Gatka Help

[Guest peacemaker]

Totally agree with ludoo teletubby comment. Treat them harsh, not unfair, just and harsh, and if they have piyar they will stay

Meh, I don't agree with treating them harsh, Panthro!

[orono]

But can't moddlecoddle them either can we Megatron?

[Revolutionary]

Maybe I didn't say it clearly. I have done gatka since the age of 9 til the age of 16 in india and in Phoenix and have been to many gatka akharas.

Thats a heck of a long time to learn for how you come across as.. what exactly have you learnt? Please tell

What I'm looking for is a lesson plan and a prayer that is done before starting gatka and exercises during gatka to re-fresh my mind,

We start with warmup, running around the hall, make them do a pressup when i shout pressup and make them do a squat when i tell them to do a squat. Sprinting, jogging, knees up, heels up - the usual warm up.

Then do ardass for lesso to begin. Start with everyone individually doing Namaskaar, if they don't know miss it out, then practise pentra for 10-30 mins, then those who can do pentra properly learn other stuff..

Pentra should be taught for months - Ustaad Ji told me this does 2 things - solidify their foundation (pentra wrong = cutting ur own leg off) and test thier commitment (people who come jst to swing around swords shouldn't really be there in the 1st place)

I can't teach them without knowing the basics and that is why i need you guys help.

no-one online can teach you gatka otherwise u can jsut refer the kids at ur gurdwara to a website instead

1978, there is a DANCE done when picking up the weapon it is called panthera.

Singhaa Namaskar isn't a dance.. It's aim is to warm up, to show the opponent that you aren't weak (shows stamina) and it is done in respect of the shastar.

[pyaraji]

hahahaha thats the first time i've heard the pantha being called a dance! if you see the panthera as a dance, then you probably don't know the significance of the panthera and therefore shouldn't be teaching gatka.

[orono]

Good post revolutionary

[1978]

1978, there is a DANCE done when picking up the weapon it is called panthera.

sorrry there is no dance done, panthera is just panthera cant describe it a dance, like calling a samosa a spring roll! asee gatkeh vich nachdeh nee

[Gurbar Akaal]

Can soemone explain, what is "Penthra" according to how its used in Gatka?

The ustaad/gurdev of any vidiya should be at the highest level, tried and tested through his own training and ability to explain and pass it on logically and methodically. If you havent trained in a while then maybe this seva should not be given to you. The reason why real arts have died is because people set up their own schools without learning complete vidiyas and not receiving agaya from their gurdev. If your teacher is lacking in skill then your skill will also be incomplete.

The best time to get people started on any science is at a young age, if your teaching them the wrong things then bad habits will definitly be picked up, making them even harder to break.

[Laadli Fauj]

penthra is a salute to shaster

just like we bow to guru granth sahib ji, we bow to the shaster

jus in a different way

[Revolutionary]

Can soemone explain, what is "Penthra" according to how its used in Gatka?

From what I understand, it is a system of footwork, which allows you to act sufficiently with your shastar. The desired effect is established when it is used with "furti" (agility?).

The Stance:

As well as allowing you to keep balance throughout the manoeuvres, the pentra also helps to provide stability - it is harder to be picked up when you are in your pentra, due to the distribution of gravity. Also, that way it is harder to be toppled over.

Pentra allows you to perform tasks that otherwise are relatively harder to do when standing normally, such as kicking the opponent away with sole of feet, and lifting the front leg for protection against an attack to it.

The Movement:

The actual manoeuvre of pentra, mixed with using a shastar, establishs that after every 4 defences you attack once. Defend your left side, right side, behind you, your head, then attack forwards (in that order) - One of the 1st things the student should learn with a shastar, having learnt the pentra. This is philosophy of Sikhi as well, as we never attack first.. We always defend. This especially helps when you are fighting many people (4 on 1).

Now the Ghor pentra (Horse pentra) that many people see during Namaskaar is another form of pentra, which involves fast movements of your legs, like a horse. Adding onto what i said above about Namaskaar, Ghor pentra can also be used as a way of moving around when handling the chakar.

On another note: People should only move on from pentra to shastar once they know pentra like walking - it should be stuck in them subconciously.. That way your mind isn't on both your hands and your feet when handling shastar. Pentra is a Foundation - if it is weak, everything else will topple over.