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Pendekars

Last Updated on Friday, 26 August 2011 16:47

The following are pendekars in the Black Triangle Silat lineage.

Guru Scott McQuaid

Terbang Harimau - The Flying Tiger

Guru Scott McQuaid is a 3rd generation pesilat in the Bela Diri Harimau Pencak Silat system of Maha Guru Richard de-Bordes.

This Irish decedent began his journey in martial arts at the early age of nine. Studying Shotokan Karate gave him an introduction to the combative arts.

As he grew so did his thirst for combat, training in various respected systems such as kickboxing,  Kempo Jiu-jitsu, boxing and Japanese weaponry under the infamous late Soke Robert Lawrence, the founder of the British Fudoshin Association.

In his senior year of high school, himself and close friends began a humble underground boxing society, holding fights in garages and parks.

Guru McQuaid became an exceptional protégé within any martial art style he practised. But it was in 1992 in his home town of Essex, England, where he stumbled onto a newly opened Harimau Pencak Silat school lead by instructor Pendekar Paul Bennett. Scott McQuaid was Pendekar Bennett's first and last student. He would later further his studies in Harimau Silat with Guru Besar Randolph Carthy in London before aligning himself with Guru de-Bordes in advance training in Ghana and America. During Guru McQuaid's merantau across Asia and the United States he was fortunate to train under Guro Dan Inosanto for a couple of months in the Filipino system of Kali Silat. Pesilat McQuaid continued his self tuition in reality based combat with long yearly extensive travels around Asia, studying the roots of the Minangkabau Pencak Silat style in Sumatra and blade warfare in Malaysia and the Philippines.

He aided his approach with a bodyguard course and experimental training in door security. In 2004, he moved to Hong Kong and shortly after founded the Black Triangle Silat tribe in 2006 with a small clan of selected students spread across the globe. For the last ten years, he has been researching and deciphering the Minang Senjata Aliran (weapon styles).

Guru McQuaid currently resides in Malaysia furthering his studies in Silat in the Berantai Harimau (Chained Tiger) system under Maha Guru Jak Othman. He continues to preserve and develop the Minangkabau fighting arts under the Black Triangle Silat banner while passing on the message to the next generation.

"If it's not real, it won’t work."

Pendekar Paul Bennett

Kabau - The Bull

Pendekar Paul Bennett is a 2nd generation pesilat in the bela diri, Harimau Pencak Silat system of Maha Guru Richard de-Bordes. He was already an accomplished martial artist before he found Pencak Silat having studied martial arts from the early age of seven. His father worked most evenings and would drop his son Paul at the local Judo school twice a week. This eventually extended to the weekends. As he grew, Pesilat Bennett established himself as an exceptional fighter.

Pendekar Bennett studied various martial art systems before finding his place in silat--Taikido Karate, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Brazialian Ju-Jitsu, and Kyokushinkai Karate. His search finally reached its pinnacle when he entered into the world of Maha Guru Richard de-Bordes in London Pencak Silat classes in 1988.

Pendekar Bennett opened his own school in Essex in 1992 and continued to spread the message of the Indonesian fighting Silat style to the next generation. Amongst the many students that passed through his 'hard-knocks' school was pesilat Scott McQuaid, his only apprentice within the Harimau Pencak Silat system today.

Pendekar Bennett continued to extend his combat studies within his personal 'reality based' fighting approach using experiences from working the night club door as a bouncer around some of the toughest nightspots in Essex during the 1990's.

He further balanced his learning by becoming a qualified professional practitioner in a number of Asian holistic therapies, developing knowledge of the internal weaknesses of the body.

He continues his own physical research in combat through Harimau Pencak Silat and the Filipino stick and blade fighting systems of Arnis, receiving on-going tutoring in Lapunti Arnis de Abanico, Balintawak and the Giron Arnis systems under respected instructors Guro Jude Tucker and Guro Antonio Somera.

Pendekar Paul Bennett does not teach Harimau Pencak Silat anymore.

"Very few are either worthy or resolute enough to attain the gift that is Pencak Silat."

Maha Guru Richard Crabbe de-Bordes

Macan Hitam - The Black Tiger

Maha Guru Pendekar Suci Richard Crabbe de-Bordes belongs to an ancient lineage of Indonesian Harimau Pencak Silat warriors dating back to the sixteenth century.

