The Structure of Pencak Silat Mande Muda The late Guru Besar Herman Suwanda taught us that the many styles of Pencak Silat in West Java all have a similar structure. Because of this, he and the Suwanda family were able to incorporate many of them in their hybrid family style, Pencak Silat Mande Muda. If you are studying Pencak Silat, it is important to know the curriculum structure so you can have a more complete understanding of how to organize what you learn. At Tactical Arts, we study Pencak Silat Mande Muda, so the information below will be based on Mande Muda. Like the other styles in West Java, Pencak Silat Mande Muda has three main parts. These parts are jurus, buah, and kembangan. See how these are each defined below:   Jurus - “Root"   In any martial art, there are techn...

Training Tips to make you better, faster Whether you are attending a regular class or only receive instruction from time to time, practice at home is must to develop your Kali skills quickly. Even when my students come to class on a regular basis, they don’t really accelerate their learning until they incorporate regular practice at home. Because of this, I highly recommend you practice your skills at home between each class or lesson. It is actually this self-guided practice that will challenge you to understand the material. The process of trying to recall and practice the material will force you to analyze it. You will not have anyone to follow, so you must use your memory and critical thinking skills. The more you practice at home, the quicker you will learn in class. It is essential t...

Life, Death and Personal Philosophy in Self DefenseAligning your training with your values You can train your physical skills, martial arts, self defense, firearms, fitness, emergency preparedness, etc. until you are a machine, but you must have your mind in the right place or it may all be for naught.  You need to cultivate your cognitive skills under pressure and you need the right mindset.  Without that proper mindset, you will not be able to apply your skills when you need them.  Perhaps even more important: You not only need to address your physical skills, cognitive skills and winning mindset, but also your religious or philosophical values.  You must identify and align your personal beliefs with your training to be able to defend yourself...

Methods to develop powerful strikes in your Kali training If you need to hit someone, then make sure when you hit them, it counts. To do this, you need to be able to hit them hard. If you are lawfully justified in doing so, hit them with enough power that it will stop them from attacking you again. If you have trained to hit hard, then you have the option of hitting with less force when appropriate. However, if you have never developed the ability to hit hard, then you simply will not have that option. Learn to hit hard. If you have a sharp blade and an accurate strike, you may not always need to hit hard, but you do need to be fast. In Kali, we are training for the use of both impact weapons and blades. If you cannot deliver a fast strike and quickly recover, then you are in trouble. The ...

Get the most out of your training with these effective methods. All of us want to be skilled at our arts. We want to move fast and be effective with our technique. Smooth, coordinated movement is a must for that to happen. Regardless of your style or art, there are effective methods for developing coordination that you can incorporate in your practice sessions. Whether you are swinging a stick, slashing with a karambit or practicing a takedown, you can break down the movement and make refinements that will not only make you look better, but also perform better. To do this, you need to know the right movement, practice effectively, and analyze your progress and you make improvements. Know the Right Movement In order to develop the most coordinated movement, you need to know what the right m...