Wrote a new thread about this in Silat forums yet wasn't certain how many regulars to FMA forums read over there. There's a martial arts school in Louisville teaching Sikal. While Sayoc Kali is being taught at this other martial art school in Lexington. Does anyone here know much about either style? How do they compare? Any help would be greatly appreciated. The other thread provided more background info. for anyone interested with the how's and why's.
My advice is general MA advice- visit each school, see which one is better, and go from there. Is one teacher demonstrably better? Does one school have classes at times you can't make, or is too far away? Is one facility better than the other? Think about all this stuff. If you don't like the people you're learning from and the place you're at, you won't go.
The city of Lexington is much closer than Louisville yet both offer class times which are something I could manage and the extra drive would be worth the effort if the Louisville school is the better decision. Need more time for being fair with my evaluation of the instructors having only visited a couple of times. How nice the school looks and is equipped does'nt always reflect the quality of instruction from past experience. Would like to know a little more about the particular styles. Heard and read mixed reviews of them both. What are some of the similarities and differences with the material?
The involvement of Dan Inosanto speaks volumes to me concerning the validity of Sikal. The change of schools has proved to be a blessing in disguise as I have always wanted to move into the direction of either FMA of Silat.
I'm a big admirer of Guro Dan myself. It was because of him that I was drawn to FMA in the first place. And at least some of my experience is via a JKD/Kali teacher. So I appreciate Guro Dan's approach. I guess the question, aside from the obvious questions about teaching style, facilities, etc., is the emphasis of each. I'd expect Sayoc to be more knifework than Sikal. And it won't have the Silat components (though it may have similar maneuvers; I couldn't say). But as long as both are within your reach, get some experience with each. To my mind, the key is not getting stuck in a contractual arrangement. If you can avoid that, try them both on for size. Hell, study both. They'll certainly integrate easily enough. Stuart
Having the money and time for studying both would be nice. Yet the best I could probably manage is visiting both schools a few times and having to decide which one to learn. This might sound like a stupid question so keep in mind I've not done much other than JKD before. Would it be safe to assume that a style ending with something like Kali or Escrima or Arnis is FMA? What about styles that have Silat or Kuntao in the name being from Indonesia? Have been looking into a school that is supposed to open soon in Louisville that will offer classes in a couple of related styles. If this is not to much trouble can anyone tell me about them? The first is called Pekiti Tersa and the other Serak Silat. The JKD class that I used to attend had a few students who trained a in Pekiti Tersa. Most of what I learned came from what the instructor learned while training in California with Inosanto. It was a blend of different things. Looking forward to beginning training in a FMA or Indonesian stlye in the near future. Some help understanding what I'm seeing would be appreciated before making any definate choice.
I hear ya. There's no such thing as a stupid question. Only stupid people. Who ask questions. Just kidding. Don't get a lot of opportunities to use that quote. The first bit, yes. Arnis, kali, and eskrima, are pretty universally recognized as FMA. Silat is likewise pretty clearly Indonesian, though I have heard people mention Filipino silat. I'll let someone smarter than me take that one. Shouldn't take too long to find someone matching that description. Kuntao gets more complicated. Could be Indonesian. Could be Filipino. There's also the differently spelled kuntaw of Guro Carlos Lanada (if I recall correctly). PTK (the K standing for "kali") is definitely FMA. My experience with PTK is very limited. But there are plenty of people here with more insight than me. PTK seems to have a good reputation though. And their teachers frequently work with the military and police in the PI and abroad, as I understand it. No worries. I'm sure you'll get some feedback here. Stuart
sikal is ken pannell's personal blend, i think. mike casto used to post here under the username pesilat, but hasn't been around since april. isn't he in louisville? tim
I think so, yeah. He can probably be contacted through his website though: http://www.impactacademy.com/ According to pesilat on this forum, the name Sikal was taken by Ken Pannell from Dan Inosanto, who used it briefly before changing to "Maphilindo Silat" or "Majapahit System." http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-2667.html
