Chris Robinson remembers the moment he first fell in love with the Indonesian martial art called silat.
The owner of the Williamsburg dojo saw Silat perform while teaching a seminar in Miami in 2014. He was very excited and decided to transition from practicing Japanese martial arts to Silat.
“I was immediately intrigued,” he said. “When I found this art, I felt like I threw it all away.”
Silat's popularity is growing in the United States, especially in the Williamsburg area. Robinson said the number of students has more than doubled, from about 70 students before the COVID-19 pandemic began to more than 170 students now. He believes Williamsburg may have the most Silat students in the United States because of his participation in the Silat Association.
On Saturday, Robinson and nine other students will be invited to travel to Southeast Asia to become the first American school to take a test in a style known as Pencak Silat Panglipur.
“I'm so excited to see a world I haven't been to yet,” said student Holly Shelton. “I’m so excited to be a part of it and be part of this adventure.”
Silat for self-defense
Silat is an umbrella term for dozens of different styles of crafts. In its basic form, silat focuses on quick, smooth movements of several parts of the body for self-defense. Pencak Silat Pangripur features combat that combines performance and dance.
“It's beautiful and very powerful,” student Carol Marley said. “Silat is so multifaceted. It's physical and mental. It's artistic and also self-defense.”
Marley said what first attracted him to silat was the self-defense aspect. She said she appreciates the craft's versatility and adaptability for people of all skill levels and sizes. This allows people to “learn to use every part of their body to protect themselves in a very powerful way,” she says.
Now a third-degree black belt, Marley teaches women's self-defense at the Williamsburg Dojo. She has taught groups such as domestic violence survivors and young women preparing for college.
This will be her fifth trip to Southeast Asia, and she said she is most looking forward to learning from a culture that prioritizes teaching women self-defense.
“I get to meet a number of female leaders. It's very empowering for me,” Marley said.
mind, body, spirit
Robinson, a self-described “fist-headed kid” who needs to be in good shape, first became interested in martial arts as a teenager at the urging of his mother. He didn't like the sport to begin with. But he said he kept doing it because it increased his self-worth.
Robinson looks back on his youth as a kind of spiritual martial arts journey. His pilgrimage took him around the world, where he learned from respected leaders. Although he eventually opened his own dojo, he said there was still a part of him searching. Silat's discoveries helped him hone his skills and grow his school.
He also believes this technique improved his own mental health and helped him when he was struggling with substance abuse. He said he got sober in 2006.
“It helped me emotionally and probably mentally as well,” he said. “For us, mind, body and spirit are all about balance and making sure all three are in the right state.”
Robinson relies primarily on word of mouth to attract new students to the school on Mooretown Road. He hardly advertises. He believes his school is growing because people need his teachings.
And what he teaches is having a positive impact, he said. He has worked with children who have been bullied, sex trafficked, and abused. There are teenagers in his class who act out and cut themselves.
“I think today's teens have more (issues) than we can imagine,” he said.
small art
This is student Ashley Best's third trip to Southeast Asia. On her previous trips, she said, she was impressed by the host's humility and the way she felt welcomed. Cecep Rahman, a martial arts actor and guru who has appeared in films such as “John Wick'' and “Star Wars,'' invited them to his home and his wife cooked them a meal. Such gestures reflect her feelings about the Williamsburg Dojo and Silat's art.
“He's a very humble and kind person,” she said. “(Silat) is a humble art. There's really no ego.”
Robinson, who studied under Rahman, tries to emulate this dojo atmosphere. He holds his 18 black belts but does not hesitate to wear a white belt with his students. He also incorporates inclusivity into his lessons. A self-proclaimed Christian, he emphasizes that his students embrace the spiritual aspects of whatever faith they choose. Everyone is welcome, regardless of his beliefs, abilities, size or personal circumstances.
“If a 300-pound person comes in, it doesn't matter. If their toes don't touch, it doesn't matter. If they come in with a black eye, that doesn't matter,” he said. “We accept you as you are.”
Sarah J. Ketchumpribush, sarahketchumprivush@gmail.com
