Gatka

[Tony]

Fateh

Been watching Gatka since i was a kid, and have been quite impressed by it. Primarily due to the amount of physical activity and weapons etc etc.

Also have been watching this on Chanell Punjab on SKY 828 at 10:00 pm.

I want to share with you. A question Which has started to rise: Is it really a self defence art as the more you watch it and try to udnerstand it the more it looks like a rehersed activity. If you watch it can you really see it being used in a time of need. Compare it to Fencing, or Karate or other martial arts?

Not dissing it just questioning its values etc.

Appreciate your comments esp if you are one of the ppl who actually are in it.

Fateh . . . . ..

[Guest Narinder Singh]

Fateh

Been watching Gatka since i was a kid, and have been quite impressed by it. Primarily due to the amount of physical activity and weapons etc etc.

Also have been watching this on Chanell Punjab on SKY 828 at 10:00 pm.

I want to share with you. A question Which has started to rise: Is it really a self defence art as the more you watch it and try to udnerstand it the more it looks like a rehersed activity. If you watch it can you really see it being used in a time of need. Compare it to Fencing, or Karate or other martial arts?

Not dissing it just questioning its values etc.

Appreciate your comments esp if you are one of the ppl who actually are in it.

Fateh . . . . ..

I dont fully understand your question, but from what i've heard, the term "gatka" is the display or show of the martial art, "shastar vidiya" is the term used for an actual battle.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

[buddasingh]

Fateh

Been watching Gatka since i was a kid, and have been quite impressed by it. Primarily due to the amount of physical activity and weapons etc etc.

Also have been watching this on Chanell Punjab on SKY 828 at 10:00 pm.

I want to share with you. A question Which has started to rise: Is it really a self defence art as the more you watch it and try to udnerstand it the more it looks like a rehersed activity. If you watch it can you really see it being used in a time of need. Compare it to Fencing, or Karate or other martial arts?

Not dissing it just questioning its values etc.

Appreciate your comments esp if you are one of the ppl who actually are in it.

Fateh . . . . ..

I'm not sure exactly what the question is. Nonetheless, every martial art is a combination of rehearsed activities and even many combinations themselves are rehearsals of smaller rehearsed activities.

Most martial arts training in fact consists of repetition, repetition and repetition. Advancing to certain levels is often displayed by a very well rehearsed and honed display of one's skill.

[Tony]

What I was trying to say was the actual use of Gatka in a battle field or time of need. How practical can it be compared to the other martial arts aroung.

Surely you are not going to be having a long stick or a sword on you all the time.

Where is the self defence mode in it?

[M_Singh1970]

Gatka usually displayed is for demostration purposes. Therefore, you will find that the moves that are shown are the ones that are most "crowd pleasing". The real aim of Gatka which is used in an actual fighting capacity would be to strike and injury your enemy as quickly and effeicently as possible. A proficient gatka player will be able to do this instinctivly.

Gatka nowadays is mainly demostarated with weapons following Khalsa tradition. But a good Akhara will also train to fight without the use of weapons. The panthra (foot movement) is a very powerful tool that enables one to avoid being hit (very important) and to be in the right place to strike. Elbows, fists and knees become weapons, a good Akara will know how to use them.

Knowledge of were to strike an opponent to inflict maximum damage as quickly as possible (and thus enabling the fighter to move the next oppenent) would be taught. A figter cannot dwell on one opponent for long as he has to be ready for other enemies.

I agree with you that Gatka as seen on TV and demos would not be usuable on the streets but overall with complete and full knowledge Gatka is the supreme martial art.

I hope this helps answer your doubts.

Finally, I have been told that all other Chinese and Japenese martial arts (karata, kung Fu, Ju Jitsu etc) all have their origins traced back to Gatka.

[Guest Narinder Singh]

What I was trying to say was the actual use of Gatka in a battle field or time of need. How practical can it be compared to the other martial arts aroung.

Surely you are not going to be having a long stick or a sword on you all the time.

