Silat signifies "skill for fighting." There are many various styles of silat, the majority of which are found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, southern Thailand and the southern Philippines. Regular to these styles is a combat oriented philosophy and the utilization of weaponry.
In Indonesia, there exist many styles of pentjak silat (also spelled pencak silat), as well as many systems of kuntao, a type of Chinese boxing that bears numerous similaritiest to silat and is found primarily inside the Chinese people group in Indonesia. There are likewise numerous systems that mix pentjak silat and kuntao. "Chinese fighting strategies have had positive impacts on the improvement of pentjak silat," says noted martial arts historian and author Donn Draeger.
Malaysia is home to a style known as bersilat, which can be separated into two forms: putat, a dancelike arrangement of developments planned out there for anyone to see, and buah, a practical fighting strategy never freely showed.
Bersilat is additionally found in the southern Philippines, too as langkah silat, kuntao silat and kali silat.
Silat procedures fluctuate incredibly, from the low ground-battling stances of harimau(tiger) silat to the high-flying throws of madi silat. One especially awful madi throw includes controlling your rival's head, jumping through the air, and utilizing your body weight to yank him off his feet as your knee hammers into his spinal section. A typical harimau takedown includes coming in low against an opponent's punch, catching his foot with your foot, and constraining his knee outward with a strike or snatch to within knee to impact the takedown.
Rikeson silat focuses primarily on nerve strikes, while cipecut silat makes broad utilization of the professional's sarong for throwing and controlling the opponent. A rikeson silat stylist may bring a rival down with a finger-push assault to the nerves arranged in between the upper leg and middle. Cipecut practitioners will avoid an assault with their sarong, at that point fold it over the opponent's head, using the altogether improved leverage to yank him to the ground.
Bukti negara pentjak silat, as created by Paul de Thouars, depends on a complex leverage strategies to accomplish practically easy throws.
In Philippine silat, it is common to trap your opponent's foot with your own foot while controlling his head and arm, then spin him in a circle. The opponent's body rotates 360 degrees, but his knee and foot remain in place, causing severe injury.
The sheer number of silat styles allows practitioners a tremendous amount of variety, as well as a certain amount of freedom and self-expression. By researching a number of silat systems, you can add tremendous diversity to your combat arsenal.
Most silat systems emphasize low, quick kicks, primarily because of the likelihood the practitioner will be confronting an opponent armed with a bladed weapon. A good rule of thumb is to never try a kick against a knife-wielding opponent, unless the kick is delivered at close range and is used as a support technique.
Silat's Key Components
Silat Component #1: Efficient entry system. The style should have procedures that permit you to move rapidly and effectively into short proximity of your opponent. It should likewise incorporate training that will sharpen your timing, exactness and precision while utilizing those methods.
Silat Component #2: Effective follow up techniques. The framework should have effective punching and kicking strategies. Heavy duty methods, for example, head butts, knee crushes and elbow strikes should be exceptionally evolved. 'Finishing' strategies are more important if your opponent is appropriately "tranquilized."
Silat Component #3: Devastating finishing techniques. After you have gone into short proximity and applied a "tranquilizing" method to your opponent, the subsequent technique is to apply a "finishing" strategy, like a throw, sweep, takedown, lock or gag, to end the confrontation. Locking moves will break or deliver incapable a opponent's joint. Choking strategies will create unconsciousness. Takedowns, throws or sweeps will slam the rival into the ground or different objects with sufficient power to end a confrontation.
Silat theory, at that point, is straightforward: Enter into short proximity of the opponent, apply a "tranquiling" method like a punch or kick, and afterward "finish" the opponent off with a hard core technique like a lock, sweep, choke or throw.