Guru de-Bordes grew up in France and although he was a first grade black belt student in Kyokushinkai Karate under the highly respected Sensei Guy Sauvin, he found the art too structured for his ideology of combat. Thus he searched for an alternative fighting art. His destiny would be recognized in a chance meeting with his teacher, the great Maha Guru Adityo Mataram Hanafi.

Guru de-Bordes' path in Silek Harimau began when he noticed a flier on Paris Metro station advertising 'Kung Fu Silat'. After a brief introduction with his future teacher Maha Guru Adityo Mataram Hanafi, Pesilat de-Bordes would wait a further three months before he was excepted as a student.

Guru de-Bordes was eighteen years old when he began his tuition in silat in the fourteenth district. He would study under Guru Hanafi's wife Patricia Hanafi for his first year before learning from his guru at his house on the weekends. Later, he would follow Guru Hanafi around the world practicing the trade of silat in various countries his teacher was based. From France, Spain, Holland to Indonesia. As he became more advanced within his training, he would later study with his teacher's father, General Anak Marhaen Hanafi, a grandmaster of the art.

After many years of training, Guru de-Bordes relocated to London, England, and opened the first Harimau Pencak Silat school in the UK in the early 1980's.

Guru de-Bordes further developed and adapted the Harimau Silat style for the modern battle field focusing on the 'Bela-Diri' (self-defence) aspects of the system and renaming the art as Lumpat Harimau Pencak Silat.

He continued his research into the applications of Silat in high risk situations. The Silat that he teaches is practised as easily in combat boots as Baju Silat.

He has taught and acted as an advisor to many special forces groups and police tactical teams, also acting in a capacity as a presidential security aide.

Pendekar Suci Maha Guru de-Bordes was given the title of 'Grandmaster' representing the the systems of Silek Harimau, Seterlak, and Setia Hati which are the three styles of Silat that have contributed to the evolution of the Lumpat Harimau Minangkabau Silat system.

He continues his studies in the combative arts, practicing and researching the lost African fighting style known as Aborti ke Tahuumo. Due to his extensive findings and ability to piece together this forgotten martial science, he was named Tatsoolo Nukpa (Grandmaster) by the Ga tribes of Ghana. He is recognized today in Africa as the tiger warrior highness and protector of the Ga people and their history.

Guru de-Borde's continues to hold yearly seminars in the United States spreading the message of Silat. He now resides in Ghana, currently working as a security consultant with the current presidential government.

“Raise your foot like an elephant but step like a tiger.”

Maha Guru Adityo Hanafi

Datuk - The Clan Leader

Maha Guru Adityo Mataram Hanafi is the heir to a warrior tradition that harks back to a time when practice of Pencak Silat was a matter of life and death.

The third son of Sumatran General (ret.) Anak Marhaen Hanafi, head of the Lubuk Ngantungan clan, his great grandfather Neko Radjo Api, the “old king of fire” was regarded such a fierce exponent that the Dutch considered him to be invincible.

With such a lineage, it is perhaps no surprise that Adityo’s prowess in the warrior arts grew quickly. A chance meeting with the highly respected Guru Kiayi Hadji Komar led to his being accepted as a favourite disciple of the great teacher.

The young pesilat Hanafi studied in the infamous Minangkabau Harimau (tiger) Silek which is today known as Harimau Pencak Silat. Hanafi's Javanese mother Ibu Hanafi was a very skilled Setia Hati Silat player and she blended the two systems with her son later developing the art as one.

By the age of seventeen, Adityo Hanafi was teaching martial arts to the Indonesian special commandoes.

In 1966, Maha Guru Hanafi accompanied his father to Cuba, where the latter had been appointed an Indonesian Ambassador in Havana. It was here where he studied English and French at the University of Havana and started the first Pencak Silat school in Cuba. His interest in Afro-Cuban culture brought him to the practice of African spirituality in the form of Abakua and Palomayombe.

Eventually relocating to France in 1973, Maha Guru Hanafi founded the Palero Pencak Silat Association combining his experience of African religion in the diaspora with his practice of Pencak Silat. Maha Guru Hanafi returned to Indonesia in 2003 where he was honored with the title of sultan. He now resides in Jakarta where he works part-time for the government.

"Those who do survive the training I hope will spread the word of Pencak Silat and make the world a better place to live. I believe they have a role to play in this."