About
Guru Cecily Fay
Guru and Sword Master Cecily Fay has been training in Silat since 1995, and quickly became the double European Champion. She became the Senior Instructor of Seni Silat Haqq Melayu and began teaching in 1999 and has continued to teach this style ever since.The Seni Silat Haqq Melayu syllabus and Seni continues to form the basis of this club system. She then went on to study the Indonesian style Wali Songo Silat and became and instructor that style in 2005.
With now more than 20 years of teaching experience, Guru Cecily has formed Silat Scathach. Her martial arts journey has now taken an even deeper path and she has opened a full time Silat School, converting an old house in Somerset into Warrior School.
Scathach is the female warrior and martial teacher of Celtic myth. She teaches the Irish Hero CuChulainn his martial art skills. She is the the original western archetype of the female martial arts teacher, and so is a fitting figure of inspiration for Cecily, who is of Celtic descent herself.
Her career as a movement artist began dancing with the English Nation Ballet, then went on to creating characters in film and theatre and performing action and choreography sequences in films including Star Wars and Dr Who, and working with directors including Ridley Scott and Tim Burton.
Application
Silat is a comprehensive fighting system which includes striking, locks, sweeps, takedowns, ground fighting , and a multitude of weapons including knives, Machetes, Sticks and the Sarong. This is the bela-diri aspect of Silat. Building confidence in a controlled setting with drills that help develop movement, slowly increasing resistance and then bringing experience into live sparring both empty handed and with weaponry.
Silat Melayu Royal Sword form and combat.
Cecily Fay specializes in this extremely rare and beautiful form of Melayu swordsmanship. It is a battlefield combat system that has its roots in the most northern reaches of Nusantara archipelago. Though the beautiful form can be practiced without the combative element and mastery of the mindful movement required to train with a blade creates real freedom and connection of the body and mind.
The application of skill is always practiced along side the Seni so that the integrity of the movement stays true..
Cecily says "I feel very privileged to have learnt this form, I feel that mastery of it is the pinnacle of physical and mental eloquence and expression."
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Kembangan
The flower dance Kembangan is derived originally from movement meditation and forms of prayer.
When Silat was banned in Indonesia the fighting system was softened and hidden within the dance.
It is the feminine aspect of Silat. It is the flow, and the connection of mind body and spirit.
Self defence and combative movements are practiced within the improvised free form. The practitioner is free to change, rearrange, adopt and adapt different techniques and rhythms to suit their own body.
This is where you really learn to move spontaneously as well as weapons including knife and kerambit are learnt within this practice. The practice of Kembangan can be engaged with in both a martial and non martial manner.
In the video the Kembangan is being played very fast with a more combative intention, when played with a partner the exponants respond to each other.
Indonesian Yoga
This system of body conditioning, strengthening and stretching excercises are practiced within a freeflowing form. This gives you the structure required for the forming of movement useful to many other aspects of out silat syllabus and will improve your health and well being.
Harimau Macan- Tiger Style
Silat Harimau Macan is a complete system within itself, with concepts and application unique to its style of fighting. It is the most fierce and aggressive aspect of our syllabus focusing specifically on empty hand and short blade-work. practicing movements built around its own Sembah, Seni and Belebah, to produce both explosive and effective motion.
