About six or seven years ago, I was waiting for my turn to present at a demonstration that my school, Inti Ombak Pencak Silat, was putting on as part of an Indonesian cultural exhibition. Immediately before our presentation was a gamelan (traditional Indonesian music) and dance performance. I was set to demonstrate jurus , which is a set movements either unarmed or with weapons  analogous to, but more fluid than, the common perception of a form or kata. I was nervous because I was new to practicing this martial art and, as I was to become accustomed, the performance was to be done with a minimal amount of preparation. I was reviewing my form in my head when one of the … [Read more...]