There Is No Silat Without the Knife

I've been told by Uncle that "There is no silat without the knife." At first, I thought it was an interesting and quite good mnemonic device to keep in mind that silat was created in a culture that heavily utilizes the knife. While true, it goes far deeper than that. After practicing countless hours, year after year, I'm beginning to comprehend the depth of that statement. Kuntao Silat de Thouars always considers that the opponent and the practitioner have available, and is actually using, a bladed weapon. Every step, technique, hand wave, body shift, turn of the head and breath accounts for knives being applied, defended against and preparing to be presented. Our grappling is also performed with knives. Yes, it can be done successfully. Yes, you will get cut. However, continued practice and adherence to principles will lead the student down a path where the cuts become fewer and less severe as time goes on while the student learns to implement the knife(s) more competently in an encounter.

Indonesia is an iron poor area relative to the rest of the world, therefore, the metal obtained was highly prized. Often the bladed weapons used were far smaller than in other cultures due to the relative lack of resources. Even the neighboring Philippine Islands had access to more ferrous metals in many instances, and due to that connection to the Spanish, yielded larger bladed weapons in most of the areas with resulting concepts, principles and techniques that made use of those larger blades as opposed to using predominately small blades. This lack of exchange in Indonesia created heavy reliance on small blades, or knives, scattered throughout the archipelago in some very isolated communities. From this culture a unique perspective on bladed combat can be observed as opposed to the excellent bladed arts of escrima, eskrima, arnis and kali of the Filipinos. As an example, look at the Indonesian kris (or keris) and the Filipino kris. Despite many opinions to the contrary, the Indonesian kris was indeed intended to be used as a cutting and stabbing implement while sometimes fulfilling the role of a ceremonial piece. Surely, since the other bladed cultures are nearby there is a great deal of overlap and trade, but there is also a distinguishing difference that can be observed in the way silat systems handle the knife as opposed to cultures outside Indonesia, Malaysia and the southern Philippines that don't specifically train in silat. (Silat is also practiced in Malaysia and the southern Philippines, but my perspective is predominately Indonesian as learned). This difference pervades the very thought process of the practitioner regardless of range or primary intent. Moreover, while there certainly are large blades used in silat such as the golok or machete, and many small blades trained in other systems (and very well practiced) the general trends are apparent.

Ideas of accessing the knife quickly, presenting the knife while being attacked from ambush, using it while being pressured from the ground, or the trees, by opponents and being stabbed and/or restrained at the same time; all with the goal of being able to walk away and live another day with everyone having their own blade(s). How does a person with a small knife (e.g., karambit) defend against and overcome a man with a stick and knife? Women in Indonesia had to find out and make it work. Entire systems have been devoted to finding a way for the small blade to prevail against what would normally be considered a superior weapon. Their lack of resources left no choice. Even when empty-handed, the knife is being trained when performing djurus, langkahs, moving on the pantjar, or any other fundamental and advanced movement-- or anything at all. It is up to the guru (instructor) to show how and why that is so, and guide the murid (silat student) down the path of proficiency.

I generally don't demonstrate how the blade is being taught within kuntao silat until I get to know the person and understand their morals; after that, if still present, general and specific knife work is practiced continually. It is far too easy to abuse knowledge gained in the arena of the knife.

Silat does not train "for" the knife; silat does not train "with" the knife; silat is knife training.