Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to visit a place as beautiful as Langkawi, Malaysia.
I have an interest in the Far East and South East Asia for obvious reasons, and wanted to visit Malaysia for several years. Whilst there I met Pak Tam Din, a master of the Harimau style of Silat.
Harimau is Malay/Indonesian for Tiger and Silat Harimau is one of the oldest styles of Silat. It is practised all over the world and has been featured in films such Merantau and The Raid. Silat Harimau employs clawing and gauging techniques and covers stand up, close quarters and ground fighting as well as weaponry.
Pak Tam Din is currently 51 and has been training in Silat since the age of 9 and has had over 40 teachers in this time. He has several hundred students in Langkawi and makes regular trips to Brunei where he teaches the Sultan's brother.
We talked about Silat and martial arts and he was kind enough to demonstrate some basic defences, he also showed me some of the many bladed weapons he owns including a Japanese bayonet and a pair of Sais that have a scary number of knife dents in them from training at high intensity! (marks on your weapons are better than on your body!).
It was a great experience to meet such a talented and giving individual and made the whole trip that much more memorable. I don't have many pictures or videos to share as time was a limitation and after all, it wasn't a photo shoot but an introduction.
I loved the country and Malay culture and intend to go back at some point just to train with Pak Tam Din.
I would like to sincerely thank Pak Tam Din for his hospitality and kindness and again for the awesome club t-shirt he gave me as a gift, I will wear it with a smile every time.
Terimah Kasih!
