Brooklyn Monk, Antonio Graceffo heads to Malaysia to explore the martial arts of this fascinating peninsula. The population of Malaysia is composed largely of Chinese, Tamil, and Melayu people, all of whom have their own distinct brands of martial art.
Silat is the Melayu art, but each guru teaches his or her own, unique brand of the arts. Some focused on grappling, some on knife fighting, some on meditation, others on striking.
In Kuala Lumpur, Guru Azlan Ghanie teaches an internal style of Silat which stresses acomplete exercise program, similar to Tai Chi, which works all parts of the body, the joints and muscles, and includes breathing exercises.
At higher levels, students work with the curved Malaysian blade, the Keris. Azlan also teaches simple, effective self-defense techniques which require little or no energy. The art is extremely good for women and older people, but the health benefits are invaluable for anyone and everyone.
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