Djuru Satu, the Beginning or First Form

The first form taught in Kuntao Silat de Thouars is Djuru Satu. It's actually a djuru and langkah as it has upper body movements (djuru, old Dutch-Indonesian spelling which I prefer as that is what I learned; juru, modern spelling), and lower body movements (langkah). Djuru Satu is a combination of many of Uncle's practices compressed into one form. A myriad of principles, concepts, movements, techniques and other ideas are presented in that one form. I've seen Uncle say, "Let me see your Satu." Because from what is offered by the student while performing Djuru Satu can be seen in the quality of movement, the practice put in, and what the student understands about his system. Right there, quickly, an assessment can be accurately made. It is a form that will be practiced as long as the practitioner remains a student of Kuntao Silat de Thouars. From the Kendang Silat practice Djuru Satu offers a rich series of movements that can be numbered from 78 to 85 dependent upon how it is counted. Sometimes it is broken down into 11 or 13 shorter djurus to be worked in isolation for practice, often it is done all at once. Here the student begins to learn how a practitioner should move and control their body the Kuntao Silat de Thouars way, and in learning the applications and practicing limited sparring once the movements are appropriately learned, why we move that way.