The words Pencak and Silat have the same meanings and are integral parts of the culture of the Malay ethnic group, who are the native inhabitants in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.
Pencak is commonly used by the people in Java, Madura and Bali, whereas the word Silat is commonly used by the people who live in the other regions of Indonesia as well as in the other Malay regions.
The combination of the words Pencak and Silat into a compound word was made for the first time when an organization uniting all Pencak and Silat perguruans (institutions) in Indonesia was founded in Surakarta on 18 May 1948.
Thirteen European nations entered the 17th World Pencak Silat Championships in December 2016, pitching 48 of their finest fighters & artistic performers against competitors from across the World. Competing in 17 different Sports & Artistic categories, the results were the best ever for Europe, with a total of 1 Gold, 2 Silver & 5 Bronze medals. Understanding the Curriculum: The first four levels of Combat Silat curriculum are identical in structure. It is the simplicity that helps to bring the effectiveness and personal component to the practitioners of Pencak Silat Pertempuran. Each individual is able to focus. The World Pencak Silat Championship 2018 will be happening from 13 to 16 Dec. Click here for more info. Silat rules and regulations Live Better Through Sport - Sport Singapore recognises the value of sport in advancing the national priorities of developing our people and bonding our communities.
This organization was named Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia (Indonesian Pencak Silat Association), abbreviated as IPSI. Since then, the word Pencak Silat has become the official term in Indonesia. This term is also used by the perguruans in many different countries which teach Pencak and Silat derived from Indonesia.
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In the international Pencak Silat communities the word Pencak Silat has become the official term since the international federation organization was founded in Jakarta on March 11, 1980. The organization is called Persekutuan Pencak Silat Antarbangsa (International Pencak Silat Federation), acronymed as PERSILAT. Nevertheless, there are people who use the words Pencak and Silat separately as a single word due to the dialectic habit.
The principal needs of human being are security and prosperity. To fulfill those needs, men invented and developed various means (techniques) and equipment. Men's inventions deal with and overcome many kinds of threats, challenges, obstacles and annoyances. The means are among others the so called kiat-laga and weapon.
Kiat-laga is the skill, technique and method used to defeat or solve any physical threat by another man. These techniques are then compiled into jurus, a series of effective physical movements directed to defend or attack the weak parts of body, and movement of oneself or the opponent, with or without a weapon. The early form was very simple, it was an imitation of animal's body movement conformed with human's anatomy. Then it was developed continuously, coinciding with the development of men's culture. The use of weapons was also developed in the same way.
The Malay ethnic group of people are a mainly agrarian society and their social relationship is accomplished through paguyuban (kinship/ Gemeinschaft) system. The social characteristics and social relationship of such a system have shaped the wisdom and way of life which hold the religious values and principles and the people's morality in high esteem.
In accordance with the social system mentioned above, kiat-laga should be used in a responsible way. It can be accomplished if the performer practices self-control. Kiat-laga can only be used for self-defense and accordingly, its proper name is kiat-beladiri.
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Man has also invented means (techniques) and equipment to fulfil his prosperity (welfare), among others, by developing kiat-beladiri into artistic and sports forms which can supply physical and mental welfare.
Through their social and cultural development the Malay ethnic group of people have absorbed foreign influences into their life, which are in harmony with the religious, moral values and principles they hold in high esteem. Related with that development, the Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic philosophies have been absorbed and applied to put the wisdom and the way of life of this ethnic people in order.
This philosophy is applied in relation with the control of using kiat-beladiri, which focuses its attention on the budi pekerti luhur (the noble mind and character or the sublime ethic), so called falsafah budi pekerti luhur (the philosophy of noble mind and character).
The control of self-defense, artistic and sports kiat-beladiri with its philosophy based on the high esteemed religious and moral values and principles as a unity and oneness, is called Pencak Silat.
When the regions of the Malay ethnic people were under the authority of foreign colonial powers, the teaching of Pencak Silat, which was regarded as a means to grow nationalistic spirit, was first restricted and then prohibited. But the educational activities of Pencak Silat went on secretly.
During the Japanese occupation, the colonial Government allowed the people to develop their culture freely in order to get their support for the Japanese warfare against the Allied Powers. At this time, the education of Pencak Silat was conducted again as it was in the beginning and was spread widely.
After the regions of the Malay ethnic people had been freed from the foreign authorities and emerged independent countries, the growth and dissemination of Pencak Silat became faster, particularly after the establishment of the national Pencak Silat organization in those countries.
Pencak Silat has also developed and spread outside its original countries, particularly after the founding of Persekutuan Pencak Silat Antarabangsa (PERSILAT).
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Pencak Silat Training
Understanding the Curriculum: The first four levels of Combat Silat curriculum are identical in structure. It is the simplicity that helps to bring the effectiveness and personal component to the practitioners of Pencak Silat Pertempuran. Each individual is able to focus and develop their own emphasis beyond this core.
Length of Study: It takes the average individual about 2-3 years to make it through these four levels. It can certainly be done quicker and there are times when it can take longer. Some students have spent 4-5 years working on it and haven’t completed it. There’s no rush. It’s more important to be good than to move through the curriculum quickly.
The Material: The structure is outlined below. For those who are members of the site you can see the details of those as well. Additionally, as I am able I will be adding videos to augment the text on this page as a simple visual reference for those who become site members and for those who want to pursue study of Pencak Silat Pertempuran: Combat Silat
- Sikap Pasang=Welcoming Posture
Any position can be a welcoming posture as long as it is “welcoming.” Meaning to invite attack. The idea being that you provide openings within your protection that seem exploitable for purposes of drawing an attack and countering. There are five basic welcoming postures within Combat Silat.
