 Amaar De La Rey (joburg) & Tazkia (Indonesia) "About applied silat in my daily life, I really cannot explain it. But what I can say is that silat brings me closer to Allah and Islam as my religion and also gives me a deeper understanding as how to live by Islamic morals and ethics. "
Tazkia (full name: Rossticha Anjar Kesuma Tazkia). Chief of Azhar Seni Beladiri branch at Alazhar University Indonesia, and secretary of AYLI (Azhar Youth Leader Institute) speaks to us! Last month, I met with Indonesian female silver medalist Tazkia. Here's the transcript of our short conversation. Faheem: Assalamu Alaykom Warahmatullah, could you please introduce yourself? Tazkia: Wa alaykum salam warahmatullah wabarakaatuh. My name is Tazkia, and I come from Indonesia. I was born in Sumbawa (an Island on the west of Indonesia) on the 12th of April 1991. I am 23 yrs old. Faheem: When did you get involved in silat? Tazkia: I started when i was 19 yrs old in 2010 at the Al Azhar Seni Beladiri Silat school. Before this, I have never played any other sports. Faheem: Thats very interesting! In terms of silat, did you participate in any competitions. Tazkia: Yes, I have participated in about 4 competitions which were regional, state, national and international competitions. Faheem: How many medals have you won? Tazkia: I have 3 medals. In my school competitions I achieved a gold medal for Jurus Tunggal category. I also recieved a bronze in an international competition for the Jurus Wajib (synchronised jurus), and a silver medal for Jurus Tunggal as well. Faheem: So could you tell us about the level of training you have to endure for the international competition? Tazkia : Of course it isnt easy as you have to train your physique well and also perfect the technique and movements. More importantly when practicing, you have to do your best and repeat each movement at least 1000 times to do it well. Faheem: Do you actually count those 1000 times when you train? Tazkia: Not actually, you have to estimate. In reality if you practice 100 movements daily, how many times would you have repeated it in one month or 3 months? Do not just count till 1000, because you will have to repeat the moves thousands of times. Faheem: Could you advise us about the level of commitment and drive you must have for this type of training. Often we find that boredom sets in because students lose focus due to repetition of moves. Some students even feel that they are getting nowhere, so how would you encourage them? Tazkia: Silat students should never get bored. Your should push yourself and fight yourself. If you get bored, you will get nothing out of training. Always check with your teacher if your training or movement is improving and be open to correction. Faheem: Besides the Jurus Tunggal and Jurus Wajib, which other categories of competition have you participated in? Tazkia: I have participated in sparring (tanding) as well, but I'm not cut out for it as I'm too thin so I should pick up some weight first before trying this out again. But for now, my focus is the Jurus Tunggal. Faheem: Which category do you like the most? Tazkia: I prefer the Jurus (artistic) categories because it represents silat best. The sparring (olahraga) is more a sport and is limited to a strict set of rules and techniques. If you master about 5 techniques you could enter the sparring category but the Jurus is more rich in technique. In the artistic category you have to focus not only on the movements but your expression and feeling or soulfulness as well, and its not limited to 5 techniques but at least 100 techniques. So I'd say I love the seni (art) of silat very much, its real silat. Faheem: It seems the more complicated things are a challenge for you. Tazkia: Yes indeed! Faheem: How could you advise pesilats who aspire to enter the Jurus or artistic category. Developing artistic flare and soulfulness as you say is not easy to achieve. How do you develop the Silat Warrior Spirit (semangat)? Tazkia: Firstly you should be motivated and convinced by yourself. Self motivation and discipline is of utmost importance as it all starts within. Secondly, you should practice slowly and dont rush. Semangat takes time to build so do not rush. Lots of practice makes perfect. Faheem: For those females who aspire to be good in silat, what are the benefits of silat training which you have experienced? Tazkia: Practicing silat is not just a short term thing. Its something you carry with you for the rest of your life. I heard that in South Africa the crime rate is high so silat is especially good for women to protect themselves. Silat is not empty, it has many benefits like health and achievements when you become an athlete. Faheem: Would you say there are more men or women doing silat in Indonesia? Tazkia: Actually there are more women doing silat over there. You could say the ratio is 4:1. The movements