WILLIAMSBURG — Williamsburg dojo guru Chris Robinson has just returned with a group of students from Southeast Asia who will be testing their pencak silat skills.
Robinson was first introduced to the art while teaching a seminar in Miami.
“In the world of martial arts, there are many common styles such as karate, judo, jiu-jitsu, and taekwondo. About 15 years ago, I stumbled upon Indonesian martial arts by chance. At that time, I was a black belt in various styles. I had about 15 of them, and I was completely blown away by this art that I saw there. I said, 'This is so much better than anything I've ever done.' I took off my black belt and handed it to this guy and said, 'Whatever you do, I want you to tell me about it,''' Robinson recalled.
Pencak Silat is a style of martial arts practiced in the Indonesian region of Southeast Asia. The style is a full-body combat form that includes striking, grappling, throwing, and weapons. Pencak Silat uses the entire body and is primarily seen as an art form of street fighting.
In addition to the combat aspect, there are also many traditions in art and Indonesian dance.
As the group prepared for the test in Silat, strong winds, pouring rain and chilly temperatures greeted the test. The test took him just over five hours to complete and involved students running through rice fields, up and down mountainsides, and in knee-deep water.
“When we got there, the monsoon was just blowing. We thought maybe they would delay our test. We were in the highlands of Bandung and it was cold during the 5-hour test. It was pouring rain. They made us climb the mountain to the test area and the wind was blowing us sideways, but we weren't allowed to stop halfway. After it was all over, They made us fight. We were put in groups on the side of this mountain and it was slippery and it was raining really hard and we had to fight,” Richardson said.
After 5 hours of testing, all members of the team passed. It was then that Indonesians and Americans shared bread and shared a celebratory meal.
When Robinson first started traveling, it was originally about learning from sources.
“For me, my art is very important, so I wanted to really understand it and decided to go to the source. Silat has been practiced in Southeast Asia for about a thousand years. I trained with masters I wanted to do it, but I didn't want to learn from YouTube. At first I decided to make it a pilgrimage for myself, but once I networked and met people, I went back and took my students. “I wanted my students to understand their art,” Robinson said.
While in the region, the group visited several tourist attractions and landmarks, and also had the opportunity to enjoy the sights of Southeast Asia. Richardson described the trip as a “National Geographic” experience.
He also sees how this trip affects people's inner lives.
“This trip is life-changing. Many professionals have changed the way they approach their work environment, changed the way they interact with their families, and realized that they don't need to own the latest iPhone or Tesla. Indonesian When they see the generosity of others, they become even more generous. They come back and see people really change. What resonates with each person on this journey is different. But , it's just a really humbling feeling for everyone overall,” Robinson said.
Williamsburg Dojo is the largest school teaching Silat in the United States. Robinson and his team are working to push the sport into the next Olympic cycle, and the dojo frequently competes in world championships.
For more information about Williamsburg Dojo or to sign up for Penkaku's silat classes, visit williamsburgdojo.com.
