Martial Arts is considered as the best form of self-defense technique and is often practiced as a sport. It is often considered to be carried on without any weapon and there are many famous forms of martial arts, such as alkido, judo, karate but there is a unique type of martial art in which a weapon is used that is Silambam.
Silambam is an ancient weapon-based martial art that emerged in Tamilakam, which is now Tamil Nadu region of India. The term Silambam contains a meaning which itself reveals about the sport, silam stands for a ‘mountain’ and bam stands for bamboo which is the main weapon used in this form of martial arts.
Origin
It is believed to be originated somewhere around 1000 BCE and according to sources; it was brought by the sage Agastya Munivar. Sillappadikkaram and many other works of Samgam literature mentions about the practice and it dates back to 2nd century BC whereas oral folk tales traces it back even further around 7000 years. But according to recent surveys and archaeological excavation, it has been confirmed that Silambam was practiced from at least 10,000 BC.
Know more about Silambam
The bamboo staff is the main weapon and the length of the bamboo staff depends on the height of the practitioner. To be more precise, it should touch the forehead about three fingers from the head which is around 1.68 meters. Also, practice is required to perform with different length of staffs. Besides this, there are more weapons used in Silambam which are as listed below:
Maru- thrusting weapon which is made from horns of deer.
Aruva- sickle
Savuku- a whip
Vaal- curved sword
Kuttu Katai- spiked knuckleduster
Katti- knife
Sedikuchi- cudgel or short stick
Special training is provided for the development of a normal person as a practitioner. It lay downs the pillar for fighting and to develop the body physically which ensures flexibility, stamina, speed, muscular endurance, kinesthetic awareness etc. Basic skills are taught to the beginners, beginning with the footwork which is technically called Kaaladi. Kaaladi must be learnt before any other step as it will not become a hurdle when the person would be learning about the spinning techniques and everything could be in flow. The most amazing aspect is that there are around 16 foot positions and patterns, out of which 4 are the most important ones. The person is also required to practice without any weapon in the early stages that is bare hands; this also provides them safety along with experience. Then the person learns the other defensive techniques. The staff is held at one end whereas the other hand is close to the back; the left hand is about 40 centimeters away. This position allows wide range of stick and body movements which includes complex defensive movements as well. And when the person learns these techniques, the complexity increases and the staff is sharpened at one end. The main motive of the person is to defend against arms opponents. In this way, a normal person changes into Silambam practitioner.
The main output of the training is the footwork along with the hand defensive techniques with staff. The sport prefers the hammer grip with the main hand facing down behind the weak hand which faces up. The weak hand touches the stick and only to guide its movement. There are hammer, poker and ice grip. The ice pick grip is used in single hand attacks whereas blocks and hits are performed using the poker grip.
The fighter holds the stick in front of their body stretching the arms three-quarters full. They all can initiate all attacks with a movement of wrists. The wrists movements are vital in Silambam and are key component of the art. The blow gets speed from the wrist and power from the body through kaaladi that is the leg movements and positions. Bluffs can also be used in disguise. There are variety of locks called poottu and can be used to disable an enemy or get hold of their weapon. Various ways of avoiding an attack is also used such as blocking, parrying, enduring, kolluvuthal etc. The person should be mentally aware of the attacks as the attacks are more about the point where the person should strike rather than the use of power. There is also ‘challenging and successfully hitting technique’ in which the opponent can hit on the big toe of the other which can lead the player to abandon the fight. This is called Solli Adithal.
Present-Day Situation
Though it is not a part of Olympic Games but has left its mark. Among the youth, it is considered as a new found workout and is becoming popular. One such example is of A 25-year-old and 18-year-old girls who are remarkable in Silambam. One such practitioner Aishwarya Manivannan claims that Silambam is a meditation for her. She has won 4 gold medals and one silver medal at Asian Silambam Championship which was held in Malaysia in 2016.
1st Silambam World Cup will be held in October 2019 at Keda, Malaysia. There is rapid increase love for this form of art and is spreading among the youth.