of silat is very suitable for women in terms of its gracefulness, beauty and flexibility so women really like it. Faheem: Silat is seen as a holistic and islamic martial art. How have you applied your silat in your daily life especially regarding the spiritual training? Tazkia: About applied silat in my daily life, I really cannot explain it. But what I can say is that silat brings me closer to Allah and Islam as my religion and also gives me a deeper understanding as how to live by Islamic morals and ethics. Faheem: Terima kasih banyak (thank you very much) and have a safe trip back to Indonesia and may we see you soon Insha Allah. Assalamu alaykom warahmatullahi wabarakaatuh. Tazkia: Sama-sama (you're welcome)! wa alaykom salam warahmatullahi wabarakaatuh. Article by: Abang Faheem Jackson
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 Say sorry. That’s what enraged Singapore Silat Federation head, Sheik Alauddin, wants from bowling chief and chairwoman of the Singapore Sports Awards (SSA), Jessie Phua. Sheik’s fury stems from the omission of the Sportsman of the Year accolade from this year’s awards, after a selection committee deemed that no male athlete had achieved anything of note in 2012. Silat world champion Muhd Shakir Juanda was one of four nominated for the honour, along with paddler Gao Ning, sailor Colin Cheng and wushu exponent Seet Wee Key. While explaining the decision not to award a Sportsman of the Year to various media, Phua said the panel had to “consider the quality of the competition” faced by the athletes. A source told Yahoo! Singapore that on the night of the awards held on Tuesday, Sheik – incensed by the comment – had approached a minister to “demand” an apology from Phua. When contacted, Sheik said that he was “just telling (the minister) how the silat council and community were unhappy, hurt, down and low in morale” as a result of Phua’s remark. The silat chief, himself a two-time Sportsman of the Year nominee and former world champion, confirmed he wanted Phua to "apologise to the community”.  “Is she saying the quality of silat is not there? This is the first time in my life, and in 30 years of silat, that I’ve heard something like this,” he told Yahoo! Singapore over the phone. “I personally feel demoralized,” added the Singapore Sports Council Hall-of-Famer. “This is not about awards or medals. It’s about the integrity of the silat community.” Phua declined to comment when pressed for a response. As part of her earlier explanation, she had referred to the number of participants in the athlete’s sport – a point which Sheikh passionately addressed. “25 countries took part. But it’s not about how many countries are taking part. It’s about who you fight; your opponent’s background,” said Sheik. “Shakir fought world champions. He fought with the best of them all. This is not a 'kampong' sport. What more do you want?” In the grand final of the World Pencak Silat Championships last year, Shakir overcame defending world and SEA Games champion Le Si Kien of Vietnam. Moving forward, Sheik said that the Jakarta-based international silat body “will know about this” and that locally, the Singapore Silat Federation plans to convene to deliberate the matter on 3 July.  The three-time SEA Games gold medallist also hit out at the SSA selection panel’s modus operandi.
“I personally invited the relationship manager of SSC to Chiang Rai (in Thailand) to watch Shakir compete at the World Championships, but they said they were busy,” said Sheik. “After that, the committee never interviewed the silat federation about Shakir’s achievement.” The sports awards were given out during a gala ceremony on Tuesday. Table-tennis paddler Feng Tianwei won Sportswoman of the Year, but there was no male equivalent. Former national fencer and triathlete Nicholas Fang, who was on the committee to decide the SSA recipients, told Yahoo! Singapore on the night itself that the committee was “not disparaging the achievements (of) the male athletes”. Fang, who is also a Nominated Member of Parliament, then said that Shakir’s efforts did not go unrecognized as “we made sure we rewarded him with a meritorious award.” But he acknowledged that the exclusion of a Sportsman of the Year award was “very tough” and that the “sports fraternity is disappointed for sure”. Ultimately, he said, the panel’s decision was based on the need to “inspire people to aim very high.” “If somebody wants to be Sportsman of the Year, he really has to dream big,” concluded Fang. The question now is how big is big enough. Article from http://sg.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/fit-to-post-sports/singapore-silat-chief-want-apology-demoralising-remark-031350035.html  SINGAPORE - The Singapore sports community lost a former world champion on Friday night with the sudden death of retired silat exponent Abdul Kadir Ibrahim.
