Pentjack Silat

[Captain Obvious]

Some people think that pentjack silat is the shit. Is it really that good? I don't know much about it but I can tell you it is a martial art.

[Crucible]

Check out KPSNusantara.com, it'll tell you everything you want to know about silat. Is it effective? The bodyguard of Larry Flynt and the royal family of Saudi Arabia uses silat, and if your bodyguarding the richest oil family in the world & the creator of Hustler magazine you Better be good.

[Crucible]

By the way, there's easily over a thousand forms of silat, so "is it really that good?" is a really broad question.

[rabidpanda]

It's silat.. Nuff said.

[Karl_]

link

Crucible

I was trying to take a look on this link KPSNusantara.com but didnt work, can u check it again please, sound s very interesting.
Thanks and best regards
Karl

[Crucible]

http://www.kpsnusantara.com/

[Tant01]

Self-Defense versus Sport - The Old versus the New From article;
" THE DEVASTATING ART OF PENTJAK SILAT"
By Cassimore Magda


There is a movement today where the various governments in Southeast Asia are trying to organize Pentjak Silat on national and regional levels as a sport; with competitions, tournaments and in the educational system with various standards in order to collectively regulate the great diversity of styles. However, according to the traditionalists, the goal of Pentjak Silat is always self-defense and not physical education or sport. The development and transition of Silat, an art designed for self-defense to one for sporting and physical education applications is a favorite subject among old veterans and masters of Silat. Many of these masters refuse to participate in the 'modernizing' of their art, preferring to stay to themselves teaching in small groups in the traditional manner. They feel that if Silat is developed as a sport, its combative vitality and values will be compromised and eventually weaken the effectiveness of it as a fighting art. This view certainly has merit. With these combative aspects watering away, certain protective techniques deemed vital such as guarding the groin, throat, eyes and joints are eliminated and considered unnecessary to practice, as the rules of the sport do not permit an attack to those targets. How you practice is how you will fight. Old style Silat develops reflex habits that allow the practitioner to automatically counterattack to the assailant's vital areas while remaining keenly aware of his own vulnerability. In sport Silat, this awareness is lost, resulting in a dangerous dependency of a deficient fighting art no longer designed for self-defense.
The traditionalists also believe that sport Silat will be influenced by tournament success. Schools will develop and train with the objective of wining these tournaments and a 'tournament style' of Silat will result, with special techniques designed only for the objective of wining according to the rules. These new creations have nothing to do with real self-defense.



Just a thought....

[Tom Yum]

Nice article.

Silat is legit.

[chalambok]

Very nice article by Cass Magda. Thai Silat is very much a secretive system, and it is a lucky westerner indeed who has ever been exposed to it. I agree also with Cass' point about the sportization of a combative and self-defense art. I can see the same thing happening with Krabi-Krabong, both here in the United States and in Thailand. However, in Thailand the directors and senior instructors of the 'sport' Krabi-Krabong schools used to make pilgrimages, as it were, to the Buddhai Swan to train under Grandmaster Masamarn when he was alive, because he was famous for keeping alive the old combative form. Now that he is gone and the Buddhai Swan is defunct, only a few students around the world are trying to keep the old combative style alive, while many more are interested in promoting the sporterized versions. Time will tell.

[krys]

Thai Silat is very much a secretive system, and it is a lucky westerner indeed who has ever been exposed to it.

Were you able to train in Thai silat in the southern provinces? How different is it from malaysian silat? On my way driving down to Malaysia I've seen kids wearing silat uniforms practicing it near Surat Thani...

[Tant01]

For the record that was only a small part of the article, for the rest you could Google it or; http://www.cassmagda.com/Hsilat1.HTM paste it? READ IT! You'll like it!