Sarongs

Discussion in 'Silat' started by serakmurid, Jan 2, 2007.

  1. Monyet Nakal

    Monyet Nakal Valued Member

    Speaking of which, does anyone have a decent, reliable source for baju silat? They are practically impossible to find in the states and you are right, they are outrageously priced where I can find them.

    (I also agree that the Cold Steel sarong prices are a crime.)
     
  2. Gajah Silat

    Gajah Silat Ayo berantam!

    Problem is there are so many diferent baju silat in Indonesia, from the short sleeved baggy crotch minang style to black pyjama with the 'smock' style top. In Madura some wear red & white stripey T shirts with something akin to a hakama with a wide weapons belt :)

    I'm seriously thinking of getting some sent over to me and passing them on at cost + postage, as the outrageous prices really bug me. :mad:

    The drawback is postage from Indonesia which is comparatively expensive.
     
  3. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    It's not unique to Indonesia/Silat either... I can flip through any Kung Fu mag and see what they call Kung Fu slippers and what not... going for big bucks in the west... and yet they're the cheapest things going here in Hong Kong. LOL! Someone's gettin' over.

    As for cloths and textiles in Indonesia... sigh... one could spend and entire lifetime collecting them. The variety never seems to end. It's got to be in the top 3 countries in the world for amazing textiles. :)
     
  4. doc_jude

    doc_jude Banned Banned

    Actually, the discounts are great at their parking lot sales. Plus their sarongs are VERY sturdy. I think that's where the price comes in.
    I see the sarong/malong techniques crossing over to pretty much anything flexible. That with the kusarifundo/manriki kusari techniques I know, flexible weapons are very adaptable.
    Last year we carried her all around Earth Day in San Diego. Never got tired. The sarong really spreads over the shoulder, never digs in.
    I don't know, but I can't imagine that it differs from Ron Balicki's DVDs (Ron's his son-in-law. He married Diana... the lucky duck)
    I have Herman Suwanda's DVDs too. They are too close to Ron's to see much difference.
     
  5. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Interesting. Yeah I've found most sarongs to relatively strong actually. I'm pretty sure that's a function of the fibre used (primarily cotton in sarongs I think - though I've seen more and more use of synthetics recently) and the thread count. Not really sure what the average thread-count for a sarong would be I'm guessing most sarongs are about 150. A thread-count being the number of threads that can be counted in a square inch for both warp and width. With textiles usually the higher the thread-count the more expensive they are.
    Yeah no doubt. If the old wet towel snapped in the gym is anything to go by. Ouch! :D

    Yeah it's pretty much the multi purpose item here in Asia... for good reason.

    Ah interesting. I had no idea. Is he lucky that he married her because she's HOT or because he probably gets a good insight into the Inosanto's training and techniques? Both would be completely valid. :p
     
  6. doc_jude

    doc_jude Banned Banned

    Ummmm, Both. :D
     
  7. fire cobra

    fire cobra Valued Member

    He He He,she sure is hot and Mr Inosanto sure would make a good father in law :)
     
  8. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    link to a picture please!!! :D
     
  9. SCP_Kensei

    SCP_Kensei www.taintedlover.com

    HEre's a link to a Lameco Knife video featuring Ron and Diana

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPjhuJOoURU"]YouTube[/ame]

    Re: Cold Steel Sarongs


    Yes they are expensive. But remeber that Lyn doesnt just import Indonesian Sarongs by the boatloat and re-label them. The fabric is specifically chosen for it's suitability as a weapon, it's durability, impact etc...

    The seams are reinforced and the edges hemmed (unlike most of the Indonesian Sarongs I have), the fabric binds when locking much better than the smoother cotton of the Indonesian Sarongs and the dimensions have been changed to suit the larger western man (Lyn isn't exactly small).

    The price might still not reflect the cost of production, but you do get the ideal fighting Sarong for your money. And the fabric pattern is a bit more westernised too so they dont stick out as far.
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2007
  10. Monyet Nakal

    Monyet Nakal Valued Member

    I'm sure that the cloth used in the Cold Steel sarongs is very nice and of a much stronger variety than the typical Indonesia export variety and that the stitching is done *much* stronger and more durable. I'm sure it's a fine, quality item in total. I'm not a Cold Steel hater, I own and enjoy a number of Lyn's products.

    However when it comes down to it, it's still just a measure of cloth with two of its ends sewn together. The price hardly reflects that even with a hefty "profit over cost" figured in. They're cashing in on a rise in interest and a dearth of easily obtainable materials for that interest. They're a business and I definitely can't fault them for it in fact I endorse their right to do so, (hey people are obviously paying it) but I also respect my fellow pentjak silat enthusiasts and think they should be aware that they are paying a premium for that product (although I'm sure it's a quality item.)
     
