# penjac silat



## progressivetactics (Aug 27, 2004)

I assume Penjak silat would have similar stick/knife work as Arnis and doce pares, and other filipino arts, but I don't know for sure.

Any Silat people here that can explain stick and knife and differences between arnis and yours?

b b


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## Seigi (Aug 29, 2004)

In my style of silat, one BIG difference was that with several attacks, we would sometimes never attempt to grab the knife barring arm. We focussed on Limb destruction. That was a HUGE variation for me.

Peace  :whip:


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## Wes Tasker (Aug 29, 2004)

That can be a tough one to answer.  One of the biggest factors in answering that question is which style of Filipino Martial Arts are you comparing/contrasting with which style of Indonesian Martial Arts???  I practice Pekiti Tirsia Kali and have just begun to study some San Miguel Eskrima.  On the Silat side I practice six main systems - Kendang, Sera, Tjimande, Bondo Waso, Petjut Kilat, and Tjikampok.  The closest system I can think of that has similar "long blade" work to Pekiti is Pentjak Silat Bondo Waso.  By similar I mean it has an accentuation of certian "lines" of attack and some similar defenses to Pekiti's umbrellas and four wall defenses.  It also has some 'strategies' that depart sharply from standard Pekiti fair.  Also - even though there are only so many ways you can slice up another human being, the Silat systems I practice have knife techniques that are not very similar to Pekiti's at all.  One reason for this is that Pekiti's knife techniques, in general, assume you have a small knife.  Whereas the Silat systems knife use assumes you have at least a 12" blade.  So I guess their are some similarities, but for the most part (at least in the systems I've been exposed to...) their are more differences.  These are not only due to techniques, but also culture, weaponry, and assumed usage.  I hope this helped.  

-wes tasker


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## OULobo (Aug 30, 2004)

I agree, these are suprisingly very hard to compare. The problem being that not all the systems are similar. Should be compare Sumatran styles, Javanese styles, Balinese styles, ect. to Luzon styles, moro styles, Cebuano styles, ect. Then we can further examine specific tribes (Sundanese, Maningkabau, Maguindinan, ect.). The silat styles I train usually assume either a very small knife or a very large chopper. Some specialize on the shorter generic golok or cane machete. Without generalizing, my personal opinion is that most FMAs have fancy stick work and pragmatic knife work, and Indo. styles are the exact opposite.


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## pesilat (Aug 31, 2004)

Absolutely. Very difficult to compare. The similarities/differences will depend on which specific systems are being compared.

However, I would guess that, in general, Silat systems would have more in common with FMA from the southern PI than from the central/northern. 

90% of the FMA training I have comes from central/northern PI systems. 90% of the Silat training I have comes from Javanese systems. In my personal experience, there are definitely some technical similarities - but the mindset between the two is very different. To give an example: in the FMA that I've trained, we generally try to avoid getting hit/cut/stuck if we can. We know it's probably going to happen but we work a lot of evasion (usually done in an aggressive manner that helps us take control of the weapon and start finishing the attacker - but still evasion-based). In the Silat that I've seen, most of it is pretty non-evasive. In fact, one of my instructors said once, "someone tries to stab you, guide the knife into your chest and sheath it on the outside of your ribs, then pin it there while you kill him." So, basically, "stab yourself - but it's only a flesh wound - then kill him." That's very much the Silat mindset that I've been exposed to. It basically boils down to, "I don't care what you do. I'm going to kill you regardless of what you do or try to do to me." (this is, of course, in some ways an oversimplification but that's the gist). The FMA that I've trained in have a mindset of "deal with the weapon, finish the man." In application, the line between these mindsets is sometimes pretty thin and may even vanish completely but it does change the training some - it's like seasoning a stew with jalapeno vs. jabanero. It's the same type of seasoning but there is definitely a difference.

At least, that's my take on it based on my personal experiences. Milage is guaranteed to differ from person to person simply because we each have different backgrounds/experiences in FMA and Silat.

Mike


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