Triumph Magazine
Volume VI, Issue 6 (October, 1997)
Video Review by Debbie Field, Denver, Colorado

Before reviewing Bob Orlando's new martial arts video titled Fighting Arts of Indonesia: Combat Secrets of Silat and Kuntao, I inquired as to what it covered and was told it followed his recent book Indonesian Fighting Fundamentals.  So, off I went to the bookstore to get the book to read before I saw the video.
 
A few words about the book.  It costs $40, which I consider pretty steep, but if you're interested in combat application, this is quality material and you'll get much more than your forty dollars worth of information out of it.  The book is multi-faceted in that Orlando gives some historical background on silat and kuntao as well as the personal history of his instructor, Willem de Thouars; he presents information in a concise, logical format; and entertains with humor that is often aimed at himself.  It is something like a cookbook for combat arts – it has some great recipes.
 
Books are one of the most difficult ways to teach martial arts.  Orlando presents Indonesian fighting principles in depth.  The only shortcoming of the book is the first rate pictures of the applications (of which there are hundreds).  Actually, the shortcoming is of the human brain which sometimes cannot connect the dots from picture to picture.  (It also doesn't help when the brain has been used as a punching bag for lengthy periods of time.)

Voila!  The video connected the dots that my scrambled brain cells couldn't quite visualize.  I could suddenly see what had happened between pictures 50 and 51.  I was delighted!

Orlando demonstrates the principles of adhesion (one of my favorites), whiplash, gyroscopic rotation (both can cause injury or death), seating (keeps you balanced and able to control your opponent), and shearing (highly effective and brutal).  By showing how the principles work, instead of just teaching individual techniques, it gives a fighter somewhere to go from any given combat situation.  Orlando likens it to setting up your next shot in billiards, so that you can run the table.  Another analogy would be that if you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but teach him how to fish and he feeds himself for a lifetime.  What Orlando gives you is extreme fishing (martial arts speaking)!  The video also demonstrates how Indonesian leg lock techniques are used simultaneously with hand techniques (a concept which is virtually ignored in other martial arts) to control an opponent and essentially eliminate all resistance.  He makes frequent use of pressure points tactics although he doesn't point them out.  His excellent partner flow drills teach flow, speed, and the ability to change horses in mid stream when an opponent suddenly changes tactics.

Orlando studiously avoids pontification in the video.  I've seen numerous martial arts videos where the "Master" spends the first ten minutes telling me how terrific he and his style are and how stupid I am for practicing the styles that I do.  Instead, Orlando presents the material as something that would be a useful addition to any style of martial arts.

The application of principles is shown several times at different speeds and different angles, and following the techniques is easy.  He explains the "why" and "how" of different applications and when he demonstrates on his students it is extremely obvious how effective his efforts are.  He shows that knowledge of the laws of physics, biomechanics, anatomy, and physiology simply makes you a more effective fighter.

He makes mention of kenpo (one of his styles and mine) and the similarities to Indonesian arts, but demonstrates how de Thouars' variations take the techniques to a higher, more effective and infinitely more brutal level.  These are not principles for the weak stomached -- they are intended to punish and break an attacker.  Correctly applied, these principles greatly improve one's chances of coming out of hand to hand combat relatively unscathed.

One of Orlando's greatest talents is the ability to observe and then break down information to its lowest common denominator (i.e. 1's and 0's – binary code from his computer programming background).  He processes the material with his razor sharp intellect (no, he is not paying me to say this), then tosses it to his finely tuned gut instinct for rumination, reanalyzes everything, then teaches it in an orderly manner, inventing drills for practicing the principles.  An exceedingly uncommon talent.  Fortunately, he has chosen to share some of Willem de Thouars' more than fifty years of martial arts experience with the rest of us.  A rare opportunity for some priceless knowledge.

Fighting Arts of Indonesia sells for around $40 and is one hour and fifty minutes long.  The video complements the book and the two make an excellent set – definitely a value.