Pencak Silat from Indonesia

Silat (Minangkabau: silek) is a collective word for indigenous martial arts of the Indonesian Archipelago and Malay Peninsula of Southeast Asia. Originally developed in what are now Indonesia, peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore, it is also traditionally practiced in Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines.

There are hundreds of different styles but they tend to focus either on strikes, joint manipulation, throws, bladed weaponry, or some combination thereof. Silat is one of the sports included in the Southeast Asian Games and other region-wide competitions. Training halls are overseen by separate national organizations in each of the main countries the art is practiced. These are Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia (IPSI) from Indonesia, Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) from Malaysia, Persekutuan Silat Brunei Darussalam (PERSIB) from Brunei and Persekutuan Silat Singapura (PERSISI) from Singapore.

Pencak Silat is a martial sport that requires a lot of konsentrasi.Ada influence ofChinese culture, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam in the martial arts. Usually every regionin Indonesia has a flow of a typical martial arts. For example, the area of West Java is famous for its flow and Cikalong Cimande, in Central Java, there is the White Pigeonflow and no flow in East Java Diri.Setiap Shield four years in Indonesia there is a national level martial arts match in the National Sports Week. Pencak silat alsocompeted in the SEA Games since 1987. Outside Indonesia also there are many fans of martial arts such as in Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, and America.

At the national level sport through games and sport martial arts into one integral toolarchipelago, even to the name of the nation, and became the nation's identity. Martial arts sport has competed at an international scale. In Indonesia many streams in themartial arts, with the number of flows it shows the rich culture of the communities inIndonesia with the values ​​that are inside.

A Vietnamese pesilat

Terminology

The origin of the word silat is unknown. One theory is that it comes from the Tamil word silambam, which has long been practiced by the Indian community of Malaysia. The Tamils also use the word silatguvarisai to define their silambam movement patterns. Other similar-sounding words have been proposed but none have been proven.

Originally the word silat was used as a generic term for any system of fighting. Burmese martial arts, for example, would be called silat Awa. In Indonesia, the term ilmu silat (knowledge of silat) can be used for any fighting style. Today, the word 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) and seni bela-diri (art of self-defence).

History

Fighting arts in the Malay Peninsula and Malay Archipelago 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 freestyle form in silat. While these aborigines retained their tribal way of life, the Indo-Malay diaspora instead based their culture on China and India. By adopting the Indian faiths of Hinduism and Buddhism, their social structure became more organised.Evidence shows that silat was influenced by both Chinese and Indian martial arts.Many of the region's medicinal practices and weapons originated in either India or China, and silat's thigh-slapping actions are reminiscent of Hindu wrestling.The Chinese community also practiced their own localised martial arts known as kuntao, which both influenced and borrowed from silat.

Although numerous myths attempt to explain the institutionalisation of silat, most of them concern only a specific style. The earliest evidence of silat taught in its present form is found in Sumatra where, according to local legend, a woman based her combat system on the movements of animals that she had seen fighting. Masters still believe that the first styles of silat were created by observing animals, and these styles were probably derived from animal-based Indian martial arts.In the fifth or 6th century, pre-determined sets are said to have been introduced by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma who came from India to Southeast Asia via the Sumatra-based kingdom of Srivijaya in Palembang.Through this connection, silat is also used as a method of spiritual training in addition to self-defense.

Silat was eventually used by the defence forces of Langkasuka, Champa, Srivijaya, Beruas, Melaka, Makasar, Aceh, Majapahit, Gangga Negara, Pattani and other kingdoms in Southeast Asia. Except for generals and royalty, Indonesia-Malay warriors wore minimal armour, if any at all. A rattan shield, or a breastplate at most, was the only protective gear available to the average soldier. This may have been one of the reasons why the older styles relied more on agility than they do today. Despite the Hindu caste system which held sway in ancient times, silat was never confined to any particular social class or gender but was practiced by all without restrictions. Even today, it is often taught in families who have inherited cultural traditions such as woodcarving, dance, herbalism or the playing of musical instruments.

Southeast Asian trade had already extended into Okinawa and Japan by the 15th century. The number of Japanese people travelling the region increased after the Battle of Sekigahara. By the early 17th century 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 the Ayutthaya Kingdom was attacked by the Burmese. Silat shares many similarities with Okinawan karate as well as the throws and stances of weapon-based Japanese martial arts which probably date back to this time. Trade with Japan ended when the country went into self-imposed isolation but resumed during the Meiji era, during which time certain areas of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore became home to a small Japanese population. After the Occupation of Japan, some silat masters incorporated the katana into their styles.

