Silat

An ancient traditional martial art whose country of origin is regularly debated. Malaysia & Indonesia are the countries that the styles of Silat can be traced back to. The art like any other traditional art encompasses locks, strikes, weapon work & other cultural aspects such as dances, meditation etc. Has recently seen a big surge of interest in the western world due to popular martial arts shows showing it & films using techniques or styles from Silat (eg Merintau, Taken). The art has hundreds of styles each adapted to the terrains & ways of the local areas, Gurus are the ''master''-name for those well versed in the art. MMA is looking at how to encorporate some the grappling aspects to its competitions, however due to the lethal aspects of Silat often including blades &/or gouging, biting, breaking & shattering, it has to be revised and watered down so as to be legal under MMA rules. The dutch have a shitty sports version that barely resembles the traditional art & looks more like Taekwondo.