Pencak Silat Classes at the Raleigh Martial Arts Academy

 

The Raleigh Martial arts Academy practices Kali/Silat as handed down directly from Dan Inosanto to Guru Guy Chase, then to RMAA head instructor Jason Culbertson. Thanks to Guru Chase being one of the first U.S. students and a close personal friend of Pendekar Herman Suwanda, RMAA head instructor Jason Culbertson was also fortunate enough to train with Pendakar Suwanda on a regular basis before his passing.

 

The Indonesian art of Pencak Silat (also written as Penchak Silat or Pentjak Silat) is an art shrouded in mystery. In the past the art was mainly passed down orally from generation to generation and often conducted in secret. Practicing by moonlight in the jungle, the use of mysterious family Krisses and poisons, only added to the mystique of the art leading some to consider it a form of magic.

 

Silat’s origins remain unclear to this day. Depending on who you talk to some say Indonesia’s aboriginal arts were influenced by Chinese or Filipino martial arts. Others say it came from India. Indonesian folklore contains several stories saying it was created by a woman, Rama Sukana after witnessing a fight between two animals in the jungle.

 

Whatever the truth is behind Silat’s origins, it has morphed into one of the most deadly and at the same time beautiful arts to come out of this Southeast Asian archipelago. It was used by locals to fend off Dutch colonists. So effectively so that the Dutch had orders to kill the Indonesians caught practicing Silat. The locals had to hide Silat techniques in the form of a cultural dance to trick the Dutch. The danger of practicing in the open also birthed the secret moonlight training traditions.

 

After Indonesia gained its independence the art of Silat solidified and flourished nationally. Today it is practiced as a sport. But the brutal effectiveness of the art’s ability to dispatch multiple opponents at the same time, and the tradition of secrecy still lead some to think of it as magic.