MY SACRED SIMBAT

Pentas Simbat

The first weapon that I learned in Silat Seni Gayong is Simbat. But when I was in Kelantan, we just call it as Tongkat (pronounced as Tu-Kak). The interesting part of learning it is to search it. We were asked to search it our selves while were given the advices which kind of wood is suitable to be used as training tool.

When I learned with a Master of Silat Tongkat, my father and I went into the forest just only to find a straight Anak Langsat. The leeches, buffalos, mosquitos and wildboars were our company during the whole sunny day. The Anak Langsat is harder than rattan, but heavier. I peeled the skin, and dried it under the shadow for a week before it can be used for training. The Nibung wood also is as good as the Anak Langsat.

Luckily for our first Tongkat of Gayong, we found it at a furniture carpenter after biking our bicycle for 30 minutes from our Gelanggang. It was the only rattan shops in the town. Paying about RM1 (euro 0,25 cts), we found our first love! We choosed our selves the diameter, how long, the weight and the skins. It is so personal that everyone of us had named it as they like!

The best moment was the first time my Jurulatih taught me the Asas Tongkat. It was a calm afternoon after the Asar prayer, and we were training like always at the volley ball court- bare feet. The sensation of finally had the chance to learn the first weapon in Gayong after 2 years training of bare hand Kuncian, Pukulan, Elakan and Anak Harimau was so intense. Eventhough it was only an Asas (Kata/Jurus/Gerakan) of 10 steps, we repeated it day and night. We even trained hardly to rotate the Tongkat with Pusing Luar (outside rotation), Pusing Dalam Luar (a V like rotation) and Pusing Jari (in front rotation). It permitted us to familiarize with the Tongkat/Simbat before the day come that we learn the Elakan Tongkat, Pukulan Tongkat, Kuncian Tongkat and the famous Pentas Tongkat.....

In Silat Seni Gayong, we use three size of sticks. Simbat Suk, Simbat and Tembung. Simbat Suk is a hand-to-elbow size, quite similar with the Kali/Escrima rattan stick. Simbat is a feet-to-bellybutton size rattan, while the tembung is a feet-to-head size stick. The Simbat Suk is taught in Gayong whether using single or double at the same time. The Gayong demo that attracted me to join Gayong in the first time was a Pentas of Tembung VS Double Simbat Suk played by the late Cikgu Zulkarnain and Cikgu Adi (both are the sons of Pak Su Awang Daud)

I have many memories in learning the Simbat.One day, I was going to the Gelanggang with my bicycle, passing by a Buddist temple in my village. There was a rocky lane, with the green paddy field at the right and my left. At the middle of the small lane, a big black dog was sleeping. I bet it was a crazy one (Anjing Gila), ugly face, with lots of saliva coming out continuously. One bite could make me suffer the epilepsy in the whole of my life. My right hand hold a Simbat, while other one hold the handle. As I approached closer, the dog started to stand up, and barked once. I speed my bicycle, and started to pedal my bicycle faster. Warff! Warrff!!! That beast was warning me to not to pass by him. But I was too impatient to go to the Gelanggang to learn Simbat, and the dog had already woke up. Too late. Impossible to turn back, I just gave the my best pedals ever that could win any bicycle olympic game. The beast jumped to bite my turning leg, but he missed it and hit something at back with his head and almost made me fall from my moving bicycle. I tought I heard my heart's beat and was amazed how fast did I pedal my bicycle! hehehhehe. The dog chased my for almost 100 metres, and only God know how many prayers did I send to him, until the dog stopped just after I passed by the temple. I saw someone at the temple, smilling I think. Instead of thinking the dog-chased thing is funny, he should thank me that I didn't stop my bicycle and hit his dog to death!!!!! WArrrrggghhhHHHhh!!!! (I'm the incridible Hak-im)

Don't be surprise if I can show you one day a Crazy Dog Jurus...! hheheheh

Dogs are dangerous creatures at Malaysia & Indonesia...

I still remember, one afternoon after coming back from Silat training at the Gelanggang Gong Serapat. I was in the bathroom taking my bath preparing for Maghrib prayer. Suddenly my sister knocked the door so hard and shouted "Ular! Ular!" A snake?? What??! I was so shocked and jumped on the water container (luckily I didn't break my leg), while looking directly to the shoes size hole on the bathroom floor. I hang up onto the rusty window and observing intentively if any snake could come out from any of fifteen holes on the floor.

I was then told by my sister's voice that the snake was at our neighbour's house. Damn..!. I risked to be humiliated if the bathroom door was opened. Totally naked and hang on the air wouldnot a cool image of a school headboy ... lol! I went out, grabbed my Silat trousers, favorite white T-shirt and not to forget, my sacred Silat Simbat. It was a 4 double storey terrace houses in the school, so the entrance door is only 5 meters from our's. When I entered, their three little girls were crying histerically on the sofa, and the mother, armed by a kitchen broom, was trying to stop a fierce and raging shiny black Cobra from approaching the rest room. My mom, My father and the husband of that women were attending a school end-of-the-year party at the school hall. I was the only man at that time there. Yes, the only solo hero, the savior, or maybe the martyr.

I heard that 2 to 3 mg Cobra venom could kill a human in few minutes. My left brain started the calculation which kilometre will I die between the road of the house and the town public hospital after the venom was injected in my vein. My right brain, at the same time trying to remember all the Simbat moves that I just learned. The mother step back, and me, like in a tales of a warrior facing a black dragon in a dark cave, swing the Simbat as powerful as my hand could. But the Cobra was faster. I miss the target, and it used that chance trying to inject it's venom into my leg in a lightning moves attack. God, I was lucky enough to move my right leg in time. I try to hit back, but I swear of God, he was good. A great "A" warrior Cobra, he escaped again my Simbat. I think had attacked him more than 20 times but failed to hit, while he succeeded to make me stepped back 4 meters, approaching the rest room, with the scream of three little girls, and the screams of my sister and the Madam everytime that snake miss his attack to my leg.

I found that I was too nervous, and I was shivering. I felt no more my hands every time I hit the floor. But this time, I took a few seconds of "Bismillahirrahmanirrahim", a nice and warm oxygen, and a precise powerful Simbat swing. Boom, I hit the Dragon. It fell, but stood again at the level of my thigh after regaining it's instant energy. I hit the second time, and third time. It fell, but didn't wake up again. Suddenly, I felt sympathy, when looking to it's weak eyes. My Simbat was covered by it's blood. My cats, attracted by the noise and the smells, came and investigated the crime scene with their burst fur, looking for any living prove.

That time I just remembered that The Prophet (pbuh) didn't allow us to kill the snake in the house, fearing that it is maybe a Jinn appeared as a snake. We must say first Salam for the snake, and ask him to leave the house. If it leaves the house, let it go as it is the Jinn. But if it resists, and try to attack, then we are allowed to kill it if there is no other way to make it leave or catch it alive, because it is a snake.

Because of that, I had the difficulties of sleeping and always had a shock if hearing any hiss sound for almost 2 weeks. One local tales say that if we kill a Cobra, his partner will come to revenge the death. In 5 stories I heard, 3 were the case of revenge!!! *even the Cobra in Malaysia behaves like Malay! lol ;p

That sacred Simbat, was displayed on my wall. Even the blood trace was still can be seen. I lend to one of my student here in France when they were at Malaysia, to bring back for Simbat training at Lille. But unfortunately, he stopped training and dissappeared with my Simbat. Damn. (I'll find you until the worm's hole!!! :aku cari kau sampai ke lubang cacing sekalipun!!!).