It is understood that the 40-year-old had collapsed after complaining of chest pains. He was running errands with his wife at the time, after going for a jog. He was buried on Saturday morning and leaves behind six children, the youngest was born just under a month ago. Kadir won the Match Male Class 'E' title at the 5th World Championships in Kuala Lumpur in 1997. Two years later, he won the gold medal in the same class at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Brunei. Singapore Silat Federation (SSF) chief executive officer Sheik Alauddin told TODAY that he is still reeling from the news about his friend who worked as a national coach for a few years after retiring from the sport. in picture: Kadir, who won the Match Male Class 'E' title at the 5th World Championships in Kuala Lumpur in 1997, died on Friday night, aged 40. "I received a call from a friend yesterday, and I was in disbelief when he told me the news," the 46-year-old former three-time world champion said, with a heavy sigh. "And then, one by one, I kept getting calls and messages from friends with the same news. It is a very sad day for the Singapore silat family. "This just shows that death can strike anyone at any time. Somehow, it seems that it doesn't matter how fit or healthy you are." Former national fencer Nicholas Fang remembers Kadir as "a great sportsman" as well as "a really nice guy." They had travelled to a few editions of the SEA Games together as part of the Singapore contingent during the late 1990s. "He was a very fierce competitor but off the mat, he was very warm, genuine and always smiling," said Fang who is now the president of Singapore Fencing and a Nominated Member of Parliament. Sheik said he will meet up with the SSF Council to discuss what forms of support the national sports association can provide for Kadir's family. -TODAY/ir  BY LOW LIN FHOONG-
06 JUNE SINGAPORE — Former silat world champion Saiedah Said has been slapped with a two-year ban after testing positive for illegal substances Nor-Sibutramine and OH-Nor Sibutramine, an appetite suppressant used for weight loss, at the 38th National Pencak Silat Championships on April 14. The 28-year-old firefighter — who won the Sportsgirl of the Year award in 2005 — won a gold medal in match Class E (65-70kg) at the National Championships, but tested positive for banned substances after an in-competition test conducted by Anti-Doping Singapore (ADS). She was informed of a possible Anti-Doping rule violation on May 21 and had requested for her “B” sample to be analysed. Following the confirmation of her “A” sample result, the National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee (NADC), a tribunal body independent of ADS and the national sports associations, decided to impose a two-year ban. It means the veteran silat exponent will not be able to participate as athlete or support staff in any sport during this period. She has also been disqualified from the National Championships, and all results, medals, points and prizes won at the event will be forfeited. The deadline for appeal to the National Anti-Doping Appeals Committee is June 17. Said ADS Deputy Director Yeo Say Po: “Under the World Anti-Doping Code, the rule of strict liability states that it is ultimately the athlete’s sole responsibility to ensure that anything that they ingest does not contain any prohibited substance. “This case is a reminder to all athletes to be always mindful of what they consume to avoid falling foul of any anti-doping rule violation.” When contacted by TODAY, Singapore Silat Federation Chief Executive Officer Sheik Alauddin stressed it was a case of “accidental doping”. “We knew of this a few days ago, and spoke to Saiedah about it,” he said. “She was sick before the National Championships and her mother went to Geylang or Johor Baru and got her some traditional medicine for her health. Her mother made a mistake. “Saiedah has been with us for years and has competed at the SEA Games and world championships. The council is meeting tonight to deliberate ... we are going to appeal to ADS and SSC (Singapore Sports Council) and explain the matter and see how best we can help her.” While silat athletes are known to lose or gain weight to compete in different weight classes, Sheik stressed that there was no need for Saiedah to consume appetite suppressants. “She is at a comfortable weight of 68kg at the moment. Her usual weight class is C (55-60kg) and she fought in the E class (65-70kg) at the national championships, so there was no need for her to lose weight,” he said. A two-time bronze medallist at the SEA Games, Saiedah’s two-year ban could deliver a blow to Singapore silat’s medal chances at the December Games in Naypyidaw, Myanmar.  In December 2012, Singapore’s Muhammad Shakir Bin Juanda was crowned world champion at the World Pencak Silat Championships in Chiang Rai, Thailand, after he came from behind to beat Vietnamese favourite, Le Si Kien, in the Class-I (85–90kg) category. He also took home the title of Best Athlete of the entire tournament.
Read more about this Champions experience and achievements by clicking: http://www.redsports.sg/2013/03/22/silat-muhammad-shakir/  Semarang, C Java (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian team became the overall champion in the 18th Open Belgian Pencak Silat Championship May 4-5 in Scholen Sporthall, Belgium.
