what exactly is SILAT? and how does it differ from Brazilian Jiu jitsu?

[mike]

crazyjoe-


I found this web page about Silat I thought you might be interested.

http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~tellner/bukti.html

Thanks,


Mike

[crazyjoe380]

Thanks mike.. i'm checking it now..

[crazyjoe380]

if this is silat then i dont wanna take it..


WHAT THE HELL IS IT..

OK if you asked me what muay thai is.. i can tell you with ease and show you pics and ..bla bla..

someone show me videos of this shit .. please..

[Jkd_SiLaT]

That is the bukti negara salutation, it is not for fighting. It's like the wai kru in Muay thai. If you want to see videos of silat. Purchase them. Mande Muda by Pak Herman, or Serak by Pak Vic or Guru Steven Plinck. Don't judge the art on the salutation.

[terry]

hmmm

[mike]

Although it has a full set of long-range attacks Bukti Negara is characterized by close in fighting. The most important strikes are with knees, elbows and the head, as well as short punches and kicks. Throws, sweeps, and takedowns are practiced regularly. There is a complete program of joint attacks; it is more common to break a limb than to rely on pain-compliance techniques. A typical sequence might start with a series of punches or kicks in conjunction with footwork to enter, then knees or elbows, followed by a throw or joint break and follow-up techniques on the ground.

Id say thats pretty explanatory and i took it from the web site that I posted the link for earlier. just trying to help.


Thanks,

Mike

[crazyjoe380]

sounds like bjj..

this isnt a complete description of the style...

i still dont understand what it is.. its like i'm getting half ass answers .. but i know its not the way u guys are saying it to be..

maybe it's too complex to explain in words

[Brokenmace]

I could tell you Jun Fan uses punches, kicks, elbows, headbutts, and if that were all you knew, you would make the same comments.

Same applies to any style

Words don't do it. I do know that it bares a resemblance to empty hand Kali (which is why it is called Kali Silat), if that helps . . .

The movements are violent and fluid, incorporating angles and circles. If you've seen Kali Silat, then mix it with Kungfu footwork, and you get close.

Many forms of Silat employ extensive use of ground work before taking the opponent to the ground. This is often a ploy to get the adversary to come closer or reveal a weakness. They are capable of springing from this sitting position or lying position with rediculous speed.

Sneaky bastar.ds . . .

[William]

I'll just put in my two cents here.

My understanding is that Bukti Negara was developed and taught to westerners so as not to give them the full art of Serak (right along the lines of what Terry was saying). Essentially only giving them part of the puzzle but keeping the full picture for themselves.
I know and have trained with a few of Guru Plink's students who are now training in Serak. Silat can be very effective on the in corto range, re-directing your opponents attack and (using leverage) taking them down so they land in very awkward positions causing knock-outs and/or broken bones. They also use elbow attacks as well.
The draw back that I have seen in training with some of these folks (and I like them very much) is that they rely too much on the committed one punch. They like to hang back and wait for you to commit one big wind up punch. When you come in with it they wedge you like the bow of a ship plowing through the waves and work their stuff on you. I know of one senior student who got his ass handed to him when his opponent (who is proficient in MT, JKD,Kali) just stayed outside and boxed him. Multiple jabs and crosses and hooks. Another very senior student will start off sparring/fighting in Silat mode but will revert to Thai boxing when he gets in trouble with it.
Don't get me wrong here. I think Silat can be very effective and I will admit that I've been known to use elements of Silat when getting inside. But, the emphasis on one shot attacks is not very realistic against skilled opponents.

Yes, I know you are not likely to face a (trained) "skilled" attacker on the street, but in street fighting, intent and willingness to take you out at any cost makes up for a lot.

William

[crazyjoe380]

COOL WILLY THANKS..


jdk_silat and Mike.. .. thanks for the answers...

everyone else.. thanks for your help..

[cfr]

sounds like bjj..

this isnt a complete description of the style...

i still dont understand what it is.. its like i'm getting half ass answers .. but i know its not the way u guys are saying it to be..

maybe it's too complex to explain in words

I just Google'd the word "silat" to return results in English only. 117,000 results came back. I'd have to imagine you can find a complete desciption of the style in one of those results.

[krys]

I think Silat can be very effective and I will admit that I've been known to use elements of Silat when getting inside. But, the emphasis on one shot attacks is not very realistic against skilled opponents.

Exactly, I've seen a litle bukti negara and other silat systems that use that approach and that's what I didn't like. But there are thousands different silat systems, the one I practice (silat asli) doesn't use this approach. We are not based on one shot attacks and do not commit ourselves to one single motion....Nobody who knows how to fight is going to throw a single strike...

Returning to the question about bjj, grapling is part of our silat training, we have bjj like takedowns.. Breaks and chokes are used but when we graple we generally prefer to move in advantageous positions and deliver strikes....

[Ironpalm]

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[sikal]

someone explain this martial art to me.. im very interested in it. i dont understand. is it ground fighting?

Well, skimming the posts, I didn't notice a few points being made.

First, I forget who said that the jurus and langkahs contain a lot of mis-information ... I disagree - but it may depend on what systems you've seen. In my experience the jurus and langkahs give a solid foundation that is then built upon. But the principles learned in the jurus and langkahs are not contradicted by any of what's built upon them - i.e.: 3 x 5 = 15 from day one. At least in my experience.

But my experience may vary vastly from yours ... and that brings me to my second comment.

There are literally thousands of systems of Silat. The only thing I've seen as a commonality in those systems I've been exposed to was a single-minded determination to aggressively destroy the opponent. How a system destroys an opponent, though, varies widely.

Silat is primarily found in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the southern Philippines. There are over 300 officially recorded systems of Silat practiced on the island of Java alone. That doesn't include any of the systems that slipped through the official census. Nor does it include any of the systems from Malaysia or the southern Philippines. Nor even any of the other islands in Indonesia. It's not uncommon that you'll find systems that are specific to a region, specific to a single island, specific to a specific village, or even specific to a specific family.

Within those thousands of systems, you can find the entire gamut of martial arts. A lot of weapons systems. Long, medium, and short range striking systems. Sweeping/throwing systems. Locking systems. Groundfighting systems. But most of them that I've seen are pretty well-rounded.

So, aside from a general description of the prevalent mentality of Silat - one of "I don't care one whit what you know or what you do to me; if you attack me, I will destroy you even if it kills me." - Aside from that, it'd very difficult to give a description of "Silat." Now, if you were to ask about a specific system, that would be easier. But the word "Silat" is like the word "Kung Fu" - an umbrella term that encompasses a lot of diverse systems.

Mike