons, veins and vessels, open joints or just skin attacks. Tears, gouges, rips and slashes, point attacks, wide-edge filleting, flat slaps and percussion movements with the back-edge of the knife are always useful to open the opponents defense.
Remember your other weapons! Your forearms, open hand, feet, knees, elbows and forehead should both protect the weapon and shield behind it. The grasping aspect should be cultivated, as well as grappling and throws with the knife. Resistance to the cutting edge or point will force a grappling submission or displace the skeleton for throwing to the ground. Placement of the knife for the opponent to fall into or on so that the cut can be made is a thought for much intention.
Your weapon can act as a edge-shield, a rod-shield, or a flat-shield for the rest of the body. At the same time, not wanting to be disarmed, your body should protect the knife by guarding the hand/arm that holds it. Your skeletal positioning should remove the knife from the opponents' strong attack meridians, cut the targets that he offers to you.
Prepare yourself to be cut. Prepare to make a choice about where that cut will be. Set yourself to direct the opponent to cut you in a minimally lethal place and to take advantage of his position to kill him. Any fight, much less any weapons fight, much less responding to ambush, must end in the complete domination of the attacker. Prepare your mind, trust the training and practice, relax- enjoy the fight.
The attitude of the "Heartless Monkey" can be utilized by any practitioner of any style of martial art. The "silat", the combative knowlege, is transferable with any system of physical movement. Anatomy doesn't change, vulnerable points are the same for Japanese practitioners, Korean, Chinese, European fencers, etc.
The author is deeply greatful for the direct and personal guidance in the preparation of this article of Guru Besar Willem DeThouars; a man of great generosity and compassion. The kind leadership in practice and personal observations of Guru Steve Gartin, 1st Practitioner and Senior House Student of Uncle Bill, must be gratefully acknowledged in my research and preparation, as well as the work reflected in the photographs accompanying the article. My appreciation also to Roy Sorenson, master photographer and valued martial arts brother. Selamat & Selamat.