Amir In action

Cuek Taji Kinantan 1

Cuek means kick in West Sumatra. Taji means spur. Kinantan is the name of a type of cockerel that's popular for use in cock fighting contests in Thailand and Indonesia. So Cuek Taji Kinantan means to use the heels of the foot like the spurs of a fighting cockerel. There actually is a Silat style called Silat Kinantan that bases it's techniques on this principle.

The heels can be driven with great force into the solar plexus causing maximum damage to the opponent. It is often executed through deception and when the opponent least expects it. This can be seen in the 8th photo below and the last photo at the bottom of this page. Please note that the kicks presented here are linear in nature. A spinning back kick which is circular in nature can be easier for the opponent to see coming and counter. Most Silat exponents will simply move straight into the kick and counterattack at close range (Sepadi). In photo 8, the kick comes straight up into the chest or as in photo 10, the solar plexus giving the opponent little time to respond.


Amir decides to go for the offensive.	He moves in...

His opponent move backwards.	Amir strikes but the opponent is not hurt.

Amir continues to attack.	Amir's kick hits his opponent on the shoulder who staggers a bit. Notice the opponent's kick does not hit Amir as Amir is just a split second ahead of his opponent.

Trying to recover, the opponent punches, and...	...Amir gives a solid kick to the chest. This kick is known as cuek taji kinantan. The opponent's punch is unfocused so has minimal impact on Amir. The reason why Amir was successful is that his kick landed while the opponent was attacking and was unprepared to defend himself. A key point to remember in all encounters. Notice that Amir can use both left and right legs.

Amir disengages and his opponent is momentarily stunned. Without the chest protector, he would have gone down. A rule of Silat Olahraga unlike traditional Silat is that one cannot engage an opponent continously as Amir would have done if this was a real fight. He would have done so until the opponent was down and out.	Above is how we might have used cuek taji kinantan in a fight. On the left is me being kicked by Amir. This kick was executed while I was attac- king with a right cross to Amir. If executed properly, the opponent should not see this kick coming. This photo was scanned from PENDEKAR magazine, December1991 issue.Photo taken by Engku Ansaruddin on my Nikon F801.

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