Tekpi (Sai) The Sword Breaker of SSBD

I just spent a weekend in Desenzano, Italy learning how to use tekpi directly from  Maul Mornie (SSBD).  The weekend consisted of instruction on gripping the weapon, grip changes, striking, blocking, and quite interestingly, joint locking.  Totally accessible and friendly, Maul is open to all questions.  Here he is in action.

The tekpi of Brunei and the sai of Okinawa bear strong family resemblances.  They are both three-pronged forks having a long, thick central tine between two shorter and less substantial ones.  The tekpi is primarily an impact weapon, dubbed the Sword Breaker, it can be used to beat bladed weapons away, and of course to beat your opponent purple.  There is no catching of blades with the tekpi, neither between the tines nor with crossed central tines.  That's crazy.  If you understand a little bit about mechanical advantage, two long levers (the sword and the central tine) against your wrists is a recipe for decapitation or "you're not going to believe this but" cocktail conversation.  Note- since you will not be catching swords between the tines, it it perfectly ok to have your thumbs or other digits gripping the tekpi between the tines or indeed wielding the tekpi from the "wrong end."

You might think all this fuss about sword breaking is a bit anachronistic and that tekpi have no use for the modern-day, unarmed fighting guy or gal, but you would be wrong.  According to Maul, the use of the instruments improves the practitioner's structure, mechanics, manual dexterity, and strength.  And why should they not?  Tekpi are steel rods.  You don't whip them about the air without deriving some noticeable benefits, like heavy, penetrating hand strikes and a vice like pinch grip.  When you strike with tekpi, you strike as if wielding a hammer, downwards usually (there are also sidestrikes and uppercuts).  Because these instruments are heavy, you must use your entire body (legs and core) to swing them properly.

Proper use of the tekpi makes the weak arm stronger.  Traditionally, the tekpi was held in the left hand (for right handed warriors), while the right hand wielded the killing weapon, typically a blade of some sort.  This is not unique.  In the West, there is a traditional combination of sword and dagger, then of course there are the Samurai.  Over the course of time, practice with the tekpi actually makes the weak hand the stronger hand, which is not an unwanted development.  According to Maul, the weak hand is actually the more dangerous hand because it is the one used to control the opponent's body and put him into vulnerable positions.  Since close quarters, unarmed fighting is very much about controlling the opponent's body to finish the fight, tekpi training is a perfect complement to Silat and a better karate.

Any errors or misinterpretations are my own.

Silat Buka Lingkaran for Karateka

First, I am sorry for not updating this blog in such a long time.  For my handful of readers, it is not that I have forgotten you.  Moving to Italy presents some distractions.   Just know that I have been training regularly in Silat Cidepok under the instruction of my pal Lorenzo Bagnai, and also attending seminars in Silat Suffian Bela Diri and Silat Buka Lingkaran, given by Maul Mornie and Alvin Guinanao, respectively.  Who knew Italy is the Silat capital of Europe?  Recently, Lorenzo and I had the pleasure of traveling to Gorgonzola (just outside Milan) to learn Silat from Alvin.

Wow!  As a rank beginner in Silat, you might conclude that I am easily impressed by the novel, maybe.  I like to think that a lifetime in the martial arts would enable me to discern the good stuff from fluff.  Lorenzo, who has been teaching Silat Cidepok for ten years, was mightily impressed by Alvin's technique, just as he is impressed by Maul's.  I hold these gentlemen in high regard.  Each has something to teach all karateka.  Here's a vid of Alvin's seminar in Gorgonzola.

Now there are a number of things that can be gleaned from Silat that will make kata more intelligible to karateka.  Among them are flow and gelek ( the notion of turning, often with the limbs of your opponent intertwined with your own).  The notion of flow seems to be stunted in karate.  It is as if the primacy of the "ikken  hissatsu" ideal, where the karateka strives to deliver the one deciding strike, reduces everything to choppy, staccato like movements ending in a punch or a kick.  In contrast Alvin uses strikes to set up opportunities.  One technique flows to the next, twisting, turning, striking, rolling.  He attacks low, then high, whatever it takes to keep the opponent off balance.  Mix it up with Alvin, and you will be off kilter quickly, and then on your face.  In much of what I have learned in Silat, the job is not done until the opponent lays broken on the ground.

I have said before that the numerous turns that you find in kata do not represent opportunities to face a new opponent, rather they represent a takedown or joint destruction.  In the above video, you can see the potential for these devastating technique.  Note that the turns apply as well on the ground.  Some karateka might be familiar with kata that involve falling to the ground, and kicking from one side to the other, without realizing that the turn on the ground itself is the destructive application, the power of gelek.  Falling may also be turned to one's advantage, especially if you are falling on top of your adversary's extended knee or elbow joint.  No movement is wasted.

When you are practicing your kata, ask yourself if any movement seems wasteful.  Does it seem more art than martial?  Cross training in Silat with someone like Alvin, Maul or Lorenzo as your guide will help you make sense of it.  Besides teaching me Silat, they have made my karate better.