# What is the different between FMA and Penjak Silat



## BING (May 5, 2008)

Dear All,
 I would like to know what is the different between FMA and Penjak Silat. Anyone can give me concept and principle of these two arts.  
 Thanks,
 BING


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## pesilat (May 5, 2008)

Short answer: Same as the difference between Karate and Kung Fu.

There are hundreds - if not thousands - of systems of FMA and Pentjak Silat. And there is some Silat to be found in the PI - especially in the southern PI - so some Silat systems are, by definition, FMA. Though the phrase "Pentjak Silat" generally implies Indonesian Silat specifically.

Depends on which system of FMA you compare to which system of PS. As I mentioned there are some Silat systems that are technically FMA so you can find some amazing similarities.

But it still depends on which specific systems you're referring to. Harimau, for instance, is primarily a groundfighting system and, consequently, quite a bit different from Cimande which is primarily a stand up system. Both of these are Pentjak Silat, though.

There are some broad, sweeping generalizations that can be made about FMA and about PS but then you get back to things like the short answer I gave at the beginning.

You'll get far more productive results from asking about specific systems.

Mike


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## tellner (May 5, 2008)

The are where Silat and the FMA are from is large, comprising thousands of islands, dozens of languages, quite a few national boundaries, a double handful of foreign cultures and hundreds of millions of people who have spent a lot of time fighting over the centuries.

As Silat moves up into Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia it starts to blend in with the native arts there. Where Chinese influence was strong or at least there were lots of Chinese people to fight you see Chinese MA creep in. The martial arts of the Southern Philippines look quite a bit like those of  Eastern Indonesia. And so on.

But it's lot like the famous definition of pornography "I know it when I see it."


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## Imua Kuntao (May 5, 2008)

Depends on which system of FMA you compare to which system of PS. As I mentioned there are some Silat systems that are technically FMA so you can find some amazing similarities.

But it still depends on which specific systems you're referring to. Harimau, for instance, is primarily a groundfighting system and, consequently, quite a bit different from Cimande which is primarily a stand up system. Both of these are Pentjak Silat, though.

Again here is the 9 Gates footwork pattern. The directions of this pattern are used in Silat like techniques, for example if you know the directions then you may simply cross-step, instead of stepping to the left (90*) with the left foot, you cross-step with your right and go into a low 3 point position, or a kneeling poistion, your counter is to use the foot you cross-stepped with and do your takedown/sweep from that low position. These cross-stepping movements are the third level in the Imua Tamaraw system. The same movements are covered in Harimau and other forms of Silat.


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## Imua Kuntao (May 5, 2008)

By the way, that last lesson is worth about 20.00 (LOL)


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