This year I went back to Malaysia but my instructor was out in Brunei teaching the prince so I couldn't train with him. I was however, able to meet Othman Ayib and spend time with him discussing Silat and get several hours training with him.
Othman is a great individual who, like many Martial Artists, is very multi talented. In addition to being skilled in Silat, he works as a nature guide and snake handler and has won several awards in both fields. He holds Guinness world records for his work with snakes and has assisted National Geographic on projects as well as bio-mechanical engineers on their studies of flying snakes for aerodynamics.
Working with snakes requires great resolve, reflexes and movement, this is evident to see when you watch him move. Othman has developed a form drawing from Tai-chi and Silat from observing cobras emerge from hibernation.
Othman is a long time Student of Seni silat, author of Silat Melayu, Ku Ahmad bin Ku Mustafa. His beautiful children displayed some Silat and his eldest son, Idris, helped walk me through the first form of Silat Toku. Othman and I discussed the positions in the form and he showed me the applications and defences in them as well as the foundational aspects of Seni Silat and Silat Toku.
I am very pleased to have met Othman and spend time with him and his beautiful family and look forward to seeing them all again if I am fortunate enough to visit Malaysia again. Othman is teaching classes from his home 2-3 times a week. You can contact him from his website.
(The videos are footage of the more traditional forms, we discussed
and drilled applications from these forms but they weren't recorded as
we were having too much fun and my battery had died by that point. These
were taken on my phone so apologies for the quality).
Terimah kasih!
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