“Other definitions exist, but all agree that silat cannot exist without pentjak; pentjak without silat is purposeless.” -Donn F. Draeger1 Smack! I can still remember the sound of the impact ten years later. A student’s hand impacting the sweat-slick tile to break their fall, followed by the collapse of their body into the hard ceramic and an enthusiastic “ya!” from the instructor. Next it was our turn to learn, one bule (foreigner) matched with a pesilat (silat player) from the visiting school. They had arrived earlier that afternoon, in matching blue jackets and black pants. They came from a silat school known as BIMA (Budaya Indonesia Mataram) as we were finishing our afternoon training … [Read more...]
About Charles Brandon Stauft
Voices of Nusantara: Madurese Martial Arts with Mas Mochamad Amien
In my continuing quest for advice on how to become a better pencak silat instructor, I asked my mentor and friend Mas Mochamad Amien of Chakra V Silat Combat System for some advice. I also inquired about the history of different types of weaponry used by the Madurese martial arts. Specifically, I asked him about several weapons that I thought were characteristic of Madurese systems including the cutting spear known as a monteng (spine) or calok (lancor) for the characteristic shape of its heavy cutting blade (the very tip looks like human tailbone, which is called “monteng”). I have translated his answers from Indonesian with my interpolations presented in parenthesis (to help explain the … [Read more...]
Voices of the Archipelago: Kang Rafijen of Maenpo Peupeuhan Adung Rais
On my trip to Indonesia in 2014, I had the pleasure of sojourning in the city of Bandung located in western Java. Bandung is one of Indonesia’s largest cities with over 8 million inhabitants and only one small airport (although a new one is currently being constructed), so most people that I know drive from the capital of Jakarta. Bandung is famous for the quality of its silat practitioners. I had previously visited Bandung for a workshop with Bambang Suwanda (Harimau Silat) in 2011, but that was only for an afternoon at a nice hotel. This time, I was going to have the pleasure of an extended stay where I could experience the city. My impression of … [Read more...]
Silat Guru Demank Ahmed El-Benjary on Silat and Kuntau in Borneo
"The culture of the people of Borneo is very hard, and this makes the character of fighting styles from Borneo similarly hard and unforgiving." -Demank Ahmed El-Benjary I first met Demank Ahmed El-Benjary at the Pencak Malioboro Festival in 2013. This event which brings over 5,000 silat players every year to the city of Jogjakarta, Indonesia also brought this teacher of silat and kuntau from the island of Borneo (Kalimantan). His method of striking is called Pukulan Patikaman, and is characteristic of martial arts from Borneo. It combine lightning fast striking combinations with devastating joint breaks and manipulations. He and his students train in the traditional way … [Read more...]
An Interview with Indonesian Silat Guru Mas Noeryanto Dhipuro
"...a Guru must teach the way of fighting and making peace with one’s self..." -Mas Noeryanto Dhipuro I first met Mas Noeryanto Dhipuro in 2013 during our biannual training camp which began in the hills and forests of Bali . We were staying at the home of our friend Pak Made, who runs a traveling gamelan (traditional Indonesian music style featuring drums and other percussion instruments reminiscent of xylophones) orchestra based out of the University of Colorado at Boulder. At that time we had already done several silat demonstrations using his music as our accompaniment. Pak Made’s place has its own enclosure for playing gamelan as well as some hard-packed … [Read more...]
The Balance and Ritual of Training Indonesian Martial Arts in Central Java
A typical early morning before the day’s training is filled with the buzzing and chirping of insects. The Muezzin’s prayer already fades in the rapidly heating air, broadcast from many speakers and creating the impression of an entire country calling out to God. To make myself presentable and clean off the night’s sweat, I take a mandi, a bath of refreshingly cool water involving a cistern and a ladle. Slipping on my outside sandals I pad over to the waiting tray of hot jasmine tea and to my new friends, students of our Indonesian branch of Inti Ombak Pencak Silat. I exhaust my Bahasa Indonesia, “Selamat Pagi,” and help myself to a glass, exchange smiles with my … [Read more...]
How To Find An Authentic Silat Teacher
So, you have seen The Raid or The Raid 2: Redemption and want to learn the deadly weapon-based martial art of Pencak Silat (pen-cha’ see-lot). Or, you have found videos of cool takedowns and techniques from one of the many silat teachers on YouTube. Now, you want to find a teacher near you or… better yet… visit Indonesia, Malaysia, or Borneo to train with the masters. A quick internet search reveals… nothing… no schools anywhere near you and a bunch of websites in a foreign language. How do you find a silat teacher in the first place? How can you know if they are authentic and experienced, and how can you get in touch to train with a gym or trainer in Indonesia, … [Read more...]
Spirituality and Mysticism in Pencak Silat
About six or seven years ago, I was waiting for my turn to present at a demonstration that my school, Inti Ombak Pencak Silat, was putting on as part of an Indonesian cultural exhibition. Immediately before our presentation was a gamelan (traditional Indonesian music) and dance performance. I was set to demonstrate jurus , which is a set movements either unarmed or with weapons analogous to, but more fluid than, the common perception of a form or kata. I was nervous because I was new to practicing this martial art and, as I was to become accustomed, the performance was to be done with a minimal amount of preparation. I was reviewing my form in my head when one of the … [Read more...]
An Introduction To Pencak Silat
What is Pencak Silat? This is a difficult question to answer as there are hundreds of different styles that claim the name throughout Nusantara; the region of southeast Asia that runs from Thailand out almost to Papua New Guinea that was once dominated by the Majapahit empire. The name Pencak Silat is new, coined in the late 1940’s using the two most common names Pencak and Silat. The arts that comprise the Pencak Silat family go by many other names such as Silek, Maenpo, and Kali. Indonesia itself is a composite of many different cultures, each with different languages, tribal groups, beliefs, and fighting arts. They look different, but have a common … [Read more...]