subject: Silat And Self Defense- What Is The Silat? [print this page] Self defense is a necessity in everyones lives. Some people receive training to defend themselves as part of their career. A person in the protective services or police force would naturally be learning basic self defense. Today more and more people from the general population are also taking an active and avid interest in different forms of self defense such as Karate, Silat, Kick boxing and other forms.
This is a type of indigenous martial art form originating from Indonesia. From there it has grown in popularity and spread to Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. There has also been a Chinese version of this same martial art form known by the name Kuntao. Those who practice this are called as pesilat.
The form of martial arts has a number of different moves and various styles of performing but for the most part, focus is on the joint manipulation, strikes, throws, use of bladed weapons, or techniques based on animals. Based on the country where the Silat martial art form is practiced, there are a number of different organizations at the national level that oversee its practice and its performance.
Silat comes from a word in the Menang language which is silek, the origin of this word is still unknown. The origins of this martial arts form has various stories associated with it. One version says that this originated when a woman saw a fight happening between a tiger and an eagle. She learnt it and taught it to her husband who then passed it on across generations. Earlier silat was a generic term used to refer to any type of fighting. Now it is specific to a style of martial art particularly originating from the Indonesian region.
In Malaysia Silat was encouraged among the royals and the generals and it was a mark of the higher sections of the society to know and practice this martial art form. Fighters who proved their worth were relegated to lead troops and given special honors from the king. Thus knowing and being well versed in this martial art form was a sign of nobility or royalty.
Silat Weapons are also a point of interest. They use a type of weapon incorporated from Japanese culture in practicing this art called as the Katana. A breastplate or a rattan shield is also used as a protective gear. It is the only protective piece worn by people practicing this form in early times. In order to start working with a weapon when practicing this form of martial arts, students should have an acquired a degree of proficiency. There are also various styles where the form itself is weapon based. The commonly used weapons by people practicing this are the kris or dagger, parang or machete, the sarang and the tongkat or walking stick.
This is a form of martial arts which has very ancient routes, over the years different styles have developed as new moves were incorporated into the original form and it has evolved. Its style has been merged with other martial art forms and incorporated into cultures in china, Japan and other countries.
