Courtesy and Stances

Salutation ::

Silat practitioners begin and end each routine and practice session by saluting their teacher, partner or any spectators as a show of respect. The handsign used is dependent on style and lineage. The vast majority of silat exponents use the Hindu Buddhist namaste in which the palms are pressed together at chest level. This represents the balance of two opposing forces such as light and dark or hard and soft. The head or upper body is usually bowed as a sign of humility. This was used as a  greeting in ancient times, as can still be seen throughout much of indochina, and until recent decades it was also a form of apology among Malays. The practical purpose of the salute is to trigger the proper state of mind for training or fighting. Additionally, it serves as a technique in itself to block attacks aimed at the face.

Some traditional Javanese schools use another handsign apparently borrowed from the Chinese in which the left hand clasps the right fist. In the context of silat, the fist symbolises martial skill while the opposite hand is a sign of courtesy and camaraderie. This is mean to convey mutual respect and shows that the fighters are willing to learn from each other. Like the namaste, it recalls the idea of duality. This concept is referred to as Jantan Betina (male- female) and is equivalent to the Chinese Yin and Yang. A few styles, such as Silat Pattani, may have their own salutation unique to that particular system.

Stances and Footwork

Every style of Silat Incorporates Multi- level fighting stances (Sikap pasang,) or preset postures meant to provide the foundation for remaining stable while in motion. The horse stance(kekuda), is the most essential posture, common to many Asian martial arts. Beginners once had to practice this stance for long periods of time, sometime as many as four hours, but today practitioners train until it can be easily held for at least ten minutes. Stances are thaught in tandem with langkah (lit "step"), a set of structured steps. Langkah consist of basic footwork and kicks made to teach how best to move in a fight. The langkah kuching(cat step) and langkah lawan(warrior step) are among the more prominent examples of langkah. After becoming proficient at langkah, students learn footwork patterns or tapak ("sole") from which to apply fighting techniques. Each tapak takes account of not only the particular move being used but also the potential for change in each movement and action. Among the most common formations are tapak tiga, tapak empat and tapak lima. All together the stances act as a basis for forms training.

Kissing the Keris, one of courtesy in certain silat