A Pencak-Silat Exponent Concentrates On The Center-Line Vital Areas

Weapons used in pencak-training and in silat-applications are of two chief types: anatomical (empty-hand or unarmed responses, making use of parts of the body); and implemental (armed responses, making use of tools as well as weapons). Customarily, training is first devoted to basic drills utilizing only anatomical weapons, and not until the trainee is adequately skilled in their application does he progress to other types of weapons. The shift from one type of weapon to the other involves no great change in posture or movement, for pencak-silat anticipates the possible use of, implemental weapons, and all empty-hand movements when correctly performed may, with equal effectiveness and safety, be used with implemental weapons.

Let us consider, first, some of the anatomical weapons available. The choice of the part of the body to be used is very much as in karate-do, but the formation of the weapon is not necessarily quite the same, nor is the choice of target area. A pencak-silat exponent concentrates on the so-called center-line vital areas, regarding the most vulnerable part of the enemy's body as falling within an imaginary band looped around the longitudinal plane from the top of the head to the base of the groin; the width of this imaginary band is equivalent to the width of the enemy's head.