Gayong Night

When I entered martial arts, "Silat Gayong" many asked what is Silat Gayong and why the name is "Gayong"? In Malay, in a slightly different spelling and pronunciation 'Gayung' has also another meaning, a 'pail'.

The word "Gayong" means hitting or hitting from far. During old times, when two martial artists challenged each other for a friendly match, they will say "jom ber-gayong" or "lets gayong" to test their skills. They will try to use their skills, inner energy forces and try to hit each other from far and their ability are witnessed by the number of fallen trees that are hit by their energy forces. Cool isn't it. But nowadays Gayong aren't practising inner forces but merely through prayers and reciting verses from the holy Qoran that contains various secrets and power with Allah's will.

Last night witness another spectacular event when we Unisel students conducted a night known as Malam Gayong Perdana UNISEL 2007. The purpose is to celebrate UNISEL victory for bringing home several medals from the last 'Silat' tournament in University Malaya. We invited several other Gayong members from 3 different branches to join us that night. We show to the public some our routine exercises and demonstration on fighting using knife, machette, rattan (wood) and sarong. I participated in breaking the bamboo with my head while my friends broke the pieces of roof top punching it with their hand.

The climax of the event is when the female silat members were asked to jump on to pieces of sharp broken glass. I was the third person to jump on it and survived without a single scratch followed by others. It was really amazing. Few of my friends get a minor cut but none of us were seriously injured. My friend pulled a small piece of glass that stick under her foot but somehow it did not splinter her. I told her to keep it in a frame as a memory of tonight's event. The very last event was my teacher lying down on those broken glasses without any shirt on, on top of him holding a thick brick slate and a companion of his will brick the slate on his body by hitting it with a big hammer. The brick slate is broken and he survived without any injury. How he did it? I dont know.

Anyway we had a good time last night 16 June 2007. A day that is worth to be remembered by PSSGM Unisel members. Congratulations to all that have participated.