Snake Mannerisms

Ular Sendok - Cobra Ular Sawa - Python Element Fire Color Orange Eastern Quadrant Movements Rapid, darting Internal trigger - Left hand slaps right forearm

The snake is represented by the element of fire and is found in the eastern quadrant on the circle of creation. The movements are rapid and darting. It is masculine and electric in its form and force and the strikes have been referred to at times as electric shock type jolts.

Ular Sendok - Cobra

This animal introduces to the student the concepts of body weaving and mesmerizing hypnotic effects. The general concepts that are stressed are fast hitting out of any position and swelling, tearing, surface impact blows, which are non-breaking in nature but highly disabling. This is the principle of the whip in its highest form as a snake is in fact a perfect living whip. The body and arm weaving and swaying induces a stupor in the opponent by a combination of the physical movements and the tenaga dalam which is projected from the snake fighters eyes.

This is accompanied by various facial grimaces and hissing mantra voice assists. Indirect vision is employed from the snake fighter at first to lull the opponent into a false sense of safety with a quick penetrating gaze, directed at the opponent with a wide eye expression, just before the final strike to freeze him in his tracks.

Ular Sendok Techniques

Double And Single Ular Sendok Blows

This is the half fist ular sendok hand position.

The striking surface is the edge of the knuckles and the strikes occur in a short arcing manner which ends to not only inflict the very painful shock type blows but also tear skin, especially in the area just under the eyes. Also notice that the thumb is extended out to the side and braced against the hand. This position is used if the blow misses to the side of the opponent’s head. Then the half fist is slammed sideways into the target using the support thumb. Shown are some applications illustrating the soft targets that should be struck with these blows.

Notice that some are struck by merely turning the fist sideways delivering the hit parry with a minimum of movement. Also shown here are the blows that are capable by using the side of the thumb. Keep in mind these are overlapping, very snappy and fast. They are normally executed out of a horizontal figure eight pattern.

Picture the figure eight laid out in front of you horizontally. The hands cross each other in the center of the eight, each one then going along a different half of the figure of eight.

One hand will be striking out while at the front of the eight as the other one is in the middle of the pattern at the back of the eight closest to you. They can move in either clockwise or counter clockwise directions and as a matter of fact one can use the opposite direction to counter and get inside of an opponent who is using these movements against you. One higher type of blow has the practitioner slightly angling the fist to the left or right as the first or second knuckle thrust forward concentrating all of the force, now on either single finger.

Ular Hitam or The Black Cobra Position

Note the close in leg position that accompanies the snake style. In the black cobra position the top hand assumes the role of the head of the snake while the lower hand is the tail. In this manner both upper and lower gates are covered.

Ular Bantut or The Snake Tail Strike

The snake tail strike is done when on very close proximity to the opponent. As shown your lead leg is held between the opponent’s legs.

You slightly angle your body away from him in a decoy and as he starts to move forward simply bring the kick straight up between his legs striking the groin. This is a very camouflaged kick and is very hard to block.

Weave Step

The weave step 6 is nothing more than moving forward in a zigzag pattern using the depok (moving leg in front) position. As you move towards the opponent you uncoil from the position with various kicks.

The kicks can come from the front leg moving back to strike after it has crossed or it can strike as it moves from behind to the front crossing position. The key is fast striking out of the movement so as not to be seen (principle of camouflage). Various kicks can be practiced as well as the horse kick with great effect.

Shear Step

Shear steps are a very fast, close version of the weave step.

They are like blows from the poison hand system but delivered by the knee. It is important to slam the right foot down hard while torque the left knee blow into the target. These blows are normally only done three or four at the most at a time and prevent as well as destroy the opponents legs and kicks in close range. They normally proceed the weave steps as distance narrows between you and the opponent.

Slippery Foot Moves

Slippery foot moves are produced by quickly sliding up the rear leg to the front and as the rear foot slams down the front foot is propelled into the target.

It, again is a close range blow that likes to employ toe points and ball of the foot kicks (toes curled up) to the shins as a shock blow. Many types of kicks however can be used in the same manner.

Overlapping Elbow and Knee Spear Attacks

One characteristic also employed by the snake stylist is the use in close of overlapping elbow and knee strikes.

In this series the opposite elbow and knee are used to provide the most protection and deliver opposing strikes for the greatest impact. These blows are done rapidly in an aggressive forward moving manner with the ultimate goal to have your head buried on the chest of the opponent so he is totally blind to the knee blows. This is a very intimidating position to be in and often the opponent feels like turning away and running, which of course exposes his back, for the worst. In the process of the attack the feet are again often trapped while a knee blow or perhaps two, as shown, are slammed into the knee breaking the leg. In practicing try and develop the total body swaying and weaving that will make the techniques more effective.

Shoulder Blows

Shoulder blows are employed in a situation where the hands are busy doing other damage. Shown is a situation in which the opponents right arm has been snared by my right arm, my left fist and knee are delivering a blow to the opponents right leg and the elbow is rolled into the opponents elbow joint for the break.

Sometimes the hands are dropped in a decoy manner to sucker in a blow, which is picked off by a rolling shoulder blow strike, which would lead off the barrage of blows to follow. Sometimes the hand is braced on the hip as shown.

As the snake exponent closes the distance the stance narrows and heightens as shown. In a more usual forward stance the weight is mostly on the front leg to allow fast kicking as in the slippery foot moves previously described.

Ular Sawa - Python

The ular sawa that I was taught was more of a concept then a complete fighting method. Its usefulness comes into play at close range, after the opponent has been softened up with multiple blows and so has slowed the retraction, of his own blows allowing them to be entwined and broken. These are not submission, locks but quick, violent torque movements that swiftly dislodge and break joints.

It is important to understand how in the scheme of things these different concepts should be applied. Done too quickly before the opponent has been weakened could result in a wrestling match should the technique go awry. The entire body is used as a lever to effect the breaks where possible. Foot trapping is almost always used to carry the break to as many joints as possible.

Ular Sawa Techniques

Double Ular Sawa Strikes

Now although the python is normally associated with the trapping, breaking techniques the complete python fighter realizes that blows are also used, often to set up the trap. Shown here is one method where by the snake stylist angles off to the side employing the ular sawa hand position to simultaneously hit parry and trap the arm while the other arm delivers an arm break and ular sawa hand strike to the opponents throat area.

Notice that the opponent’s foot has also been trapped. After the throat blow the neck is encircled. From here the neck and back can be broken and a right knee spear can even be brought up hitting the spine, all the while the foot of the attacker is still strapped, also causing his ankle to snap as he falls.

In the second series the opponent has thrown a punch and using the ular sawa hand hook position the arm has been trapped and encircled. Also the lead leg has again been trapped. As the legs are brought in close together (a characteristic of the snake style is to bring the legs closer together as the range gets closer) the snake stylists bites and holds the neck of opponent.

If the opponent tries to break free a large part of his neck will be bitten out. In one move the Python fighter rips backwards with the bite while torque to the left breaking the arm of the opponent. A real python will bite its prey while coiling around it hence the biting tactics.

This is a very brutal concept but as our motto goes my body is my weapon the teeth are also used. Keep in mind that when striking the ular sawa uses the first three fingers to inflict pin point precision strikes to vital, nerves and muscles. The ular sawa can also employ the figure eight movement.