Pencak Silat
Transalation: "To Fight in Self defence"
Country of Origin: Indonesia / Malaysia

Pencak Silat describes the specific martial arts found in the Malay World, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia. Pencak Silat means “to fight”, or “to fight in self-defence”. There were many wars between various indigenous tribes and kingdoms of the Malay islands, and expert Silat fighters were well respected and often reached high social and political positions.

Pencak Silat is supposed to have developed from observing and imitating the moves of various animals such as the monkey, the white eagle or the tiger, but its origins are difficult to trace due to lack of written records. It is widely believed to come from religious hermits from India who travelled to and lived in this region in ancient times. Hence, Pencak Silat adopted a philosophical and near-mystical reputation due to its influence from religious teachers.

Pencak Silat developed rapidly during the 20th century and has become a competition sport in some countries round the world. It is highly prized by the Malay community as a cultural bastion – a martial art that is also a way of life, a sport, tradition and a means of moral and spiritual education.