Dekiti Tirsia Siradas, Like the layers of an onion

August 16, 2022 Mark Warner Commentary 0

There are many ways to peel an onion. As you do, you go deeper until you get to the very core. This is the way all martial arts are meant to be taught and learned.

I will focus today (as I always do) on Kali. Even more specifically, Dekiti Tirsia Siradas Kali.

At the very beginning of your training, you will learn your 12 strikes using the Baston,(stick). These will give you the angles and target areas you will want to work with whenever you train. Work the right and left sides of the body as well as centerline strikes. You should focus on each strike as you would your front punch. Try and relate the whoosh of the Baston with the snap of a gi.  You will see, just as it takes much practice.


Next, we need to learn the footwork, the key to Dekiti Tirsia Siradas. And it is true, it is the key. I’m 64 and spar with students a third of my age. I manage to keep up with them because of the footwork. If we take Superfoot Bill Wallace as an example (70+ years old), you can get a quick idea of the importance of footwork.

Now, these would be the outer layers of the martial arts onion. As experienced practitioners know, it takes much time and practice to perfect even these seemingly rudimentary tasks.

There is a saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I would have to disagree. I’ve been doing martial arts for almost 5 decades and I am getting the hang of a front punch, or a #1 strike in Dekiti Tirsia Siradas. This comes through countless repetitions, time and time and time again.

                                                                                                                             Let’s peel back the layers

The next layer we are going to hit will be structure. We need to build a good solid structure and at the same time make sure our opponent’s structure is compromised. Some quick and easy numbers to remember are 45 degrees and the opposite 135 degrees. These will give us the best structure. If we align our body properly as we do our defensive footwork,(45 degrees to our opponent.) as well as aligning our arm at the proper angle of 45*/135* this will give us the proper structure to control our opponent.


Timing is the next layer we want to unravel. As we start to move our bodies as well as our Baston or blade, we need to have only the best timing, whether for the attack or the defense. If we swing too early, our opponent will see our intent and will easily counter. The same applies if we swing too late, the moment will be lost and we will lose the advantage. When dealing with a blade, even the slightest miscalculation can be disastrous. When we use our timing to evade before our counter, we must be as accurate as we are on the attack. Proper timing can be used as a quick substitute for speed in an emergency situation, but by no means should one neglect their speed training. Footwork should always be used with split-second timing.

                                                                                                                                   Yet another layer! 

The last layer we will examine is probably the hardest one to achieve and take the most time to master. That would be sensible. By the mere touch of a hand or arm, you need to be able to ascertain the intent of your opponent. Feeling which way his body moves and being able to respond is one of the higher masteries of martial arts. When the opponent attacks with a blade or Baston, the mathematics of the martial artist combined with the feeling of the body to produce the desired result.

A quick explanation could be; that if you are attacked by someone much larger and you decide to stop the attack with a basic block, it may or may not end well. However, if you combine your power with your opponent’s power, “feeling his motion”, you can redirect his power putting you in a more advantageous position.


So as you can see, training Dekiti Tirsia Siradas Kali or any martial arts is not just a few classes to mastery. The arts have to be trained consistently. Learning is like peeling away the layers of an onion. On the street, we may not have the opportunity to ask for weight classes, although Tuhan Jerson Nene Tortal is a mere 5’ tall and is able to handle opponents much larger than he.


The good news is that training and peeling away the layers is part of the martial arts journey, a journey that can last a lifetime!

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About Mark Warner 35 Articles
Tashi Mark Warner has trained in the martial arts for almost 50 years. In the early 70s, inspired by the likes of Bruce Lee, Tashi Mark started in Kenpo Karate under Richard Ladow. After serving in the US Army, traveling twice to Korea and once to Germany, Tashi Mark found inspiration in the JCVD movie Bloodsport and decided to one day open his own school. On April 8th 1998, his passion project was finally achieved and the doors finally opened. As Tashi Mark likes to say, "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life." Also in 1998, Tashi Mark started training Northern Mantis Kung Fu and Shaolin Kung Fu with Sifu Scott Jeffery. In 1999 Tashi Deborah Mahoney, training with Tashi Mark, became the Black Belt Hall of Fame recipient for the KRANE rating to include all of New England. Since 2007, Tashi Mark has furthered his training, adding Dekiti Tirsia Siradas Kali with Grandmaster Jerson "Nene" Tortal, as well as Baringin Sakti Silat with Grandmaster Edward Lebe. Tashi Mark is a full-time martial artist. "One of the greatest things in the martial arts is the transmission of knowledge to the next generation." - Tashi Mark Warner

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