"We were triumphant in Belgium by nine golds, two silvers and three bronzes," Indro Catur, Pencak Silat National Training Camp Coach (Pelatnas) said through phone to ANTARA News here on Monday. The championship followed by 11 countries namely Vietnam, Malaysia, Suriname, France, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, England, Swiss, Indonesia and Belgium. He said the Open Belgian Championship 2013 was the preparation tournament for Pencak Silat fighter before the athletes fight in a bigger event. "We are grateful for this achievement. The Belgian Open would be our warming-up event before Indonesian fighters facing the multi-event sport competition, Southeast ASEAN Games 2013 Myanmar," Indro said. He said from 15 fighters only one athlete failed to get a medal. The nine gold medals were won from six men`s categories namely Awaluddin (class A), Johan (class B), M Adrian (class C), Sapto Purnomo (class D), Nyoman Sapurtaman (class H) dan Bagaskoro (Class I). The other three gold medals were won by Wenny Sasmita (class B), Wewey Wita (class C) and Mariati (Class E). Two silver medals were given by Yulinar Tikasari (women`s class A) and Pipiet Kamela (women`s class D). Meanwhile, the bronze medals were presented by M Rizky Adi (men`s class G), Afriansyah (men`s class F) and Indria Milasari (women`s class F). (*)Editor: Heru COPYRIGHT © 2013 http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/88736/indonesia-overall-champion-of-open-belgian-pencak-silat  For the second time, 37 year old Abdul Malik Ahmad competed in the Silat World Championships. The 15th silat world tournament was held in November 2012 in Chiang Rai, Thailand (see video at the bottom of page). Abdul Malik is an American muslim and currently a Silat instructor at the ASBD (Azhar Seni Bela Diri - Azhar Moslem Martial Arts) silat school in Virginia, USA. In 2010, Abdul Malik was the first and only American athlete at the World Silat Championships in Jakarta, where he participated in the Seni Tunggal category (Solo performance), as well as in the Tanding (sparring) category. Although he didnt bring home any medals, Abdul Malik was happy to participate and enjoy the experience. "Oh, I didn’t win. I got beat by Malaysia. Everyone said I did well, but — I had a wardrobe mishap. So my sarong fell off and that’s, like, 20 points. But I enjoyed myself and I took some video and it was a great learning experience. I think next time I can do pretty well." Mr Ahmad has also fought in MMA (mixed martial arts) cage fights, testing his silat skill on fighters from diverse martial arts backgrounds. His eagerness to promote silat as an effective fighting art and sport is attracting more attention from supporters and detractors. This doesn't dampen his Semangat (warrior spirit) well rooted in his blood over the past 20 + years, since being introduced to the art in a local mosque. Here is a list of his well appreciated silat documentaries which continues to inspire many aspiring martial artists around the globe:
 The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 11/18/2011 11:51 AM A | A | A | Indonesia is back atop the podium in pencak silat, with its emotionally charged comeback as Southeast Asian (SEA) Games champion bolstered by its home advantage. After closely contested bouts on Thursday at Padepokan Pencak Silat TMII in East Jakarta, the host team finished one short of its target of 10 golds, with a total of nine gold, five silver and two bronze medals from 18 events. It beat out its closest rivals Vietnam (six gold, seven silver, five bronze) and Malaysia (three gold, one silver, seven bronze). In the 2009 SEA Games, Indonesia could only muster two golds, trailing Vietnam with six golds and Malaysia with four. It was a particularly humiliating defeat because the martial art originated in the Indonesian archipelago. On Tuesday, Indonesia made a clean sweep of the six artistic (seni) medals in competition. National head coach Maryatno said his team was buoyed by its tremendous home support and also 18 months of intensive training. “The presence of family members also lifted the spirits of our athletes,” he said. However, he conceded that Vietnam, which had been touted as the new force in pencak silat two years ago, displayed formidable mental strength, while his team was brittle at times. The atmosphere was feverish on Thursday’s final day, with the 3,000-seat sports hall packed with local spectators as well as fans from neighboring countries. From the eight Indonesian fighters vying for gold after a haul of five golds on Wednesday, only Dian Kristianto (class A 45-50 kg), Amelia Roring (class E 65-70 kg) and Rosmayani (C 65-70 kg) were successful. “It was a hard match, my opponent is strong and I was worrying about my knee during the fight because my ligament was injured in 2009,” Dian said, saying his opponents usually attacked his weaker knee. Dian, who was also the champion at the 2007 Games, dedicated his medal to his wife Niken Hartati. His final against Anothai Choopeng of Thailand was marred by local spectators throwing empty plastic bottles after Thai fans accused the referee of bias against their athlete. There was a thrilling encounter between Indonesia’s Sapto Purnomo and Malaysia’s Ahmad Shahril in men’s group D (60-65 kg) amid fervent sentiment between supporters of the two athletes. “I just fell once, I am a little bit disappointed but I will have to be introspective about it,” Sapto said of losing 5-0 on points. He added that Shahril was his fiercest rival after he defeated the Malaysian in the 2010 Word Cup semifinal in Jakarta on his way to becoming world champion. “Maybe he learned my moves from the last time we met,” said Sapto. (rpt) source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/11/18/ri-a-cut-above-pencak-silat-again.html-0  The Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) are upon us again! This year, over 400 athletes are representing Singapore in Indonesia. Last week, Youth.SG managed to speak to one of them, Muhd Danial Azlani, who is competing in the doubles and team categories for artistic silat.
