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What’s the appeal of Silat?

Prior to 2000, I had no real knowledge or understanding of Silat. Sure, I had read a few articles and seen some pictures over the years in Black Belt and Inside Kung Fu. But, that’s it!

Then in 2000, I received Guro Cass Magda’s two-volume, 1993-1994 European Tour, video set, which featured Indonesian Pentjak Silat and Filipino Kali.

What I witnessed in those videos greatly appealed to me. What was it that inspired me to learn more about this Indonesian Martial Art?

Continue reading and you will discover the answer.

Continue reading to discover if this might be what you’ve been longing for too.

Before you discover what inspired me to learn more about Silat, I want you to know that this page serves as the hub for further exploration. It is your gateway to:

Articles

Books

Drills

Maryland Schools
View a list of schools in the state of Maryland that provide instruction in the Indonesian-Malaysian Martial Art of Pentjak Silat.

Organizations

Resources

Systems
Learn about high-performance systems, such as Buka Jalan, Bukti Negara, Mande Muda, Seni Gayong and Harimau Berantai, as well as others.

Teachers

Techniques

Terminology

Fighting

Videos

Weapons

Okay, it’s time to answer the question, “What’s the appeal of Silat?”

First Impressions

For me, my first impressions were directness, efficiency and finality …

… Aggressive directness,

… Consistent efficiency and

… Unrelenting finality

Counterattacks were dealt with by hard, forward-charging entries that created a balance-disrupting aggressive directness.

The strikes and manipulations that followed the hard, forward-charging entries produced consistent efficiency regardless of the attack.

The follow-ups that were executed after the takedowns not only showed respect for the downed opponent, but revealed the unrelenting finality that the art seeks to instill.

Out of My House

Prior to becoming a Silat student and teacher, I had trained in several other styles of martial arts.

But my previous experience never included anything like I witnessed on the European Tour videos.

Sure, I had seen aggressiveness, strikes, and takedowns before, but I had never witnessed the manipulations that resulted from or that followed the strikes but preceded the takedowns.

The strikes and/or manipulations support the system’s “Out of My House” mentality, which involves moving the opponent to the left or right enough to move him out from being directly in front of you. Moving the opponent left or right also serves to disrupt his balance, keep constant pressure on him, and make the way for the next thing – strike, takedown, lock, etc.

Calm the Tiger

Would you get in a cage with an angry tiger? No, of course you wouldn’t! You would tranquilize the tiger first.

In much the same way, you are best served by tranquilizing your fierce opponent before or during your entry into his close personal space.

Pukulan styles - styles that emphasize hitting or striking - tranquilize or tenderize their opponents through rapid striking.

Independent Bases

Forms have been a mainstay of my previous training, as they probably have been a foundation for you too. In all of my previous experience, however, the body was treated as a single element.

This is not the case with Silat - you learn that there’s an upper base and a lower base. The bases are two parts of the same whole.

The independence of the bases, which is quite unique, is critical to the success of techniques.

Each Countered By …

Nine different takedowns were listed in the European Tour videos.

During the initial stages of training, students learn each takedown individually. As the training progresses, students learn to counter takedown attempts with takedowns of their own.

As the training further progresses, students learn that each individual takedown can be countered by the exact same takedown, as well as all of the eight remaining takedowns. In other words, nine takedowns can be used as counters to a takedown attempt.

Knowing versus Understanding

You can know a lot of things but to understand them is another matter completely.

For instance, you can know how to do an inside foot sweep – Sapu Dalam – but to truly understand it is a completely different thing.

To truly understand it you must understand:

• How to use it at close quarters
• How to use it retreating
• How to use it at speed
• How to use it with upper levers

When you can use it in all of these ways, then you understand it.

Dalam versus Luar

Dalam means inside and luar means outside. Dalam and luar are typically associated with literal translations, such as Sapu Dalam and Sapu Luar, which translate to Inside Foot Sweep and Outside Foot Sweep, respectively.

Dalam and luar, however, can also refer to figurative translations.

In this case, luar refers to the obvious interpretations of the art. For instance, an upward elbow delivered into the opposite hand during the performance of a hand-dominant form or juru signifies:

• a head grab coupled with an elbow or
• moving the arm out of the way and elbowing the chest

Dalam, on the other hand, refers to the hidden or less obvious interpretations of the art. In this case, that same upward elbow can be a:

• throw
• takedown
• lock
• counter to a throw
• counter to a takedown
• counter to a lock

The Bag of Flour

To delve deeper into the dalam aspect, let’s look at the bag of flour analogy.

What can you make with flour?

The correct answer is – that depends upon your knowledge of baking.

If you possess little to no knowledge of baking, you need the help of a baker to make bread, cakes, pasta, pastries, pizza, pies, waffles, pancakes and more.

In essence, you need the baker to show you how to bake.

In Silat, hand-dominant forms or jurus and footwork platforms / steps or langkahs are your bags of flour.

What can you make with your Silat bags of flour?

The correct answer is once again – that depends upon your knowledge of Silat.

If you possess little to no knowledge, you need the help of a teacher to turn the “flour” into “deadly food” for the enemy.

In other words, you need the teacher to bring the jurus and langkahs to life by showing you how to apply them.

So, as a Silat student it’s okay to think of yourself as a baker’s apprentice.

The New Way versus the Old Way

The new way of Silat tends to resemble a shadow boxing set. In this method, the movements of the jurus are interpreted literally.

The upward elbow delivered into the opposite hand signifies a head grab coupled with an elbow or moving the arm out of the way and elbowing the chest and that’s it! In other words, there is no bag of flour.

