The three-volume Silat Sabungin DVD set is Blaise Loong's articulation of "the Filipino-Malay art of short knife and empty hand fighting."  As luck would have it, I approach this review having relatively recently started lessons in Silat myself.  The lessons give me a good grounding in the same concepts related in the DVDs, which I found to be an excellent primer on Silat as well as the use of the short blade for self-defense.

Silat Sabungin DVDs from Bonehead LLC.

The DVDs each have very good graphic menus dividing the topics covered (and allowing the video student to go to and review any of these at will).  Volume One also has graphic blocks with titles at the beginning of each segment (Volumes Two and Three lack these).  Video quality is largely good, with the background used in Volume Two an improvement over the darker background in Volume One.  Sound levels are generally audible but a little hollow, with one or two very quiet spots.  Extensive use is made of dramatic and tribal music and other effects, giving the DVDs a melodramatic flair that I found kind of charming.

As an instructor in this medium, Blaise is a little stiff on camera, delivering his narration in a flat tone that is also very calm and easy to follow.  As time goes on and we make the transition from volume to volume, he warms up a bit and becomes a little more animated vocally.  Physically, he's extremely comfortable with his subject matter, flowing through his demonstrations with confidence and vigor.  Live knives are used on camera, which says something about Blaise and his level of skill.  (Personally, I wish he'd emphasized more the safety concerns of such training, but I'm very uptight about such things.  He does caution the viewer to be careful of his or her partner.)

Extensive use is made of slow-motion demonstrations set to music, from footage taken outside to demos done to punctuate the instructional segments.  The DVDs have an artistic flair to them not shared by more workmanlike videos in this genre.  Obviously, the editor of the volumes loved his work and went about it enthusiastically.

Volume One

As Volume One opens, Blaise explains that Silat Sabungin is based on ancient cockfighting sports.  The knives he shows the viewer are variations on this theme -- short, pointed talons whose emphasis is on the point rather than on a cutting edge.  Blaise then explains and demonstrates the applications of three basic "attack typologies."  These are the rip, the peck, and the tear.

The rip mimics the action of a claw or talon, dragging the point of a short knife through the opponent's flesh.  The peck mimics a beak attack; the point is thrust into the opponent and withdrawn along the same trajectory.  The tear combines these two attacks to insert and then tear free the blade.

After explaining these typologies, Blaise combines them and demonstrates applying all three to flow with the attack.  He then moves on to the three basic entry typologies, which will hold no surprises for those familiar with Silat:  inside, outside, and split.

As you might expect, the inside entry involves entering to the open area of the opponent's body, while the outside entry involves moving to the blind side.  The split entry is epitomized by the gunting (scissors), attacking both the inside and outside at once.  The discussion and demonstration of the inside entry includes the ascending and descending wings.  Basic footwork is evident throughout.

"Finesse is the name of the game with this weapon system," Blaise intones.  He explains that learning the weapon enhances your empty hand skill and gives you that finesse.

Volume One includes a good recap of the topics covered (Blaise is good about reviewing what he's taught to help the viewer pull it all together) and some commentary on the philosophy of Silat Sabungin.  "Concentrate on utilizing the weapon for now," Blaise says as he demonstrates.  "Focus on the blade.  Think about your targeting -- outside, split, and inside.  You want pain, shock, blood, damage to your opponent.  Remember, he could be armed -- especially when it's multiple opponents, you want an equalizer."

The DVD concludes with more music and demonstration footage, a thank-you to Jesus Christ, and promos for other videos sold by Bonehead LLC.

Volume Two

After a lengthy and artistic intro, Volume Two begins with Blaise explaining what's to come.  He tells the viewer that he'll be covering offensive and defensive drills that will help viewers apply Silat Sabungin in both sparring and combat.

First, Blaise concentrates on the peck and on a jab-cross combination targeting the throat.  He then demonstrates the catch, using his palm to absorb an incoming strike.  After this he demonstrates the short parry and the long parry (a controlling version of the parry) before combining all three defenses in an exercise that helps develop timing and application.

The fourth defensive movement demonstrated is the cover, which will look familiar to many RBSD (reality based self-defense) practitioners conversant in "shields" or "cowcatchers" or other variations on using the forearm to protect the head.  The last technique is the evasion -- moving your body and your head to avoid strikes.

Armed and unarmed applications of the concepts covered to this point lead to a demonstration of using specific entry techniques with the attack typologies and defensive motions.  The DVD concludes with a montage of training sequences set to music.

Volume Three

Volume Three was filmed in some sort of garage or warehouse space.  Blaise briefly recaps the material covered in Volumes One and Two.  The focus of the third volume is takedowns -- knocking your opponent to the ground through leg moves and head maneuvers.

If you are familiar with "sticky leg" techniques in Silat or in other styles, the leg maneuvers will be nothing new to you.  Blaise explains and demonstrates an inside toe pick, an outside toe pick, inside and outside heel trips, and several head manipulations.  The latter involve pushing the head in order to maneuver the trunk - -a concept I've covered in my own Silat training.

As Blaise and his partner work on the cold, hard floor of this training space, some of the true viciousness of this particular style comes through.  Blaise works over his opponent very thoroughly and ties the takedowns to various entry techniques.  The viewer is also treated to a brief explanation of the variations and stylistic differences in the arts Blaise has studied.

In a segment on short knife application, Blaise ties everything together once again, using blades and the techniques discussed to defend himself viciously and effectively.  He speaks a bit on the "old school" training he's had and how it applies.  His teachers wanted students trained in context to understand the seriousness of it.  The DVD ends, like the others, with a demo among students.

Silat Sabungin

This is good material.  While it does not spoon-feed the viewer with the explicit philosophy he or she must adopt to use the blade (and the skills of the blade) for effective self-defense, this is easily identifiable and accessible.  Blaise imparts the basics of Silat Sabungin in a methodical, well-ordered fashion, leaving the viewer (even the beginning student) with useful baseline skills.  The short knife typologies are easily transferable to improvised weapons like pens or other stabbing tools.  The gravity of armed combat is also sufficiently communicated in the DVDs.