First things first, what is artistic silat? Unlike combat silat, which is a physical competition between two combatants, participants perform a set routine in artistic silat. There are three categories: in the singles category, participants have to perform a set of about 100 steps; in the doubles category, they perform a choreographed fight, which may involve highly stylised moves and acrobatics not unlike those you see in martial arts movies; the last category is the team category, where a team of three performs a routine set by the International Silat Federation. In all categories, participants are graded on a combination of skill, aggression and aesthetic value. We spoke to Danial to find out more about him and how he feels about his SEA Games debut! Y: Tell us more about yourself. D: I’m Danial, 17, and I just graduated from Singapore Sports School (SSS). I started learning silat in primary two, so it has been about eight or nine years. (After I joined), I grew more interested in the sport so I kept training and got into the youth development program at the Singapore Silat Federation. When I was in primary six, I went for the trial to enter the SSS, and was selected (for admission). Y: What are your other interests? D: I’m also into acting - when I was primary six, I auditioned and got a role in a production by Suria. I’m not quite sure (if I have any plans) to pursue that interest though. Y: So what made you pick up Silat? D: I’m not quite sure. I guess, as a child, I just wanted to try something new. Being Malay, silat is part of my heritage and culture. I grew up watching action movies, and I wanted to (emulate their) actions (and) I guess silat allowed me to be like an action star. I actually pestered my mum to let me join a silat club! Y: Then how did you get into artistic silat? D: (During my time in) SSS, they trained us in both forms of silat (combat and artistic). I found that I was better in artistic silat. In our fifth year, we had to choose a specialisation and I naturally picked artistic silat. (Danial’s forte is in the doubles category, where his small size and agility allows him to perform elaborate acrobatics. Just like an action star!) Y: How do you feel going into the SEA games? D: The SEA games is one of the major platforms for competitive silat and it is exciting! At the same time, I’m a little nervous because I want to perform my best on match day. It’s an odd feeling, but I guess I’m used to it because I’ve taken part in a number of competitions in sports school. Y: What is next after the SEA Games? D: I’ll be studying for a Diploma in integrated events management at Republic Polytechnic (RP), through the through-train programme by the sports school. (The SSS offers a through-train programme to RP, which bypasses the ‘O’ levels. This allows student-athletes to focus more on their sports as their education is planned around their training and competitions. While he was at SSS, Danial only missed one competition!) Y: What do you do in your free time then? D: Silat usually takes up about four to five hours a day on weekdays, so I have more free time during the weekends. I like hanging out with my friends, just to relax or catch a movie. Sometimes, we try out different sports, like bowling or playing at a futsal court in East Coast. Youth.SG also asked Danial's coach, Shiekh Harun, what he thought of Danial's and the rest of our silat team's medal chances. Shiekh: Our Singaporean representatives are quite young, about 17, while those from other countries are much older, 27 or 28. Being quite young, our representatives are more prone to buckle under the pressure or be distracted by the crowd cheering at the competition. Danial needs to work on keeping his mind on his synchronisation with his team and the routine, blocking everything else out. In their last major competition, Danial and his teammates came very close to bringing back a medal, coming in fourth. At this SEA Games, the top three countries (from that competition) will also be participating because Silat is prominent is Southeast Asia. This time, we have tightened our training schedule and I believe (Danial and his teammates) stand a good chance of bringing back a medal. Well, that is it, we wish Danial and all our other athletes at the SEA Games all the best! Bring back some gold! |
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