What is Silat

Silat is a collective word for a family of martial arts created by the Malay people from Southeast Asia. Originally developed in what is now Indonesia, peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore, silat was also traditionally practiced by the Malay communities of Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Phillippines. Practitioners are called pesilat. The Chinese fusion of silat is known as kuntao[1]
There are hundreds of different styles but they tend to focus either on strikes, joint manipulation, bladed weapons, throws or animal-based techniques. Silat schools are overseen by separate national organizations in each of the main countries the art is practiced. These are Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) from Malaysia, Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia (IPSI) from Indonesia, Persekutuan Silat Brunei Darussalam (PERSIB) from Brunei and Persekutuan Silat Singapura (PERSIS) from Singapore.
The movements of silat are often performed as a dance during festivities such as weddings. These performances can be done either solo or with a partner and are often accompanied by music, notably the gong, kendang (drum) and suling (flute). As a result several traditional dances were influenced by silat, such as inai. In the Minangkabau area silat is one of the main components in the men's folk dance called randai,[2] besides bakaba (storytelling) and saluang jo dendang (song-and-flute).
Terminology

Silat is an important part of randai performances
The origin of the word silat is unknown. Although one theory states that it comes from the Minang word silek,[2] the etymology of silek itself cannot be traced. Another theory is that it comes from silambam, which is practiced by the Indian community of Malaysia. Other similar-sounding words have been proposed as the derivation of silat but none have been proven.
Nevertheless, the noun silat has a formidable arsenal of terms used to refer to martial arts in Southeast Asia.[1] It is usually called pencak silat in Indonesia or silek in the Minangkabau language. Some examples of the word's application in Malaysia and Singapore include seni silat (art of silat), seni bela-diri (art of self-defence) or sometimes ilmu silat (knowledge of silat). The term kali or basilat is used by the Malay community of the Phillippines who developed a style of fighting with the walking-stick (tongkat).[3]

History

A pesilat in Bali
Fighting arts in Southeast Asia arose out of hunting methods and military training by the region's native inhabitants. The descendents of former headhunters still perform ancient wardances which are considered the precursor of the tari (freestyle form) in silat. Among the Indon-Malay diaspora, self-defense practices were not confined to any particular social class or gender but were practiced by all without restrictions. Silat was eventually used to form the defence forces of Southeast Asian empires like Langkasuka, Gangga Negara, Champa, Funan, Pattani, Beruas, Minangkabau, Srivijaya, Majapahit, Melaka, Makassar and other kingdoms in the realm of the Malay Peninsula.[4]
Indon-Malay culture was based on that of China and India. Upper-class nobles from Southeast Asia would often send their children to study in one of the two countries. By adopting the Indian faiths of Hinduism and Buddhism, the Malay social structure became more organised.[5] Evidence shows that Chinese and Indian martial arts influenced silat as well.[6] Many of the region's weapons originated in either China or India and silat's thigh-slapping actions are reminiscent of Hindu wrestling.[7]
Although numerous myths attempt to explain the institutionalisation of silat, most of them concern only a specific style. The earliest evidence of silat in its present form is found in Sumatra where, according to local legend, a woman based her fighting style on the movements of fighting animals that she had seen. Masters still believe that the first styles of silat were created by observing animals, styles which probably derive from their Indian counterparts.[8] Around the same time this is alleged to have taken place, pre-determined sets are said to have been introduced by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma who travelled from India to Southeast Asia via Palembang.[5] Through this connection, silat is also used as a method of self-cultivation.
Southeast Asian trade had already extended into Okinawa and Japan by the 1400s. The number of Japanese people travelling the region increased after the Battle Of Sekigahara. By the early 1600s there were small Japanese communities living and trading in Indochina. Some arrived with the official red seal ships while others were warriors and pirates from the losing side of the Sekigahara war. Although mostly confined to Siam, some Japanese escaped to Cambodia and Indonesia after Ayutthaya was attacked by the Burmese. Silat shares many similarities with Okinawan karate as well as the throws and stances of Japanese martial arts[7] which may date back to this time but whether Japanese fighting systems had a stronger influence on silat or vice-versa is unclear. Trade with Japan ended when the country went into self-imposed isolation but resumed during the Meiji era, during which time certain areas such as Penang and Singapore became home to a small Japanese population. After the Japanese Occupation, some silat masters incorporated the katana into their styles. The weapon is still used in some systems today although its application has little relation to actual Japanese kenjutsu.
During the colonial era, Malays used silat to liberate themselves from foreign authorities.[6] Post-independence, the art spread out from Asia and into Europe. Silat is now included in competitions, particularly during the Southeast Asian Games. Since the Islamisation movement of the 1980s and 90s, there have been attempts to combine silat with foreign styles such as the Muslim Chinese martial arts. To make silat more compliant with Islamic principles, it is now illegal for Muslim pesilat in Malaysia to chant mantras, bow to idols or practice traditional meditation and deep breathing. However, some of these methods still endure among conservative silat schools in Indonesia and Thailand.

