When martial arts enthusiasts attend their first Silat Suffian Bela Diri (SSBD) seminar, the reaction is often one of amazement and immediate interest. Attendees are privy to jaw dropping demonstrations of deadly techniques followed by an engaging lesson in the mechanics of the techniques presented. Mix in a bit of humor and captivating narratives of Bruneian culture, and you have the recipe for a world-wide martial art phenomenon known as SSBD.
Maul Mornie is the founder of SSBD, and its success is directly related to his mind-blowing skill in his style of Silat as well as his charming personality. He started training his family’s style of Silat at the age of 12 years old under the tutelage of his grandfather and great grandfather. In addition to Silat, he also studied Japanese Jujistu while he was studying engineering in the UK.
While training with his friends in Europe, word spread of his martial arts abilities, particularly for quick, effective techniques that could be used for self-defense. More and more, he began showcasing his native martial art, and people who worked as security officers began training with him. Word spread of his unique style and people from different parts of the world began asking for training videos of his Silat style. In less than a year, he was teaching seminars across Europe.
Although Maul Mornie trained in sport Silat in his youth, his focus is completely towards the traditional bela-diri (self-defense) aspect of Silat. The majority of individuals who come to his seminars are adult men and women who wish to study an efficient self-defense system. SSBD seminars usually include weapons training using a training knife and other weapons such as kerambit.
Maul Mornie obtained celebrity status not only from his captivating seminars, but also from YouTube. His videos have millions of hits, and he appears in the top videos displayed using the search term “Silat”. Unlike other popular Silat online personalities from South East Asia, he has a strong command English, and thus captures a global audience.
Maul Mornie is married with two sons (as of the writing of this article) in Cardiff, Wales in the United Kingdom. He continues to conduct SSPD seminars world wide. For more information go to: http://www.silatsuffian.net/
