tactics involved in kite fighting
basically, there are only two tactics involved in kite fighting - pull and release. the pull method is normally employed when you manage to catch your opponent unawares. you sort of let your kite drift aimlessly and nonchalantly, and without warning, you suddenly change tack and strike. you make a swoop and then you pull (tarek) back furiously until your glass string makes contact and (hopefully) cuts your opponent's.
of course, not all attacks executed in this manner will end in success for you. your opponent, if his reaction is quick enough, may counter by using the same pull method. however, sometimes, in one fell swoop, two or three kites may be cut loose. this kind of fight is usually over in a moment.
the release (hulur) method is used when you want to engage your opponent in a long drawn battle. when your line and your opponent's line make contact, you keep on releasing until one of the lines break - either yours or your opponent's.
sometimes, a combination of the two methods are used in one fight. this means you alternate between pull (tarek) and release (hulur). the method you use depends on the wind condition, the tension of the string and your assessment of your opponent.
those who are bent on using the more aggressive approach to kite fighting use the pull method nearly all the time. nevertheless, as i mentioned early, this method does not guarantee success. otherwise, there will be only one method for kite fighting. those who prefer the pull method also tend to go for the thickest string (the no. 8) to fly the kite.
by the way, all these were from my observations as an assistant to many kite fighters. as i was not good at getting the kite off the ground, i usually helped out by holding the milo or ovaltine tin. when the situation called for the string to be released, i would release. when the 'fighter' pulled furiously, i would be coiling as fast as i could to keep up with his speed.
may be some champion kite fighters out there can enlighten us on the finer points of the tactics and strategies used in kite fighting.
basically, there are only two tactics involved in kite fighting - pull and release. the pull method is normally employed when you manage to catch your opponent unawares. you sort of let your kite drift aimlessly and nonchalantly, and without warning, you suddenly change tack and strike. you make a swoop and then you pull (tarek) back furiously until your glass string makes contact and (hopefully) cuts your opponent's.
of course, not all attacks executed in this manner will end in success for you. your opponent, if his reaction is quick enough, may counter by using the same pull method. however, sometimes, in one fell swoop, two or three kites may be cut loose. this kind of fight is usually over in a moment.
the release (hulur) method is used when you want to engage your opponent in a long drawn battle. when your line and your opponent's line make contact, you keep on releasing until one of the lines break - either yours or your opponent's.
sometimes, a combination of the two methods are used in one fight. this means you alternate between pull (tarek) and release (hulur). the method you use depends on the wind condition, the tension of the string and your assessment of your opponent.
those who are bent on using the more aggressive approach to kite fighting use the pull method nearly all the time. nevertheless, as i mentioned early, this method does not guarantee success. otherwise, there will be only one method for kite fighting. those who prefer the pull method also tend to go for the thickest string (the no. 8) to fly the kite.
by the way, all these were from my observations as an assistant to many kite fighters. as i was not good at getting the kite off the ground, i usually helped out by holding the milo or ovaltine tin. when the situation called for the string to be released, i would release. when the 'fighter' pulled furiously, i would be coiling as fast as i could to keep up with his speed.
may be some champion kite fighters out there can enlighten us on the finer points of the tactics and strategies used in kite fighting.
16 comments:
Kite fighting not only depended on the skills of the players but on the fine powdered glass and the course powdered glass glued to the strings. The former is for 'hulur' that by releasing the string contiuosly until cuts the opponent's string. The latter is 'tarek', that is to pull back the course powdered glass string quickly until it cuts the opponent's string. For this method, your kite must be flying higher than your opponent's. When pulling back the string, your kite swoops down to cut the opponent's string and hence it has to be done as fast as possible.
mr chew, i think your knowledge and memory is much better than mine. i mentioned in an earlier blog that to make the powdered glass we used the fluorescent tube. can you tell us what type of glass was used to coat the string with coarse glass?