Where is the self defence mode in it?

Sikhs are always armed my friend, yes with swords and sticks. But a Sikh learns many different ways to defend him or herself.

As i said earlier, gatka is the "display" of the martial art, "shastar vidiya" is the actual battle.

[Revolutionary]

Surely you are not going to be having a long stick or a sword on you all the time.

Not telling you off, or bringing you down..

but this is the kind of thing all the "modern" sikhs say as an excuse not to learn sashter vidia.

it also involves learning how to denfed yourself empty-handedly. plus As My brother said: Sikhs are always armed anyway

[Singh With Dunalli]

Some good responses. But, the question Tony asked was really valid though, if we have a proper debate and what not. Gatka is the actual stick that is 5 metres in length with a handle on it, that's "Gatka", "Shastar Vidya" is the actual art. Now, with that being said, Shastar Vidya has really good techniques and moves in it, the Pentra being the one, and Ghore Di Chaal, etc. It's really good movement. If one thought about it, in today's day and age, when AK-47 are available, and all that, one would think what good would "Shastar Vidya" be if someone puts out a gun on you. By the time, you get your Sri Sahib, or three foot Kirpan out, he could have gunned you down. Well, that's where the footwork, and the pentra come in, sometimes we are in situations where we don't know how to re-act, but anything is possible in this world my friends, anything. :TH:

[buddasingh]

What I was trying to say was the actual use of Gatka in a battle field or time of need. How practical can it be compared to the other martial arts aroung.

Surely you are not going to be having a long stick or a sword on you all the time.

Where is the self defence mode in it?

Asking how “effective” Gatka is compared to other martial arts assumes that other martial arts are worthy of comparison to Gatka. Gatka has no reason to compete with other martial arts any more than it would compete with yoga, dance, football, university education, etc.

Gatka does not prohibit the practice of other martial arts. In fact the essence of Gatka supports training in any popular and respectable martial art tradition.

With respect for great traditions of other martial arts, the key to the case for Gatka as a vastly different/comprehensive/superior martial art is that it is part and parcel of Sikhi. The inseparable spirit of Sikhi is what makes Gatka an Art on a completely incomparable level.

You probably refer to self defense in the sense of being attacked on the street. Throwing a kick might get one a few brownie points with pimple faced friends when one is 15 years old. However, life is far more complex in its challenges and tests of courage will require far more comprehensive training with many variables.

What we call attacks, defensive moves, offensive moves etc. come in many ways in life. One of the biggest attackers is our own nature or our ego. We need to learn to respect ourselves, respect others, stand up to others, stand up for others, question our own ethics etc. etc. If you learn about the essence of popular martial arts, you’ll understand this is more important than a street fight. One simply needs to think about the unflinching courage of Sikh martyrs to realize the scope of a real Martial Art.

Read about the essence or ultimate goals of other great martial art traditions and you’ll find it has little to do with a street fight, but much to do with courage, discipline and tranquility akin to Sikhi and the Kirpan and encapsulated in the spirit and tradition of Gatka.

Not to side-step your point about “a time of need”; you will note that karate is not exactly a driving force directing world events. As someone who has trained in other martial arts, I suggest that for safety acquire the right citizenship, wealth, automatic weapons, and bodyguards. Or acquire the courage to live in death and train in Gatka.

[JSingh21]

Fateh,

Shastar Vidya tranlated to english means Knowledge of Weapons...so Shastar Vidya includes any weapon from Kirpans to Guns

Also, what ppl see at "demos" arent actually fighting, this is meant for show, they practise these sequences, which is usally 3 or 4 moves done over and over again really fast. In a real fight none of these fancy moves are done and this can be see in any Gatka Tourny ie Yudh etc.

Shastar Vidya can be quite useful in modern warfare especially guerilla warfare and even if u have a gun there is not infintie amount of ammo and what are u goin to do if u have no ammo...Bow and Surrender?

If I wrote anything wrong plz let me know

Fateh