I came to Kali and Silat simultaneously in 1995. My primary system is actually a hybrid of the two. It starts with the Kali then moves into the Silat then blends the two - which I find suits me very well. I also do Kuntao Silat de Thouars.
Yes, there is some Filipino Silat here in America but it's more rare than Indonesian Silat - which is rare enough here as it is. Malaysian Silat is also (in my experience) more rare here than Indonesian Silat. As far as I know, the only Malaysian Silat here is two or three instructors Seni Gayong.
The most common Silat found here in America (in my experience) would be from the de Thouars lineage. Pentjak Silat Serak, Bukti Negara (a "child" art of Serak), and Kuntao Silat de Thouars.
Then, I'd say, Mande Muda - founded by Pak Uyuh Suwanda (of Bandung) and brought to America by his son, Pak Herman (via Guro Dan Inosanto - he brought Pak Herman to America and helped him start getting established here). Now Pak Herman's sister, Ibu Rita, is in charge of the system.
There are a couple of Cimande systems but, except for "Pukulan Cimande Pusaka" and the Cimande that's part of the Mande Muda system, I've not seen any Cimande being taught publicly - but I know of a few people who teach it out privately to select individuals.
There are a few other systems of Silat here in the States but many of them - like the Silat that I study - are derived from these other systems. My primary Silat instructor has trained with all three of the de Thouars who live here in the US, trained with Pak Herman, trained with Guro Dan Inosanto, and traveled to Java to train there with Pak Herman and people Pak Herman introduced him to.
Mike |