Nukite is called for spear hand
Friday, January 15, 2010
Pencak-Silat Is Always Self-Defense
Indonesian pencak-silat is little known in the West. Those who see it for the first time may perhaps make a rough comparison with the better known Japanese (or Okinawani karate-do, Korean taekwon-do, or even the Chinese chuan-fa methods. But such comparisons are inaccurate with regard to the techniques.Through a careful study of this book some of the technical differences which mark pencak-silat apart from other fighting forms will become apparent. For the moment, it is enough to realize that pencak-silat was developed exclusively by Indonesians, who regard it as an intrinsic part of their cultural heritage. It therefore deserves to be described in its own terms and judged by its own standards.
The primary purpose of pencak-silat is always self-defense. No conscious effort is made to make orthodox pencak-silat a system of physical education or a sport. Pencak-silat's technical fundamentals deal with the use of weapons; no combatant is ever required to enter combat relying only on his empty hands. Therefore weapons of all kinds are studied and applied to combat situations. These weapons may be anatomical, as in karate-do (fist, elbow, knee, foot), or they may be implements (sword, stick, staff, club, knife, and others). Pencak-silat has an additional peculiarity in that virtually all movements performed empty handed may be performed equally fluently and safely when the combatant is armed. This is not true of present-day Japanese karate-do, though it may be found in many earlier orthodox forms of combat on the Asian continent and in Okinawa.
The primary purpose of pencak-silat is always self-defense. No conscious effort is made to make orthodox pencak-silat a system of physical education or a sport. Pencak-silat's technical fundamentals deal with the use of weapons; no combatant is ever required to enter combat relying only on his empty hands. Therefore weapons of all kinds are studied and applied to combat situations. These weapons may be anatomical, as in karate-do (fist, elbow, knee, foot), or they may be implements (sword, stick, staff, club, knife, and others). Pencak-silat has an additional peculiarity in that virtually all movements performed empty handed may be performed equally fluently and safely when the combatant is armed. This is not true of present-day Japanese karate-do, though it may be found in many earlier orthodox forms of combat on the Asian continent and in Okinawa.
There Can Be No Silat Without Pencak-Silat
Doubtless the earliest men, as prehistoric immigrants to the islands now known as Indonesia, had methods of self-defense. Perhaps at first these primitive peoples were primarily concerned with self-defense against wild animals. Later, as their wanderings took them into different areas, they came into unavoidable contact with other peoples-some unfriendly and defense against humans became necessary.
Art objects and artifacts show that, by about the eighth century A.D., specific systems of combative measures had been evolved and were operative in the Riau Archipelago, which lies between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Such systems, however crude, were greatly influenced by various continental Asian cultures, and spread as fighting arts into Indonesia. The Minangkabau people of Sumatra took these early fighting arts and developed them into a particular Indonesian style. One of the earliest powerful kingdoms, that of Srivijaja in Sumatra, from the seventh to the fourteenth centuries, was able to extend its rule by means of the efficiency of its fighting skills.
The civilizations of eleventh century Java developed a wider range of weapons and fighting arts that reached technical perfection under the Majapahit kings of the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. Originally these fighting arts were the exclusive property of Indonesia's noble ruling class, which kept them a closely guarded secret. But gradually members of the peasantry acquired the skills and were responsible for developing them to a high degree of efficiency. These orthodox systems came in time to be known collectively as pencak-silat.
The consensus of expert opinion is that the expression "pencak-silat" literally infers "to fight artfully." But this is not complete enough, nor is it descriptive enough to convey the full meaning of this art. It is essential to understand that pencak-silat is based on the meaning of its two components. One, pencak, is a training method for self-defense: it consists of a wide range of controlled body movements directed to that purpose. Silat, the second component, is the application of the training method-the actual fight. There can be no silat without pencak-silat. On the other hand, pencak without silat skills as its objective is purposeless.
Art objects and artifacts show that, by about the eighth century A.D., specific systems of combative measures had been evolved and were operative in the Riau Archipelago, which lies between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Such systems, however crude, were greatly influenced by various continental Asian cultures, and spread as fighting arts into Indonesia. The Minangkabau people of Sumatra took these early fighting arts and developed them into a particular Indonesian style. One of the earliest powerful kingdoms, that of Srivijaja in Sumatra, from the seventh to the fourteenth centuries, was able to extend its rule by means of the efficiency of its fighting skills.
The civilizations of eleventh century Java developed a wider range of weapons and fighting arts that reached technical perfection under the Majapahit kings of the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. Originally these fighting arts were the exclusive property of Indonesia's noble ruling class, which kept them a closely guarded secret. But gradually members of the peasantry acquired the skills and were responsible for developing them to a high degree of efficiency. These orthodox systems came in time to be known collectively as pencak-silat.
The consensus of expert opinion is that the expression "pencak-silat" literally infers "to fight artfully." But this is not complete enough, nor is it descriptive enough to convey the full meaning of this art. It is essential to understand that pencak-silat is based on the meaning of its two components. One, pencak, is a training method for self-defense: it consists of a wide range of controlled body movements directed to that purpose. Silat, the second component, is the application of the training method-the actual fight. There can be no silat without pencak-silat. On the other hand, pencak without silat skills as its objective is purposeless.
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