Training

Stances and footwork
Almost every silat style incorporates multi-level fighting stances (sikap pasang), or preset postures meant to provide the foundation for remaining stable while in motion. The horses stance (kuda-kuda) is the most essential posture, common to all styles of silat. Beginners had to practice this stance until it could be easily held for at least ten minutes. Stances are taught in tandem with langkah, a set of structured steps. Langkah consist of basic footwork and kicks made to teach how best to move in a fight. The cat step (langkah kuching) and warrior step (langkah lawan) are examples of langkah. After becoming proficient at langkah, students learn footwork patterns or tapak (meaning sole) from which to apply fighting techniques. Each tapak takes account of not only the particular move being used but also the potential for change in each movement and action. Among the most common formations are tapak tiga, tapak empat and tapak lima. All together, the stances, langkah and tapak act as a basis for forms-training.

Forms
Forms or jurus are a series of prearranged meta-movements practiced as a single set. Their main function in silat is to pass down all of a style's techniques in an organised manner as well as being a method of physical conditioning and public demonstration. While demonstrating a form, silat practitioners often use the open hand to slap parts of their own body such the shoulder, elbow, thigh or knee. This reminds the pesilat that when an opponent comes close there may be an opportunity to trap their attacking limbs. Aside from solo forms, they may also be performed with one or more partners. Choreographed forms pitting one fighter against several opponents are common in those silat styles which emphasise defense against multiple attackers. Partnered forms are useful for teaching the application of techniques, particularly those attacks which are too dangerous to be used in a sparring match.
Tari (meaning dance) are freestyle forms which haven't been arranged beforehand. With a partner, tari is used as a way of sensitivity training similar to Chinese chi sao.[5] The aesthetic aspect of forms is called flower (bunga) or art (seni) forms. They are performed in slow, graceful movements with an intentional dance-like quality. Their purpose is to hide the subtle applications of a certain technique or to trick the opponent into making a mistake during battle. Once the student has learned basic techniques, forms and footwork, they are taught how to attack before being attacked, in self preservation. Silat exponents are entrusted to use their knowledge confidently and in its rightful place and to ensure that their knowledge does not fall into the hands of the irresponsible.[9]

Spirituality in silat
As well as being a combat art and folk dance, silat is also a form of spiritual training.[6] Some styles, such as silat lintar, focus more on internal practice than on self-defense. The aim of traditional pesilat, regardless of religion, is to free themselves of worldly conceptions and realize that this reality is an illusion. This was originally achieved through meditation while in the lotus position. The later introduction of Islam into Southeast Asia brought influences of Muslim philosophy to silat while still retaining its traditional Malay core which incorporates elements of Hinduism, Buddhism, Kejawen and local forms of animism. Most common among these traditional practices is the Javanese concept of kebatinan in which the exponent searches for harmony within themselves. Modern silat schools often focus on tasawwuf (esoteric Sufi teachings), in which the exponent learns to respect life and sees their surroundings as a gift from God.

Weapons
Along with the human body, silat employs a wide variety of weapons. Prior to the introduction of firearms, weapons training was actually considered to be of greater value than unarmed techniques. Many masters consider a student's training incomplete if they have not learned the use of weapons. In styles which are not weapon-based, students must achieve a certain degree of skill before being presented with a weapon which is sometimes made by the master. This signifies the beginning of weapons-training. Among the hundreds of styles are dozens of weapons but the one most commonly used is the kris or dagger. The keris is accorded legendary status in Malay culture but other styles prefer the stick for its versatility. Objects designed for domestic purposes could also be wielded as fighting implements according to circumstance. These include the cane, rope, chain and sarong. A trained pesilat should be able to use any nearby objects as an effective weapon according to circumstance. For this reason, silat's traditional arsenal is largely made up of tools such as machetes and sickles.

Energy
In silat culture, the energetic body consists of interlocking circles called cakera. The cakera's energy rotates outwards along diagonal lines. Energy that emits outwards from the centre line is defensive while offensive energy moves inwards from the sides of the body.[5] By being aware of this, the pesilat can harmonise their movements with the cakera, thereby increasing the power and effectiveness of attacks. Energy could also be used for healing or focused into a single point when applied to sentuhan, the Malay art of attacking an opponent's pressure points. The highest form of sentuhan supposedly allows a pesilat to attack pressure points using energy alone without physically touching the opponent.