I cant comment on the others styles mentioned as I have no real expeariance in them, but if you have PTK near by then if I where you I would definetly go along to them, those guys are not only intense but they know their FMA. Top style with a top rep and some very top class people teaching it. As Shooto said here, it is after all the FMA thread so I back the FMA over anything else and I can only recommend the ones I have had the pleasure to expeariance. Best regards Pat
The search is over as I found a new home this weekend!!! The circumstances were unusual to say the least. For the events unfolded shortly after having gathered with family to attend the funeral last Thursday. Although I will miss our Grandmother terribly it was somewhat a blessing as she was very ill for a while now. Finally some peace will be found for her there in Heaven. After the funeral our family had dinner together and numerous conversations about most anything other than recent events were transpiring. Anyway I have family down there in Knoxville that I visit sometimes. That usually happens during the summer months when a bunch of us take some time off work to go on fishing trips. This cousin of mine that lives there was suggesting I visit more often and thought mentioning a local JKD school might provide incentive or something. After speaking with the instructor there via telephone on Thursday a decision was made to visit the school and we left for Knoxville on Friday morning. The instructor has an unusual take on JKD studies. Along with the co-owner and part-time instructor they became certified in JKD and worked toward becoming certified in other material which makes up a significant portion of thier JKD teachings. The school places considerable emphasis on both the Indonesian and Filipino martial arts. Which hooked me from the start. And my new instructor does a lot of Pekiti Tirsia and Pencak Silat. Although I decided not to resume JKD classes arrangements were made for me to begin Pekiti Tirsia classes. Granted the drive is significant yet this is something worthwhile and manageable on weekends. Hope everyone here on FMA forums will extend me congradulations and help with future questions about the art form. The art looks far more like what I had in mind when beginning the JKD classes back in the day.
Sorry for your loss but also, congratulations on finding a new home and I am sure this will just be the beggining of you FMA journey and what a way to start with PTK. Well done mate I am sure you will become a fanatic like the rest of us here Best regards Pat
Ditto what Pat said. I'm sorry for your loss. Never an easy thing. But, yeah, congratulations on finding a school. And it goes without saying that you're welcome to ask questions, describe your experiences, and chat FMA whenever you like. Glad to have you here. Stuart
Again, sorry about your loss, but I think you've made the right choice regarding schools. Of the three options you mentioned, PTK is the one I like the most. Yes, I am a former PTK student and maybe I'm baised, but I would tell you if I thought the system was no good. There have been many discussions here about PTK, but sufficed to say that the Tortal family is for real, GT Gaje is for real, and he's serious about the quality of his organization. FYI- There are actually two PTK societies in the US, one under GT Gaje and one under his former student, Tuhon Bill McGrath. Both are great organizations; do you happen to know which one your school is associated with?
The only initial decision that I made was about the school being ideal for my future training. After speaking with the instructors for a while it became clear they are very knowledgable and we share a common perspective on the kind of material desired to learn. That aspect of choosing a school was something that I considered important even a primary requisite. The choice about which of the available three art forms also was given a lot of serious consideration as well. Although I enjoyed the last decade or so taking Jeet Kune Do classes it seemed that Indonesian or Filipino martial arts were more along the lines of what I always wanted to learn. Besides the latter two have a standard-base program as opposed to learning whatever the instructor thinks is a better direction. Which left either Pekiti Tirsia or Pencak Silat. There's no easy way to define exactly why I chose PTK over Pencak Silat. Granted the ammount of material that I have currently seen is limited yet both art forms looked impressive and like something I would enjoy doing. There was just some quality about PTK that looked and felt right. Which is the best description I can provide for right now. In reference to your question about which orginization the school is affiliated with I honestly don't know. The instructors and I discussed many different topics. Maybe there was some mention of the instructors and orginizations that you mentioned in that post. When I begin classes after the holidays that is something I will ask them. What I did remember is that both of them are commited to using vacation time from work to attend the Inosanto Academy every year for a week. That made a huge impression on me about the school and instructors as I have a great deal of admiration for Danny Inosanto and the willingness to spend vacation time learning there respesents a willingness to learn.
