Nice Silat Demonstration!

[Brian R. VanCise]

Here is a video clip of a silat practitioner doing his thing. Enjoy.

 

[mrhnau]

Here is a video clip of a silat practitioner doing his thing. Enjoy.

Nice find Parts of that looked more dance than MA though. I don't think I could get my body into such low stances LOL

You've got me interested enough to look some more into it though

 

[Carol]

Nice find Parts of that looked more dance than MA though. I don't think I could get my body into such low stances LOL

You've got me interested enough to look some more into it though

Dance is a very important part of Silat and it's history. Silat is a very, very old art. The practitioners of Silat have, through the centuries, incorporated their moves in to dance to conceal them from outsiders. When GM Edward Lebe visited my school last month, he said that Silat is taught (as a dance) to all Indonesian school children. It isn't until the child reaches adulthood (17 or 18) when the applications of Silat are taught.

The video essentially shows Pencak Silat being performed in a fashion not unlike a kata. It illustrates some differences between Silat and the styles more popular in the U.S. In many other MA styles, such as Kenpo, speed is a desired quality for a demonstration.

Silat is always performed slow. For solo practice, it offers a more robust workout in those brutally low stances. For partner practice, Silat must be done slow in order to ensure the safety of one's training partner.

In other MA styles, when one is performing kata, there are often very recognizeable moves, such as punches and kicks. Pencak Silat is a combat art, with the purpose of killing or immobilizing the attacker. The reasons for needing to hide the moves in dance are self-explanatory.