Of course, as per normal, I start by saying that some of the concepts described here do not originate from me. I did a lot of research in the nearest library, so I know quite a lot from reading. So I cannot take, and do not wish to take, full credit for every idea that is mentioned in this page as well as on this site. Nevertheless, I supplement what I've read with what I've experienced, so I've left out anything that I feel is not relevant to Silat Wiralaga.
Dated: 9th June 1999.
Fighters are categorized by weight, not by height. Therefore, it is not unusual to find a short, plumpy guy fighting a tall but thin guy. In instances like these, the taller fighter would have the advantage of reach. He can hit his opponent and retreat quickly to a safe distance. His opponent will have a hard time trying to land a hit, because his strikes would fall short of the taller exponent. Every time he gets close the exponent will land a strike, for example a sidekick, and retreat backwards (Illustrations shown below). Thus, the opponent will not have a chance to land a strike, and stand a greater chance of losing the fight.
Does this means that the opponent cannot win at all if he meets a taller opponent? Is there a way of getting around the problem? When the opponent gets close, the exponent attempts a sidekick. If the opponent is able to block and/or side-step the sidekick, and then move forward to cover the distance between him and the exponent, he can then land a punch or a kick on the exponent. Even better if he can do this before the exponent's kicking leg returns on the floor (because as long as his foot is not on the ground he can't launch an attack or counterattack). This is one solution. The idea that I'm trying to put across is that the plumpy opponent still has a chance at winning against the taller exponent, provided he adjusts his fighting style. Although the exponent is taller, he cannot utilize it to his advantage. What is important is to hit your opponent without allowing him to counter.
Thus the concept of Distancing is not only concerned about whom is taller but how to hit an opponent without being hit back. How? By being just out of reach. The idea of Distancing is not about who is taller, but on how to hit an opponent by being just out of reach of his strikes and making it hard for him to hit back. |
Distancing Revealed
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As was mentioned before, the idea of Distancing is not about who is taller, but on how to hit an opponent by being just out of reach and not allowing him to hit back.
This does not necessarily mean that you literary stand a certain distance apart from your opponent. Let us consider a few examples to put this concept in greater light. Consider Figure No.1 below. The opponent on the right executes a kick, either a reverse thrust or a sidekick. Literary the exponent and the opponent are within striking distance to each other. But the exponent on the left is advantageous in that he can attack his opponent easily. The opponent cannot attack back because, even though the exponent is close to him, he cannot reach him with his hands or feet. Of course he can put down his kicking leg, shifts his body a little and then strikes the exponent. But by that time, hopefully, the exponent is wise enough to distance himself again from the opponent so as to avoid being hit. It is worth mentioning that in Wiralaga, the best thing to do in this position is to follow up the initial attack with attacks that will force the opponent to retreat. After 4 or 5 techniques, the referee will give the command to halt the sequence. Even if the opponent retaliated, his strikes will not be counted because the referee has halted the fight. Thus the opponent will have no chance of countering. Another example of distancing applicable in Wiralaga is shown in diagram No. 2. This example is more easily related to distancing. This is, by the way, just a training sequence, but can be used during actual competition fighting. The exponent steps back a distance just enough to make the opponent miss his target. As the opponent lands his kicking leg, the exponent steps forward to launch a counterattack. This counterattack is done before the opponent has time to place his feet down and retain his balance. This trains the exponent to correctly judge the distance between him and his opponent, and also to retreat only just enough to make the opponent miss. This type of correct distance judging can only be achieved if one goes through the proper training with a partner. It is simple, really. Most fighters went through the training routine, and some don't even know why. |
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In real self-defense, the concept of distancing is still valid. But nevertheless there are minor differences in its interpretations. Consider the diagram No.3. The exponent pulls the opponent's hand while at the same time striking the opponent's chin. This has the effect of making the opponent's free hand unable to reach the exponent, even though the distance between them is negligible. Although different in form from the techniques of Wiralaga, it is still distancing in concept nonetheless.
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Figure No.3 Not a Gayong PASAK technique, by the way. |
Figure No.4 |
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Another example of this concept in real self-defense is shown in diagram No.4. This time the exponent hit the back of the opponent's knee. The opponent is forced to kneel, and because of his body position he is unable to counterattack. The exponent, however, is free to strike in a variety of ways, including a backfist to the head.
Anyway, a word of caution is in order here. The last two examples are strictly for self-defense. The reader is advised not to mix true self-defense techniques with wiralaga techniques. They are different in usage and effect. They are written merely to illustrate the concept of Distancing. |
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A rule of thumb in the concept of Distancing is that a fighter should make it hard for his opponent to estimate the distance between them so as to make it hard for him to launch an attack. To do this, fighters must move continuously. Successful fighters generally don't stand on one spot too long when they are fighting. By continually moving, they are trying to make their opponent misjudge the distance. And the opponent will have to keep chasing him around the circle inside the ring. And when he steps a little too close (misjudging the distance), the exponent will launch an attack, for example a front kick. The opponent will be taken off-guard by this sudden attack. But before he could react, the exponent will step back a safe distance, preventing his opponent from reaching him with his techniques. Now that I think about it, I remember reading somewhere that when a fighter is set to attack, he'll have trouble changing his focus, or state of mind, from 'attack' to 'defence'. I had personally experienced this myself, so I fully guarantee the validity of this statement.
Anyway, that is why the opponent is taken off-guard when the exponent suddenly attacks. He may not be able to shift his mind quickly from 'attack' mode to 'defence' mode. I'm not sure if there is any form of training that can remedy this problem. It may be that it is a natural phenomenon physiologically speaking. The only advice that I can think of is that a fighter must be wary of deception by his opponent. He must remain focused and attention during his fight so as to be able to react properly to or foresee any surprises. A short man may be at a disadvantage when fighting a taller man. Yes, that is true in wiralaga. However, it must be noted that there are ways to get around this problem. The above article is to illustrate one way of doing this. To conclude, one must understand that there are ways to overcome any type of opponents, one only has to learn how. |
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