The old way is synonymous with bags of flour. Movements of the jurus are interpreted figuratively.

In this method, the upward elbow delivered into the opposite hand signifies a lock, takedown, throw, counter to a lock, counter to a takedown, or counter to a throw.

While both have their appeal, I prefer the old way.

Complex Simplicity

Understanding the variations of all the neat moves and techniques is complex. So, how do you overcome this complexity? Simple …

… return to the basics!

Your return to the basics promotes true understanding as opposed to just knowing.

True understanding of the basics results in complex simplicity for two reasons.

1. You don’t have to learn a lot of complicated techniques.
2. The complex techniques come out of the understanding of the basics.

Sambutan

This is an awesome counter-for-counter drill that involves cooperative training in which the first player – pesilat – puts the second player – pesilat – partially into a technique.

The second player begins by relieving the pressure of the first player’s technique and then applies his own pressure as he partially places the first player into a technique.

This flow of relieving and applying pressure continues throughout the drill as the players manipulate one another from one technique to another.

Sarong

If you familiar with the sarong or sarung, you likely know that it is a large tube or length of fabric often wrapped around the waist and worn as a kilt by men and as a skirt by women throughout much of Southeast Asia.

But, what you may not know is the sarong is more than just a piece of clothing.

It is a flexible weapon.

In learning to use the sarong as a flexible weapon, Silat students learn to capture limbs, assist takedowns, and execute chokes, as well as deliver strikes.

The Never Ending Way

One of the laws of Buka Jalan – the system taught at HIMA – is to “Make the Way.”

“Making the Way” involves setting the stage for the next technique.

For instance, a strike makes the way for a step.

A step makes the way for pressure to be applied.

Applied pressure makes the way for an arm to be moved to another place to push.

A push makes the way for a knee.

A knee makes the way for another step.

Another step makes the way for a sweep.

This is the never ending way of Buka Jalan - a system in which each move is setup by the move before.

One Beginning …

… countless finishes.

Silat can use the same defense, such as an inside parry coupled with a driving punch, against an attack yet channel that attack to many different finishes.

In other words, the same attack handled by the same defense can lead to countless finishes. As an example, each of the nine takedowns mentioned earlier could represent one finish. Thus, takedowns alone would account for nine different finishes.

Substitution Principle

This principle is found within many highly evolved martial arts systems, including Silat.

The Substitution Principle involves using a different implement to accomplish the same objective.

In the European Tour videos, the staff, knife, and empty hand substituted for one another during the execution of a takedown.

Dangerous Dancing

When I speak or write about kembangan, I’m not referring to the residential area in Kembangan, Singapore or the sub-district of West Jakarta in Kembangan, Jakarta or a village located in Selangor, Malaysia that goes by the name of Seri Kembangan.

Instead, I’m referring to the dangerous dancing of this Indonesian martial art.

Kembangan is a music-accompanied dance in which players “flowerize” their moves as a means to conceal their dangerous implications.

Same Same, But Different

When I first met my wife, Piyanan, in Thailand, one of her favorite sayings was, “Same same, but different.”

To many people this saying does not make sense. Many people think, “How can something be the same, but different?

Silat shows you how.

The trademark of a true system is that it has a “funnel of adaptability” that allows seemingly different attacks to be handled exactly the same.

As an example, Silat can “funnel” the following attacks:

• Right step, right punch
• Right step, left punch
• Left step, right punch
• Left step, left punch

To the same finish!

It’s important to note that the attacker is the one who is different!

You can use the same footwork, the same entry, and the same technique to handle each attack listed above.

Director – Directee

At the forefront of the system that I teach is a fighting philosophy that states, “You are the Director, your opponent is the Directee.”

This fighting philosophy is designed to change your mindset. When you embrace this fighting philosophy and its accompanying mindset you no longer position yourself to the opponent. Instead, you learn to direct him.

You learn to direct him through openings that you purposely leave.

You learn to direct him through exercises that have you get into an entry position and then move – direct – him into different techniques, such as Sapu Luar, Biset Dalam, and Pueter Kepala.

You learn to direct him from the same attack to different finishes.

You learn to direct him from seemingly different attacks to the same finish.

In short, you become the Director! He becomes the Directee!

This fighting philosophy is far different from a system that emphasizes technique, technique, technique.

A Peculiar Ground Style

If you’re a fan of unique styles and athleticism, you’re going to love the peculiar ground style of Silat.

This style is unique in that the hands can be used as feet and the feet can be used as hands.

It is athleticism personified, as it requires agility, coordination, speed, and leg strength to name but a few attributes.

This peculiar ground style is often referred to as harimau or tiger.

A Sticky Body

As a Wing Chun Gung Fu veteran, I am used to sticky things – Single Sticky Hand, Double Sticky Hands, and Sticky Leg.

Silat takes the notion of sticky to another level with its pleekit exercise.

Pleekit is a sticky body exercise in which two players apply pressure and yield to pressure.

During the initial stages of training, the players are body-to-body. One player uses his chest or shoulder to apply forward pressure to the other player.

Pleekit progresses to one player applying forward pressure to the other while he advances and partially executes techniques.

Pleekit is an example of a drill that teaches the law of Constant Forward Pressure in your technique.

Your Next Step

While your next step is clearly your choice, I do have three recommendations for you.

1. If you live in the 4-state region are close to the Hagerstown, Maryland area and are ready to start your Silat training, call HIMA today! For more information on our Silat curriculum click here.

2. If you live outside of the 4-state region are not close to the Hagerstown, Maryland area and are ready to start your Silat training, find a local Silat teacher and call today!

3. Regardless of your location, use this gateway for further exploration into this punishing Indonesian martial art.