  11. Gajah Silat

    Gajah Silat Ayo berantam!

    I thought the cold steel guys made knives as the name suggests :confused:

    Maybe, 'warm cloth' would be more appropriate for sarongs ;)
     
  12. SCP_Kensei

    SCP_Kensei www.taintedlover.com

    I doubt that any Silat enthusiast is stupid enough to believe otherwise.
     
  13. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    I'd still have to wonder though if it's not something similar to knives... there are any number of knives for sale.... specialized this and tech designed that... in Spec Ops black and yadda, yadda, yadda.... but at the end of the day most ER's see stab victims that come in from the sharp end of your standard kitchen or fruit knife. :D
     
  14. Silatyogi

    Silatyogi Valued Member

    Sarong Fighting is a VERY essential Skill.... A tshirt, a jacket, a scarf, a towel ,a belt, a tie, a rope can become extrememly useful in combat with the right Sarong training.

    I know Ninpo uses this type of thing as well. When I was with Doctor Glenn Morris he used to carry a rope that had Lead in it to tie or choke people up or to wack them extrememly hard in the face or on the limbs (HURT LIKE HELL!). He called it i believe "Sailor's Rope".

    Anyhow Interesting how stuff he learned from Hatsumi looked similar to stuff I had learned from Guru Inosanto & Later with Guru Cliff.

    Peace

    Santiago Dobles
     
  15. doc_jude

    doc_jude Banned Banned

    Damn, we have more in common that I thought (me: Booj since 1994 - Nidan, I loved PATHNOTES...)

    Was it tied into a "monkey knot", with the load in the center of the knot-mass? Those are sick...
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2007
  16. Silatyogi

    Silatyogi Valued Member

    Sometimes yes. Another times he would have a knife tied to the end of it and he would throw it at your eyes or a pad lock. OUCH I remember getting pegged by the pad lock once or twice.

    SICK indeed . Doc Morris was one of the best at being "NASTY" in the martial arts. To me what he did was like Silat with a "Internal" martial art principles & Budo flavor. But in the end the essence was VERY similar....Survival, NASTYness and going with the Flow. I miss him very much he was a great Human & Great Teacher. His Bones fragments are on my Meditation Alter.

    I have a Nidan in Hoshin Taijutsu (Doc's System). And i teach his Qi Gong System Hoshin Tao Chi Kung.


    You should see Soke Rob Williams he is a REAL deal martial bad ass aswell.

    www.hoshin.us

    Did you ever read Shadow Strategies? or his last book Crawfish?

    Peace

    Santiago
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2007
  17. doc_jude

    doc_jude Banned Banned

    I have both Pathnotes & Shadow Strategies on my bookshelf. They are worn :D

    Oh, & padlocks are dangerous, the only time I ever had my nose broken the other guy was using a MasterLock, swinging it while looped over his middle finger. My nose was under my eye. Rough stuff.
     
    Last edited: May 4, 2007
  18. tellner

    tellner Valued Member

    A man should always have a pair of clean wool socks and twenty dollars in quarters. :)
     
  19. TheVigilante

    TheVigilante New Member

    James Keating/Comtech have also put out "Fighting Bandana" tapes which I imagine are along similar lines. He demonstrates a few bits and pieces in the Legacy of Steel tape too.
     
  20. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    To a lesser extent the concept of the sarong as a weapon reminds me of some other items...

    1) There was a watch band that made of nylon webbing that could unwind a certain amount and be used as a garrote of sorts. Much the way that Gracie used his gi for chokes in early MMA bouts. (don't slay me because I said Gracie and MMA in this thread... :p ).. I'll see if I can find a link... it was endorsed by the Gracies and was in the ads in a ton of issues of Kung Fu type mags.

    2) Neck-Whip™... I thought it might be a James Keating product

    3) IMPROVISED FLEXIBLE WEAPONS (DVD, NTSC/U.S. standard)
    A Video Guide to Using Whips, Ropes, and Other Flexible Weapons for Self-Defense
    by Scott Homschek
    http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=1302

    4) This might be an interesting looking book (though I think it's focus is on Western European arms):
    FLEXIBLE WEAPONS
    by John Sanchez

    http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=1299

    Though in some ways I dunno that any of those really trump a sarong. The sarong is simple and has a myriad of functions. Pretty hard to beat.
     
    Last edited: May 4, 2007

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