The strategy I used is to be defensive when my opponent is attacking by releasing my string quicky, hence slackening my string making it difficult for the attacking string to cut my string.The fun is to allow my kite to float and drift away giving the impression that I have lost the battle and giving false hope to the attacker that he has won and exciting the onlookers that there's another kite to be picked. Then I 'tarik' slightly again to disappoint everybody that I'm still alive and wait for my opportunity to attack.
mr nah, i have seen the strategy you described being used quite often. when there is no tension, your opponent's move is rendered ineffective.
by the way, can you remember the names we gave to the kites, like chap mata, chap sotong,..
I used the ordinary round bulb glass. The glass was thinner than the flourescent tube glass and could pounded into powdered more easily. It could be used either for 'hulur" or 'tarek' dependig on whether you want the glass to be fine or course. Flourescent tube glass was coarse and it was only good for 'tarek'.
thank you for sharing, mr chew. i had been under the impression that the glass from the fluorescent tube was finer. now i know the round bulb was thinner.
i remember chap gajah, chap tongkat ali....
may i add this piece of info which is not mentioned that in kite fighting, besides knowing how to hulur and tarek well, the kite itself is another important weapon besides the glazed string. it must be 'balanced' so that it is able to move in the direction you want it to go at great speed. this is done by holding the kite up by the string after it is tied, to see whether it remain horizontal(balanced) or lop-sided.
hi do you have any idea where can i
buy gd glass line.pls e mail me
if you got any idea . deonheng@yahoo.com
hi anonymous, i have not known anyone who bought or sold glass line; we all prepared our own glass line. i will check with my friend to see if the stuff needed for making glass line is still available in the shops.
Sometimes you can fool kite fighters, fly your kite in kite fighting battle sky with fishing line. How strong your glazed line will not cut your line with the fishing line. It gives lots of frustration to your opponent kite fighter.
Hi, I used to fly kites a lot around the late 50s when I was living in Jln Eunos area (nr the central theatre). Those fighting kites were called 'layang anak', not that they were small, they even had 3 sizes. They were ink painted in many designs like what is mentioned - chap mata, chap sotong, chap bomb, etc, etc. Those types with prints of superheroes were not fighting ones. Nvr heard or seen chap Gajah or Tongkat Ali though.
Making glass for our thread was an important undertaking as we believed different glass gave different strength, which of course is a fallacy. Bulb glass however, was the easiest to pound into powder form. And we even had to buy the 'Gu Peh Kar', a type of solidified glue, from Chinese medical shops.
The pounded glass had to be sieved through 1 or 2 layer of cloth into a milk can using the thump to rub so that the finest grains were collected. When enough, chips of the gu peh kar are added together with half full of water and boiled.
Coarse or fine glass coated thread had nothing to do with the grain of the glass. Its the way you coat your thread. And coarse glass coated threads are not superior to the fine ones. On the contrary they cut your fingers better.
No.8 threads werent superior too. In fact they were heavy and rather obtrusive against the blue sky. Cant stand up against nos. 40 and 50 (Rake brand ones). Even fishing lines were simply no match against glass coated threads in the sky as I'd tried.
To fly a kite we must know how to tie the 'teraju', or your kite wont even go up. Tie it right it gives you power and maintain your kite 'tergat' so that it wont go round and round in circle (galek)in the air. Tergat ones were intended for tarek kill, while galek ones, usually hulur in a fight.
Kite fighting was very popular at that time. People even chased kites with poles for those that lose in a fight as they hanyut (drifted) away. Layang anaks were not cheap; each cost 15 cents those days.
Hi David Lee I am Mohamed my house was at opp central theatre.at No. 2Jalan Jaffar, if you dont mind do you have old photos of that area, I hope you still remember the provision shop owner, we call him Panjang its mean long in english and I met him at enos crecent were he run an econ mini mart, and he still remember me.
I love kites. I use to make kites before when I was a kid and it was fun. But I can still make kites today, the big ones.
Which thread in better glass one or without glass one
Which thread in better glass one or without glass one
Definitely glass one
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