Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 0808424018249 Format: Full Screen Label: Tortoise Video Manufacturer: Tortoise Video Number Of Items: 1 Publication Date: 1987 Publisher: Tortoise Video Running Time: 55 Studio: Tortoise Video
Editorial Reviews:
This video by Victor deThouars is about the ancient Polynesian art of Pentjak Silat. Volume 1 features many demonstrations on one and two man stretching, empty hand fighting applications, stick fighting, coconut and bat breaking, and other special techniques.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Pathbreaking video Comment: By current day standards, this video, which is almost 20 years old now, looks a little dated, but it was one of the first to document and present this devastating Indonesian system of self-defense and give people a more comprehensive introduction to the art. Along with Rudy Terlinden, the three de Thouars brothers, Willem, Paul, and Victor pioneered the teaching of Silat in the U.S. back in the 60s, when no one knew anything about it.
Guru de Thouars presents many facets of Silat, including a brief historical account, short and long forms (jurus and lankhas), hand and foot techniques, including blocking and parrying, punching and striking, and kicking, trapping, holds and locks, takedowns, footwork, free sparring, stick techniques, and even some breaking techniques.
This video is actually part of a two-volume set, with the second video presenting somemore intermediate and advanced material. These are both still important videos and perhaps even more important historically for being one of the first to present Silat in a more detailed, systematic fashion. Overall, an important contribution to the historical material on Silat by guru de Thouars.
My only complaint is I would have liked to have seen some knife and sword material. There isn't much on that and it would have been nice to see some of that. But the video contains a wealth of other information so this is only a minor criticism.
While I'm at it, I also wanted to mention another great Silat video, but Amazon doesn't carry it, so I wanted to make a few comments here under the de Thouars review. This is on Terry Gibson's volume III of his series on Mande Mude Silat. This series is out of print from what I have been told, and what with Guru Gibson's very untimely passing a few years back there aren't going to be any more.
For those of you who know Gibson's abilities, he needs no introduction, but for those of you who don't, he is only one of 15 people Inosanto certified as full instructor in 30 years of teaching, and he also held certifications in June Fan, Grappling and Groundfighting under Marc McFann, and Bersilat, Kali, and Maphilindo Silat under Inosanto. And he was of course certified by the late Guru Hermann Suwanda to teach Mande Mude Silat.
This video takes a different approach from the previous two, concentrating on the amazingly versatile Silat technique of the puter kepala (head and arm lever takedown) and its many variations. Dozens of variations on this takedown are shown, including standard, reverse or kambali puter kepala, and many entries for the technique.
Gibson also discusses and shows other factors including variations depending on distance, timing, body position, and even some groundwork gets demonstrated. He also discusses differences between western boxing, Thai boxing, Filipino Pantantukan boxing, and Silat. Finally, entries are demonstrated against kicks, and also more advanced sambuts (switch techniques), including 2-step, 3-step, and 4-step switch techniques.
Overall these are two great videos from two great masters on the still obscure but fascinating and devastating art of Indonesian Pentjak Silat.
