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Silat Perisai Diri di Australia

About two thousand years ago, disciplined martial arts began to emerge from a mass of fighting skills systems in Asia. Many different styles developed, some of which are now familiar to us through a resurgence of interest after the Second World War, particularly through the medium of film in the last two decades: judo, aikido, kendo and karate from Japan; tae kwon do from Korea; and kung fu from China. However, there is one major branch of the Asian martial arts which is not yet well known to the western world, the Indonesian branch known as PENCAK-SILAT.

It is generally recognised that nearly all Asian martial arts have a common origin and some points of contact through the centuries, so it is not surprising that most of these martial arts exhibit some similarities. On the other hand each has been influenced by its local geographic, social and cultural environment so that it is distinctive to its own region. The hundreds of styles of pencak-silat which have developed among the Malay peoples over the last millennium and a half have some similarities with, but differ from, martial arts in other parts of Asia and each other.

Many of these styles are now regarded as art forms only, a type of dance, where the emphasis is on "pencak", the training in movement (often to the accompaniment of music), rather than on "silat", the application of these movements to combat. However, there are still many styles which retain their very serious intent of protecting the individual and subduing an aggressor. One of these is SILAT PERISAI-DIRI (PD).

PD was developed over the first half of this century by R.M.S. Dirdjoatmodjo, who formally established the organisation (Keluarga) on 2 July 1955 in East Java. Although PD is relatively modern in concept, it is a blend of the most effective techniques and moves from a number of ancient pencak-silat styles and some other branches of the Asian fighting arts. PD movements and postures are based on the defence and fighting attitudes of a range of types of animals, birds and humans, creating a comprehensive system of self-defence which allows a practitioner of PD to select the most appropriate response to any form of attack.

Although PD allows a practitioner to disable an aggressor when necessary, its primary purpose is protection. "Perisai diri" means "to shield oneself": a practitioner of PD is capable of developing personal security through building a total "shield" of his or her PD skills. These skills are a combination of accuracy, speed and power. Light, fast, elusive movements are complemented by protective blocks and devastating attacks. It is a style of self-defence which suites anyone: an emphasis on speed and agility in evasion for a lightly built person can more than compensate for the strength of a powerful aggressor.

PD is the largest martial arts organisation in Indonesia, with over 100,000 exponents, and is taught to members of the Indonesian Armed Forces and special law-enforcement bodies. It has also been established in the Netherlands, France, Italy, Canada and the U.S.A. PD was brought to Australia by the master Dadan Muharam in 1981, and now encompasses a number of classes in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Gympie, Townsville, Cairns, Sydney, Adelaide, Darwin and Perth.

Information about classes or demonstrations can be obtained from the instructors listed below (if any problems with these numbers contact headquarters in Brisbane

Contact:

Wesley Clark Phone: (61) 07 3848 5949)

Brisbane City Queensland - Michael Dare Phone: (61) 07 3374 3907
Browns Plains Queensland - Russell Dennis Phone: (61) 07 3272 8306
Loganholme Queensland - Stephen Colledge Phone: (61) 07 3209 7675
Miami Queensland - Josh Duke Yonge Phone: (61) 07 5571 0446
Tarragindi Queensland - Wesley Clark Phone: (61) 07 3848 5949
Gympie Queensalnd - Peter Blake Phone: (61) 07 5486 6228
Toowoomba Queensalnd - Doug Symonds Phone: (61) 07 4697 6303
Townsville Queensland - Trevor Mack Phone: (61) 07 4772 4028
Cairns North Queensalnd - Jason Olderoy Phone: (61) 07 4053 5407
Adelaide South Australia - Peter Bizley Phone: (61) 0412 177 847
Darwin Northern Territory - John Rowland Phone: (61) 08 8941 6649
Manilla New South Wales - Bronwyn Thomas Phone: (61) 02 6785 2467
Perth Western Australia - Cameron Daly Phone: (61) 08 9757 9076
Sydney New South Wales - John Boots Phone: (61) 02 9600 9790

This article was written by Trevor Mack of Townsville Indonesian Language Services who is also an enthusiastic member of PD and AIAA.
Email: trevormack@ultra.net.au