Pencak Silat

If you are a martial arts buff, you probably know karate, wushu, kungfu and taekwondo. You are aware who is Jet Li or even the Filipino Japoy Lizardo.

True enough, Asia has been the home of different fighting styles which is now considered sports in various competitions. Its real intention as a defensive act whenever involved in a battle in the era of antiquity was surmounted with now friendly matches among countries.

In the Philippines, the engrossing interest in martial arts rapidly grows. There are a lot of sports clinics available every summer offering different sports to learn.

If you’re talking about stamina and not-your-rigorous type of martial arts, Pencak Silat (pronounced as pen-chuck-see-lut) would certainly conform to your desired movements and styles.

Formulated to indicate more than 800 martial arts schools and styles spread across more than 13,000 islands of Indonesia, Pencak Silat has really reached even the Philippines. Filipinos started trying the art and even competed internationally. Since 1991, Pencak Silat has become a sporting event in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games (as a demonstration sport in its first year) and eventually appeared in the Asian Games.

Often referred to as the self-defense of martial arts having its open hands and all kinds of sweeping, the art requires endurance and attacking potency to grab an opponent to sweep and push it down the floor. Though Aikido has its own way of sweeping, too, it is not accredited by the Philippine Olympic Committee in doing the tour de force.

When the Philippines competed in 1991 SEA Games in Manila, Filipino artists were able to bag two bronze medals and five silvers. From then on, an increased number of bemedalled partakers wore RP colors in the succeeding international tournaments.

Jojie Haducana is one of the veterans in this endeavor. He seized silver in the 1991 SEA Games, a bronze in the 1992 World Championships, silver in the 1993 SEA Games and gold in the 1997 World Championships. Haducana is now the senior instructor for today’s generation of Pencak Silat athletes.

The Philippine Pencak Silat Team has indeed mixed the best of both worlds. Though it originated in Indonesia, Filipino martial artists were able to blend it with similar martial art we have in the country called Kuntaw.

Engaging in this kind of steadfastness, the goal is the negation of violence. You fight not to parade your hostility to your opponent but to exhibit camaraderie when the game ends. For real martial artists especially Silat exhibitioners, the heart is far more important than striking a forceful kick.