Jakarta. Pencak silat, a martial art originating in Southeast Asia and made world-famous by 'The Raid' movie, is likely to gain more recognition on the international sport stage, as it debuted at the Asian Games on Thursday (23/08), featuring 40 pesilat, or fighters.

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On the first day, at the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah venue in East Jakarta, Indonesia's four representatives, all of them male fighters, won all bouts against their opponents from Thailand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Timor Leste.

A five-member jury watched the three-round bouts. A score of 5-0 means that each of them voted for the same fighter to win.

'The fight was very fast and I just kept attacking to finish it,' said Indonesia's Komang Adi Putra who easily beat Timor Leste's David No-ano Ximenes by 5-0.

'No fight is easy in a competition as big as the Asian Games,' the 23-year-old athlete added.

Hoping for Olympics

Pencak silat has its roots in the Malay Archipelago, where it has been practiced since the seventh century. The word 'pencak' is often used to describe movement to a certain rhythm or music, while 'silat' means self defense. Many have seen pencak silat as a traditional dance combined with self-defense techniques. Both aspects are taken into account during competitions.

It has been present at the Southeast Asian Games, and this year debuts at the Asian Games, with 16 gold medals from 10 combating and six motion-art events at stake.

'We are so happy that pencak silat finally made it to the Asian Games, this is a long-awaited moment,' said Iskandar, secretary general of East Jakarta's branch of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI).

As the 2018 Asian Games' host, Indonesia could propose its own sport to be included in the event.

'The OCA [Olympic Council of Asia] approved pencak silat to be featured in this year's Asian Games, but it's only for now. It's still a long way before it enters Olympic Games,' Sports Ministry's secretary general Gatot Dewa Broto told the Jakarta Globe.

'To have it at the Olympics, at least 80 members of the IOC [International Olympic Committee] should vote for it. We've been negotiating this with the IOC while promoting the sport regionally.'

In the 2015 SEA Games, Indonesia led in pencak silat with 11 medals, followed by Vietnam which got 10 medals. But in the 2017 SEA Games, Malaysia was the winner with 16 medals — 10 of them gold. Indonesia only got two gold medals. Many said the competition was rigged.

At this year's Asian Games, Indonesia is expected to win at least three gold medals in pencak silat.

Islamic Martial Art

There are 167 athletes from 16 countries competing in pencak silat, including India, Iran, Nepal and Uzbekistan.

Speaking on the sidelines of Thursday's event, Iranian officials recognized Islamic values in the sport.

'Beside its beauty, pencak silat is an Islamic martial art and Iran is an Islamic republic, so it's important that we love this sport,' Homayoun Khorram, president of the Iranian Pencak Silat Association, told the Jakarta Globe.

The martial art has been associated with spiritual and supernatural powers, which partially follow Islamic guidelines.

'All Muslim countries must turn into pencak silat,' said another Iranian official Esfidvajani Amini.

The International Pencak Silat Federation (Persilat) is headquartered in Jakarta and comprises 44 member countries. It is chaired by Indonesian politician Prabowo Subianto, who is also the chairman of IPSI and founder of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra). Prabowo will also contest next year's presidential election against the incumbent President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo.

Indonesia seeks to have pencak silat recognized by Unesco as the country's cultural heritage.

The words Pencak and Silat have the same meanings and are integral parts of the culture of the Malay ethnic group, who are the native inhabitants in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.

Pencak is commonly used by the people in Java, Madura and Bali, whereas the word Silat is commonly used by the people who live in the other regions of Indonesia as well as in the other Malay regions.

The combination of the words Pencak and Silat into a compound word was made for the first time when an organization uniting all Pencak and Silat perguruans (institutions) in Indonesia was founded in Surakarta on 18 May 1948.

This organization was named Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia (Indonesian Pencak Silat Association), abbreviated as IPSI. Since then, the word Pencak Silat has become the official term in Indonesia. This term is also used by the perguruans in many different countries which teach Pencak and Silat derived from Indonesia.

In the international Pencak Silat communities the word Pencak Silat has become the official term since the international federation organization was founded in Jakarta on March 11, 1980. The organization is called Persekutuan Pencak Silat Antarbangsa (International Pencak Silat Federation), acronymed as PERSILAT. Nevertheless, there are people who use the words Pencak and Silat separately as a single word due to the dialectic habit.

Pencak Silat Game

History of Pencak Silat

The principal needs of human being are security and prosperity. To fulfill those needs, men invented and developed various means (techniques) and equipment. Men's inventions deal with and overcome many kinds of threats, challenges, obstacles and annoyances. The means are among others the so called kiat-laga and weapon.

Kiat-laga is the skill, technique and method used to defeat or solve any physical threat by another man. These techniques are then compiled into jurus, a series of effective physical movements directed to defend or attack the weak parts of body, and movement of oneself or the opponent, with or without a weapon. The early form was very simple, it was an imitation of animal's body movement conformed with human's anatomy. Then it was developed continuously, coinciding with the development of men's culture. The use of weapons was also developed in the same way.

The Malay ethnic group of people are a mainly agrarian society and their social relationship is accomplished through paguyuban (kinship/ Gemeinschaft) system. The social characteristics and social relationship of such a system have shaped the wisdom and way of life which hold the religious values and principles and the people's morality in high esteem.

In accordance with the social system mentioned above, kiat-laga should be used in a responsible way. It can be accomplished if the performer practices self-control. Kiat-laga can only be used for self-defense and accordingly, its proper name is kiat-beladiri.

Man has also invented means (techniques) and equipment to fulfil his prosperity (welfare), among others, by developing kiat-beladiri into artistic and sports forms which can supply physical and mental welfare.

Through their social and cultural development the Malay ethnic group of people have absorbed foreign influences into their life, which are in harmony with the religious, moral values and principles they hold in high esteem. Related with that development, the Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic philosophies have been absorbed and applied to put the wisdom and the way of life of this ethnic people in order.

This philosophy is applied in relation with the control of using kiat-beladiri, which focuses its attention on the budi pekerti luhur (the noble mind and character or the sublime ethic), so called falsafah budi pekerti luhur (the philosophy of noble mind and character).

The control of self-defense, artistic and sports kiat-beladiri with its philosophy based on the high esteemed religious and moral values and principles as a unity and oneness, is called Pencak Silat.

When the regions of the Malay ethnic people were under the authority of foreign colonial powers, the teaching of Pencak Silat, which was regarded as a means to grow nationalistic spirit, was first restricted and then prohibited. But the educational activities of Pencak Silat went on secretly.

During the Japanese occupation, the colonial Government allowed the people to develop their culture freely in order to get their support for the Japanese warfare against the Allied Powers. At this time, the education of Pencak Silat was conducted again as it was in the beginning and was spread widely.

After the regions of the Malay ethnic people had been freed from the foreign authorities and emerged independent countries, the growth and dissemination of Pencak Silat became faster, particularly after the establishment of the national Pencak Silat organization in those countries.

Pencak Silat Nyc

Pencak Silat has also developed and spread outside its original countries, particularly after the founding of Persekutuan Pencak Silat Antarabangsa (PERSILAT).