The Piper And Tripwire System In Context
At the end of this blog, there will be an option to buy!
The Piper Tripwire System is now starting to gain notoriety and is being sought out by some of the world’s top martial artists to add to their respective skill sets. It is a true African martial art method well worth exploring. However, with notoriety, there can come controversy, so I shall attempt to address these controversies and dispel them.
If you have read my previous blog posts, you will know that the Piper Tripwire Systems techniques, descend from those used by the criminal subculture of South Africa. Sadly, there are some groups which practice a different branch of the Piper System that try to emulate the behaviors of this criminal subculture. Fortunately, our branch of the Piper Tripwire System, headed by Lloyd De Jongh, teaches the content while separating it from the toxic culture. No one wants to be associated with that type of behavior. Unfortunately, like most martial arts, some people try to become more like those that developed it, rather than focusing on physical skills.
The Second controversy is whether or not, the Piper Tripwire System is African enough to be considered an African martial art. At face value, this may seem ridiculous; however, there has been some debate on this subject online. So, I thought I would cover this subject as well, ridiculous as it is.
Since the Piper Tripwire System has two minor elements that do not come from Africa, the debate is, it is not 100% purely African. These elements are western boxing, and Indo Malaysian Silat. Nevertheless, the boxing element, has been so modified and synthesized to the local needs, that it looks barely recognizable as anything that could be considered western boxing. The Indo Malaysian Silat element, is also or would be, unrecognizable to somebody from Southeast Asia, as something that would be considered Silat. This Indo Malaysian Silat element, has been completely submerged in the uniquely South African rhythms. So, I would argue, that these minor elements do not diminish the major elements (see previous blogs) that are uniquely African and unquestionably African.
It is unfortunate when you get people that are looking for something pure or whom are purists. There is nothing that is not all blended in martial arts. This type of argument then, would be like arguing that Capoeira is not Brazilian because a large majority of its methodologies come from Africa. The same could be argued that FMA is not Filipino enough because there are elements of European martial art in it. This is an example of improper Socratic linking, and this type of thinking can lead us down a very long rabbit hole with no ending.
So, if you want to see what all the chatter is about, and what top martial artist now want to train in, follow the link to purchase The Piper Tripwire System In Context:
I, too, immediately thought about the Spanish Espada y Data inflhence on the FMA!