Silambam, The Next Level: Yellow Belt

I have already been learning Silambam for almost a month. I was able to catch up quickly as I have the fundamentals from other martial arts. I am currently preparing myself for the Silambam grading where by upon passing, I will be awarded the yellow belt. To go to the next level, I need to master 2 variants of the 'Guru Vanakkam' (similar to kata and taegyuek) and 10 levels of stances. I would say learning and mastering this 'Guru Vanakkam' is not an easy task where by if I compare them to katas and taegyueks from karate and taekwondo respectively, this fight pattern from Silambam is far more complex. My seniors and instructors have trained me and instructed me to master the following syllabus in order to be assessed in the yellow belt grading.

• Udarpayirci (உடற்பயிற்சி), a form of warm up and stretching
• Guru Vanakkam (குரு வணக்கம்)
• Nilaigal (நிலைகள்), 10 levels of stances
• Periya Guru Vanakkam (பெரிய குரு வணக்கம்), an advanced derivation of the Guru Vanakkam

It took me 4 days to master the Guru Vanakkam. Since the classes are on the weekends, I did not have anyone to train during the weekdays. Therefore, I requested a senior student to demonstrate the Guru Vanakam during class and I recorded a video using my smartphone. Using this video, I practiced daily before my MMA classes. By constant practice, I mastered and perfected the Guru Vanakkam. The Guru Vanakam incorporates punches, high kicks and agility. The Guru Vanakkam is performed as a form of salutation or respect before combat and also a form of respect to the earth that we are stepping on. One may notice, when a punch or block is performed on one hand, the other hand often covers the ear. This is because the ear is a vulnerable part of the body. One may lose their stability or get disoriented when being attacked on the ear. Apart from protecting the ear, the hand is strategically positioned to also evade attacks from below, left and above without compromising the punch which is being delivered from the right hand.

The left hand which covers the ear could be used to evade attacks from the top, bottom and left while a punch is being delivered from the right hand.

One may also notice that during the Guru Vanakkam, the steps involves constant hits to the body parts especially the feet, thighs, palms, elbows and fists and it also involves heavy stomping on the ground. The reason this is done is to train and strengthen these body parts to endure further tension and pressure during training. In the long run, the body doesn't recognize pain and each strike, kick or stomp which is launched will be a strong and hard one.

Nilaigal involves 10 levels of stances which comprises blocks and kicks. A white belt should remember all these stances and will be assessed randomly and repeatedly by the examiner.

The next assessment will be performed on the Periya Guru Vanakkam. The Periya Guru Vanakkam is an advanced derivation of the Guru Vanakkam. I mastered this in one day itself. Once you master the Guru Vanakkam, this can be mastered quickly. But, above all, constant practice and dedication is needed to master all these techniques.

Thanks to my master, Mr. S.V. Yoganathan, my instructor, Mr. Tamilarasan and my seniors for guiding and bringing me up to the speed. I will require more guidance in my journey in Silambam. Time to practice Silambam now. I will be writing more in my next post. Thank you.