Vision

Pencak Silat, a mainstream and widely participated sport in multi-racial Singapore, and an important contributor of regional and international awards and accolades to Singapore sports.

Mission

To be beacon for Pencak Silat in Singapore, promoting it as wholesome sport for ALL and nurturing those with the attributes for "competitive Silat" to realize their maximum potential.

Core Value

Pencak Silat

Pentjak Silat is a traditional Indonesian martial art that was originally an armed style of combat.

Traditionally Pentjak was a secretive method of self-defence and was not meant to be used for competitive combats shown in public. It was also a path to spiritual enlightment and in some parts of Java also a component of community celebrations.

Although it has been described as one of the deadliest martial arts of the Indonesian Archipelago, it is not considered an art of war, but rather an art of stopping the war. Today, it is a non-aggressive martial arts that is practiced by men and women of any age, and is accessible to children and complete beginners in martial arts.

Silat is the essence of the fighting and self-defense, the application of these movements in a fight. In this sense Silat and Pencak represent the esoteric and exoteric aspects of the same fighting style. The origin of the words Pencak and Silat are still unclear. Some believe that Silat comes from silap, ‘meaning making a mistake’, in the sense that the opponent’s strength is used against him. However, the most prominent origin theory of the word Silat is that it derives from sekilat which means “as (fast as) lightning”. This may have been used to describe a warrior’s movements before eventually being shortened to Silat. Some believe it may come from the word elat which means to fool or tick. Pencak is thought to come from the Sanskrit word Pancha meaning five, or from the Chinese Pencha meaning avert or deflect.

Another interpretation is that Pencak has the meaning of “method of educating” whereas “Silat” means “friendship”, in which case Pencak Silat would stand for “to be educated in how to live harmoniously with others”.

Pentjak Silat systems are generally named after a geographical area, city, district, person, animal, physical action, or a spiritual or combative principle. For example, Undukayam Silat takes its name from the actions of a hen scratching the ground. The Seitia Hati, ‘faithful heart’, system gets its name from a spiritual principle. Mustika Kwitang is named after the Kwitang district in Jakarta. Menangkabau people.

Reference – Donn. F. Draeger (1992). Weapons And Fighting Arts of Indonesia. Rutland, Vt. : Charles E. Tuttle Co. American Kun Tao Silat. Indonesia Fighting, The Devastating Art of Pentjak Silat by Cass Magda. Ian Douglas Wilson (2002). The Politics of Inner Power: the prace of Pencak Silat in West Java. School of Asian Studies, Murdoch University, Western Australia. D.S. Farrer (2009). Shadows of the Prophet: Martial Arts and Sufi Mysticism. Springer.

Silat is a collective word for a class of indigenous martial arts from a geo-cultural area of Southeast Asia encompassing most of the Nusantara, the Indonesia Archipelago, the Malay Archipelago and the entirety of the Malay Peninsula.

The origin of Silat is uncertain. The Silat tradition is mostly oral, having been passed down almost entirely by word of mouth. In the absence of written records, much of its history is known only through myth and archaeological evidence.

Reference – Green, Thomas A. (2010). Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598842432.

As an art (seni), Pencak Silat is performed to celebrate the beauty of movement. Pencak Silat seni expresses cultural values in the form of patterns of movement and rhythm, which involve harmony, balance, and the accord of gracefulness, rhythm, and feeling. In some regions, artistic moves are accompanied by special percussion instruments and are performed at social events, such as harvest festivals, marriages, and public gatherings.

As a form of self-defense (bela diri), Pencak Silat is performed to heighten the human instinct to defend oneself against any kind of threat and danger. To this end, the tactics and techniques that the Pencak Silat practitioner (pesilat) uses emphasize his physical safety and, if necessary, attacking the opponent first.

Likewise, as a sport (olah raga), Pencak Silat prioritizes physical skills to attain fitness, dexterity, and endurance. When training, a pesilat (practitioner of Pencak Silat) strives to enhance the agility of the body and to make more forceful maneuvers, while gaining confidence in order to perform well in sport competitions.

As a spiritual exercise (olah batin), Pencak Silat focuses more on shaping the individual bearing and character of the pesilat as befitting its spiritual philosophy. It places equal emphasis on controlled physical movements, inner power, and observance of the core value of nobleness of mind and character (keluruhan budi pekerti).