Since the Islamisation movement of the 1980s and 90s, there have been attempts to make silat more compliant with Islamic principles. It is now illegal for Muslim practitioners in Malaysia to chant mantera, bow to idols, practice traditional meditation, or attempt to acquire supernatural powers. This has given rise to various misconceptions that silat is inherently Muslim or can only be practiced by followers of the Islamic faith. In actuality silat has existed long before Islam was introduced to Southeast Asia and is still practiced by non-Muslims. The Hindu-Buddhist and animistic roots of the art were never eradicated, and remain very evident even among Muslim practitioners of traditional styles. Some of these old methods have been lost after silat masters in pre-dominantly Muslim areas could no longer teach them, but others still endure among conservative training schools in Indonesia and Thailand.

SalutationSilat practitioners begin and end each routine and practice session by saluting their teacher, partner or any spectators as a show of respect. The handsign used is dependent on style and lineage. The vast majority of silat exponents use the Hindu-Buddhist namaste in which the palms are pressed together at chest level. This represents the balance of two opposing forces such as light and dark or hard and soft. The head or upper body is usually bowed as a sign of humility. This was used as a greeting in ancient times, as can still be seen throughout much of Indochina, and until recent decades it was also a form of apology among Malays. The practical purpose of the salute is to trigger the proper state of mind for training or fighting. Additionally, it serves as a technique in itself to block attacks aimed at the face.Some traditional Javanese schools use another handsign apparently borrowed from the Chinese in which the left hand clasps the right fist. In the context of silat, the fist symbolises martial skill while the opposite hand is a sign of courtesy and camaraderie. This is meant to convey mutual respect and shows that the fighters are willing to learn from each other. Like the namaste, it recalls the idea of duality. This concept is referred to as jantan betina (male-female) and is equivalent to the Chinese yin and yang. A few styles, such as silat Pattani, may have their own salutation unique to that particular system.Stances and footwork Every style of silat incorporates multi-level fighting stances (sikap pasang), or preset postures meant to provide the foundation for remaining stable while in motion. The horse stance (kekuda) is the most essential posture, common to many Asian martial arts. Beginners once had to practice this stance for long periods of time, sometimes as many as four hours, but today's practitioners train until it can be easily held for at least ten minutes. Stances are taught in tandem with langkah (lit. "step"), a set of structured steps. Langkah consist of basic footwork and kicks made to teach how best to move in a fight. The langkah kuching (cat step) and langkah lawan (warrior step) are among the more prominent examples of langkah. After becoming proficient at langkah, students learn footwork patterns or tapak ("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.

Aspects and forms

There are four main aspects of the martial arts, namely: 

1. Mental and Spiritual Aspects: Pencak silat builds and develops one's personality and noble character. The mighty warriors and ancient martial arts teachers often have to pass through stages of meditation, penance, or other mystical aspect to achieve the highest level of their knowledge. 
2. Aspects of Art and Culture: Culture and the game of "art" of martial arts is one very important aspect. Pencak term generally describes the dance art form of martial arts, with music and traditional dress. 
3. Martial aspects: self-confidence and perseverance are very important in martial arts master in the martial arts. The term martial arts, tend to emphasize the technical aspects of the martial skills of martial arts. 
4. Aspects of Sports: It means that the physical aspects of martial arts is important.Fighters tried to adjust thoughts with body work. The competition is part of this aspect.Aspects of sports games and demonstrations include other forms of stance, both for single, double or team. 
   

   Kesenian Randai dari Sumatra Baratmemakai silek (silat) sebagai unsur tariannya.
   
   

Form of martial arts and padepokannya (where berlatihnya) different from each other, in accordance with those aspects that are emphasized. Many streams are found the origin of the observation of a wild animal fights. Silat-Silat tigers and monkeys are examples of such streams. Those that argue that the aspect of martial arts and exercise, both physical and breathing, is the beginning of the development of arts. Aspects of sport and martial aspect is what has made martial arts became popular in Europe. 

However, many argue that the key points of the martial arts eliminated, or simplified, while martial arts to join the world of sports. Therefore, most practitioners of the martial arts continue to focus on traditional or spiritual forms of martial arts, and not follow the membership and rules adopted by Persilat, as a regulator of martial arts organizations worldwide.

That's a little review of the original martial arts of Indonesia, martial arts has been to unitethe nation. if there are words or phrases that are less fit in understandable please.

Thank you ......

source : http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pencak_silat