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SILAT
Introduction:
Silat (fighting)
is a generic name for the South-East Asian martial arts of
the Malay world.
This art is widely
known in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Southern
Philippines but can also be found in varying degrees among
the Malay communities in Southern Thailand. The art of Silat
has also reached Europe and the United States. There are hundreds
of aliran (styles) and thousands of schools.
In Indonesia,
the term Pencak Silat is used. Pencak means "movements",
and comes from the Sunda word: Penca.
In Malaysia and
Singapore, the terms Seni Silat (the art of fighting) or just
Silat are preferred.
History:
There are a number
of legends and stories on how Silat was created; one of these
legends tells of a Sumatran woman who witnessed a fight between
a tiger and a very large bird. She supposedly has created
her style being inspired by this fight. However true this
story is, it is known that by the sixth century A.D., formalized
combative systems were being practiced in the area of Sumatra
and the Malay Peninsula. Archeological evidence shows that
Silat was indeed created in Sumatra and flourished after it
spread to Java.
Java was an important
centre of education and religion, particularly in Hinduism
and Buddhism. It attracted monks and educated men from various
parts of South-East Asia. The influences of Silat on South-Eastern
fighting arts can be seen in Silat's similarity to Krabi Krabong
and Muay Thai from Thailand, Banshay from Myanmar, and Kali
from the Philippines. In addition to this, South-East Asia
has always been an important area for traders from India and
China. People from these two lands had long been settled in
the region and provided the basis for local culture, including
martial arts. Indian martial arts, especially Kalaripayat,
and the Chinese Kuntao from the Hakka community had a tremendous
impact on South-East Asian fighting arts.
In the 5th and
6th centuries in Indonesia, an empire was formed due to the
migration of the Hindu tribes of India to Sumatra and Java.
The Srivijaya Empire, as it came to be known, eventually
spread as far as the Philippines.
Their martial
arts skills, advanced weaponry and superior organization made
it possible for them to conquer the earlier settlers. The
Srivijayas brought their influence in religion, philosophy,
arts, and combative forms through South-East Asia.
The next major
spread of arts and culture occurred in the 13th century. The
Majapahit Empire of Java, which eclipsed the Srivijaya Empire
spread throughout South-East Asia. These were the golden days
of the Malay culture.
At its height,
the Majapahit Empire included areas that are known today as
Burma, Indonesia, Southern Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Southern
Philippines and Madagascar. Deeply influenced by the Hindu-Buddhist
culture, the Majapahit brought their styles of Pencak Silat
almost everywhere in South-East Asia.
From the Majapahit
Empire and its connected kingdoms, a very specific Southern-Asian
culture was born, philosophically based on Hinduism and Buddhism.
The dates for the end of the Majapahit Empire range from 1478
to 1520. A large number of courtiers, artisans, priests, warriors
and members of the royalty moved east to the island of Bali
at the end of Majapahit existence.
What we informally
refer today as “Majapahit Martial Arts” include:
- Malay Silat
- Filipino Martial
Arts (Kali, Arnis, Eskrima, Silat Kuntao)
- Muay Boran
(traditional Thai boxing)
- Tomoi (traditional
Malaysian boxing)
- Krabi Krabong
(Thai weapons system)
- Myanma yuya
louvi (traditional Myanmar boxing)
Learning the Malay culture is also part of the Pencak Silat training
After the Majapahit,
the influence of Islam in the practice, philosophy and ceremonial
of Pencak Silat has been enormous; to the point that some
believe Silat is a Muslim Martial Art. Which, like we saw
before, is absolutely not true. Although Muslim traders first
traveled through South East Asia early in the Islamic era,
the earliest evidence of Islamized populations in Indonesia
dates to the 13th century in northern Sumatra. Although it
is known that the spread of Islam began in the west of the
archipelago, the fragmentary evidence does not suggest a rolling
wave of conversion through adjacent areas; rather, it suggests
the process was complicated and slow. The spread of Islam
was driven by increasing trade links outside of the archipelago;
in general, traders and the royalty of major kingdoms were
the first to adopt the new religion.
Other Indonesia
areas gradually adopted Islam, making it the dominant religion
in Java and Sumatra by the end of the 16th century. For the
most part, Islam overlaid and mixed with existing cultural
and religious influences, which shaped the predominant form
of Islam in Indonesia, particularly in Java. Only Bali retained
a Hindu majority. In the eastern archipelago, both Christian
and Islamic missionaries were active in the 16th and 17th
centuries, and, currently, there are large communities of
both religions on these islands.
Techniques:
The styles and
schools of Silat differ from each other with regard to which
aspects are emphasized. It is thanks to the sport aspects
that this art has become popular in Europe and the USA. However,
many believe (and I am one of them), the essence of Martial
Arts is lost when converted to a sport. Fame can be fatal
to the original fighting and spiritual art of Silat, and we
have to be very careful when spreading martial arts through
competition. Soulless modern Chinese Kung Fu Wushu or Jmodern Tae Kwon Do, are just few examples of what can happen if the youth
have no interest in the totality of the art.
Silat has a wide
variety of defense and attacking techniques. Practitioners
may use hands, elbows, arms, legs, knees, feet, head or any
part of the body in attacks. Common techniques include kicking,
punching, hitting, trapping, sweeps, locks, takedowns, throws,
chokes, and joint breaking.
First, the pesilat,
or Silat practitioner, practices with jurus. A juru is made
of series of movements for the upper body used as a guide
a beginner to learn the applications, or buah, when done with
a partner. The use of langkah (steps) teaches the footwork.
In Silat, jurus are not always used, and after reaching a
certain level in the art, the pesilat will focus more in free
flow drills with a partner and realistic self-defense exercises.
Silat Master Guru Utama Mohamed Khamin, Singapore
Most Silat styles
have 4 specific parts:
- Self-defense
(Bela Diri)
- Traditional
art (Seni)
- Spiritual training
(Isis)
- Sport (Olah
Raga)
The basic forms
(Jurus), taught at the beginning of practice, are at first
performed by the Pesilat in straight line, and later in triangle. Pencak Silat
focuses on speed and fluidity; there is no “hard block”
like in Karate, but rather interception, parry or deflection.
Most of the time, like in Filipino Kali or Chinese Wing Chun,
blocks and counter attacks are made simultaneously.
Mental / spiritual
training is an important part of Silat. It is divided in two
parts: physical (breathing techniques, focus techniques, meditation,
prayers, etc.) and spiritual “Ilmu Kebatinan”
(spiritual knowledge), Tenaga Dalam (internal dragon), Indera
Keenam (6th sens), Kanuragan (esoteric self-defense), Ilmu Kontak
(calling the spirits))... Ilmu is the internal energy, equivalent
of Chinese Qi or Japanese Ki.
Here are just
few of the many Pencak Silat styles:
· Tapac
Suci (Indonesia)
· Bukti
Negara (Indonesia)
- Bakti Negara (Bali)
· Tuanku
Ulakan (Indonesia)
· Setia
Hati (Indonesia)
· Mande
Muda Silat (Indonesia)
· Seni
Gayong (Malaysia)
· Bersilat
(Malaysia)
· Silat
Gayong (Singapore)
· Seni
Silat Titipinang (Singapore)
· Silat
Kuntao (Philippines)
· Silat
Kuntaw (Philippines)
· Kali
/ Silat (Philippines)
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