These four aspects combine in the specific movements of Pencak Silat, which consist of several key components or basic techniques. In general, we can differentiate four kinds of basic techniques: initial stance, footwork, offensive techniques, and defensive techniques. By assuming an initial stance (standing position), the pesilat shows that he/she is ready and on guard. This could switch at any time to a particular tactical move. Normally both legs and arms are employed in this stance, which may involve standing, crouching, sitting, or lying down.

If initial stances are the static part of Pencak Silat, the footwork is its dynamic part. By determining the direction, type, and tactic of the maneuver, the pesilat moves to defend or attack. More specifically, defending oneself involves taking action to evade attack from an opponent (using defensive, evasive, and disengaging techniques for instance). Offensive action involves trying to bring down the opponent in a number of ways, such as punching, kicking, and grappling. These defensive and offensive techniques also make use of several kinds of weapons, such as knives, swords, trisula (tridents), and toya (wooden staffs usually of rattan).

Somehow paradoxically, the unified Pencak Silat pattern is constituted from a great range of variation in how the basic moves and techniques are combined, and depending on which key aspect within this combination is being emphasized. Different masters and their students have created their own styles according to their preferences and to the physical environment and social-cultural context wherein they live, resulting in hundreds of schools and styles. This makes pencak silat a rich cultural phenomena, fascinating to practice and study.

Sources - The preceding text is derived from Master O’ong Maryono’s book Pencak Silat in the Indonesian Archipelago (Yogyakarta: Yayasan Galang, 1995 and 2002). Please cite when referring to it.

References used by the author in the text include: Drager, D. & Smith, R. Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts (Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1980). Mattulala et al. “Pencak-Silat Tradisional di Sulawesi Selatan.” Research report, 1980. Mitchell, D., Martial Arts Handbook: The New Official (London: Stanley Paul, 1995 and 2002). Notosoejitno. “Pencak Silat Nilat dan Perkembangannya.” Unpublished paper, 1984. PB IPSI. “Khazanah Pencak Silat.” Unpublished paper, 1994.

Key thrusts

Statement of Anti-doping Policy

ANTI-DOPING RULES

APPLICATION OF ANTI-DOPING RULES

Singapore Silat Federation’s Risk Assessment Management (RAM)

Risk management is the process of identifying, evaluating and controlling risks at workplaces. It has been mandated under the Workplace Safety and Health framework by the Ministry of Manpower officially since 1st September 2011, to foster proactive accident prevention culture.

As per one of the Singapore Sports Council requirement for the National Sports Association to produce its own Risk Assessment Management Manual, Singapore Silat Federation has come out with a completed its own RAM Manual.

National Pencak Silat Championship (Pesta Sukan Kebangsaan – PSK)

Singapore Silat Federation was first set-up in 1976, and PERSISI started to organize its first National Pencak Silat Championship in 1977.

The objectives of organizing the championship is to create opportunities for Silat exponents to compete competitively, talent identification of newcomers into national elite training squad, selecting best athletes to represent Singapore, and most importantly to build camaraderie with all Silat enthusiast from clubs.

Tertiary Silat Championship

Since it first started as a series of friendly matches between the Silat clubs of the various local tertiary institutions, the hosting of Tertiary Silat Championship (TSC) has been rotated among the Universities and Polytechnics.

The hosting of the Championship has given invaluable experience and exposure for the organizers. They acquired experience in organizing a large event and deeper understanding and appreciation for Silat competitions.

Through the TSC, we aim to inculcate camaraderie, friendship and sportsmanship amongst the participating institutions. This competition is a platform for Silat enthusiasts in the local institutions to showcase their skill and knowledge in a safe yet competitive environment. We also hope that this event will promote greater interest in Silat and its various aspects not only to the Malay community but to all races as well.

The main objective of organizing this championship is to;

• Preserve and inculcate the art of Silat in the match and artistic categories
• Instill the values of sportsmanship, camaraderie and friendship between competitors from different participating institutions
• Mould the principles and current rules and regulations in the competitive aspect of Silat
• Spread the knowledge and beauty of Silat

Singapore Silat Federation will ensure that the championship is organized annually by the tertiary institutions. In any chance that no tertiary institution is willing to come forward and host the event, as the governing body of Pencak Silat in Singapore, Singapore Silat Federation will be coming in and decide to host the annual event, not wanting the event to miss a year.