- Gerakan=Movement
Movement is necessary to stay alive. Only the dead do not move. Gerak are the extension of sikap pasang, which are the basic meta movements required for weapons use and countering.
- Langkah=Stepping
Langkah or stepping contain not only stepping but the foundation of kicking as well. There is one essential langkah that we primarily use called Langkah Satu. Of course, in keeping with most things that we do, there are ways to extract from this basic step to define many many other combative elements even beyond kicking and it is of obvious importance in movement and staying alive.
- Gerakan dan Langkah Kombinasi=Movement and Stepping Combined
The next aspect is to combine with upper body and lower body movement together. That is the combination of stepping and movements. No major emphasis is placed on perfection of langkah versus gerak. Both are equally important.
- Ales=Evasion
Even with the ability to move your feet and hands there may come a time and place where you cannot move your feet sufficiently enough to move out of danger so having the ability to move your body is equally as important as moving your hands and feet. Many times if you move your body efficiently enough, there is little need to move your feet or hands much at all. In Combat Silat, there are many different ways to move your head, body, and legs out of the way of attack. They can be broken up into Ales Kepala (head evasion), Ales Tubuh (body evasion), and Ales Kaki (leg evasion) respectively.
- Pencegah Tangan=Hand Check
Prevention of attack is not the purpose of hand checking. Rather, it’s the slowing of the fight to allow time to act versus react, in addition, it is the disruption of structure. This is a progression of Sikap Pasang.
- Pencegah Kaki=Leg Check
Prevention of attack is not the purpose of leg checking. Rather, it’s the slowing of the fight to allow time to act versus react, in addition, it is the disruption of structure. This is a progression of langkah.
- Masukan Tangan=Hand Entry
Extending the sikap pasang from baiting to counter defense is the purpose of the Masukan Tangan Tangan, exploiting the openings of your aggressor’s attacks.
- Masukan Kaki=Leg Entry
Taking the basic langkah from just being a step to providing the basis for destruction of an opponents structure by countering their positioning and finding weakness is the purpose of the Masukan Kaki.
- Masukan Siku=Elbow Entry
Still built from the foundation of Sikap Pasang, the Mauskan Siku provide an option for those times when Masukan Tangan simply won’t work because the spatial relationship between yourself and your opponent is simply too close.
- Tangkapan=Catching
The Tangkapan are another method that we use to slow the fight down, potentially allowing us an option for controlling the aggressors attacks. Again, they are simply just an extension of the sikap pasang and gerak.
- Pertukaran=Exchanging
This category of movement is designed to help the practitioner develop the skills for handling continuous attacks and for moving from the “inside gate” to the “outside gate” and vice versa.
- Totok Tangan=Hand Destruction
The Totok Tangan are used as a means of damaging an attackers limbs by targeting the vulnerable areas of their arms and hands primarily by using your hands and forearms.
- Totok Siku=Elbow Destruction
The Totok Siku are used as a means of damaging an attackers limbs by targeting the vulnerable areas of their arms and hands primarily by using your elbows to strike them.
- Totok Kaki=Stomping Destruction
The Totok Kaki are used as a means of damaging an attackers limbs by targeting the vulnerable areas of their legs primarily by using your foot to strike them.
- Totok Lutut=Knee Destruction
The Totok Lutut are used as a means of damaging an attackers limbs by targeting the vulnerable areas of their legs by primarily using your knees to strike them.
- Totok Sepak=Kick Destruction
The Totok Sepak are essentially kicks that target vital areas of the attacker. Often the legs. The purpose of which is to breakdown the attackers structure and reduce their mobility.
- Timbilan Tangan=Hand Takedown
Timbilan Tangan are a means of using your arms as the primary method of taking an attacker down through disruption of structure primarily. Almost always performed alongside a method of controlling/stabilizing the attackers base.
- Timbilan Kaki=Foot Takedown
Timbilan Kaki within this system of pencak silat are primarily sweeps, trips, and presses. They are an extension of the base control found within the Masukan Kaki. They are almost always performed alongside a method of controlling/stabilizing the attackers core.
- Leher Patah=Neck Breaks
Leher Patah are obviously used to create crippling damage on an attacker. Our system of neck breaks immobilizes the base of the attacker through extreme structural angles while simultaneously torquing the neck and two angles causing immobility in the joints of the neck.
- Pukul Pembas=Striking Eradication
Pukul Pembas are a means of causing crippling damage to an attacker. The are focused on the neck of an attacker primarily and or the direct and intentional striking of vulnerable spots on the body like the throat, temple, base of skull, and floating ribs.
- Cekikan=Strangles
Cekikan are methods that are potentially lethal in pencak silat Pertempuran. Breaking down the methods into three different types. One, for blocking the airway. Two, for blocking the blood flow. Three for a combination of both.
- Kuncian=Joint Locks
Kuncian, as in any martial art, are primarily used a means of isolating an attackers limbs. We generally use two shoulder locks as they are more attainable than the standard straight arm and wrist locks found in the majority of martial arts. In addition, we will never apply a lock if we cannot break the appendage being locked.
- Jurus=Individual Forms
The jurus-jurus are a method for the individual to practice the movement culture of the system. They include the movement streams as well as allow for the learning of new material through exploration. They are not part of the streams, instead, they are raw movement and contain the entirety of the materials in the streams, as well as additional applications.