Location: Chicago, USA
Style: Silat Seni Gayong Malaysia
Sheikh Shamsuddin (his full Malaysian name is Sheikh Shamsuddin bin Tan Sri Dato Sheikh Muhammad Salim) also known as Sam, is a Malaysian native who first learned gayong Silat in Malaysia in early 1973. He is ranked pelangi hitam harimau cula sakti (fifth degree black belt) in the Gayong Malaysia hierarchy and carries the title ketua khalifa (chief of caliph). Shamsuddin started teaching gayong in Malaysia, and has taught the practice to many local high schools, colleges and private training centers in Kuala Lumpur. He has also studied other martial arts, such as the Korean martial art of hapkido and the Japanese art aikido, and has attended different martial arts disciplines such as kosho ryu kemp and kuntao silat.
Shamsuddin is amember of Pentjak Silat USA and United States Aikido Federation, and has given several silat seminars with martial arts practitioners in the United States such as Guru William De Thouars (kuntao silat) and Victor De. Thoauors (serak silat), Guru Jim Ingram (musika kuwitang silat), Guru Dr. Andre KuntGraichen (kuntao), Guru Stevan Plink (serak), Guru Wayne Welsh (kuntao), hapkida instructor master Randy Stigall and Bruce Juchnik Hanshi (koshu ryu kempo). He has also given seminars with other Malaysian instructors such as Cikgu Majid Mat Isa, Cikgu Kajar and Cikgu Arrifin Mahidin (Gayong United Kingdom).
Shamsuddin graduated from Bradley University in Peoroa, Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology and a master’s degree in computer science. He currently works as a system and network engineer at Lucent Technologies, Inc., a telecommunications company and continues to teach gayong Silat in suburban Chicago, where he lives with his wife, Melanie, and two daughters, Leila and Jasmine.
Shamsuddin is the author of The Malay Art of Self-Defense: Silat Seni Gayong and his students were featured in the National Geographic special on Silat from Malaysia.
