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 Pentjak
Silat is the Indonesian set of Martial Arts, all with different styles
and schools (over 400 of them). Pentjak Silat depends heavily on an
indigenous weapons and animal-styles heritage. In the (distant) past,
it was predominately a weapons system; empty hand techniques are
derived from the weapons forms. Pentjak Silat is a term covering many
styles, some of the styles are very old (more than 1000 years) and
some were developed recently. There is a mixture of indigenous
techniques along with techniques borrowed from Chinese Wu Shu and
Indian arts such as Kalaripayit.
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Techniques are varied, although kicks are not emphasized much. Foot
work is sophisticated. The foot and hand techniques are so subtle and
intricate that they are often taught separately, then integrated after
the student has mastered them individually. There is a good balance
between offensive and defensive techniques.
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