still, nothing beats the wing-chun open stance...
No, it’s not the Indonesian Monkey Dance. This is called Pencak Silat… And Pencak Silat, as I’ve learned is a collective term for martial arts in the Malay Peninsula.
The interesting part to this odd and deadly martial art is that it is an influence to our own Eskrima. The Majapahit Empire of Indonesia, at the peak of its power, had influence over Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei and the Philippines. With them they brought their styles of Pencak Silat and settled mostly in Mindanao and Sulu. Modern day practitioners of the Filipino Martial Arts suspect that Kali the mother of all FMA originated in Mindanao and Sulu.
What is known today as the Majapahit Martial Arts includes the Filipino Martial Arts like Kali, Arnis, Silat Kuntao and, of course, Eskrima. Traditional Thai boxing or Muay Boran also traces its roots back to Majapahit influences.
Labaw Donggon
For the Hinilawod Comics, I’ve used Eskrima as a reference for the forms used during battle–and a little bit of Muay Thai and wall-climbing… because I’m biased. Anyway, I’m thinking now of using Pencak Silat also, perhaps, as a reference for stances to be used by Saragnayan.
Let me update you with some sketches in the following days. So stay tuned! This is going to be interesting.
Related articles
- 10 of the Strangest Fighting Styles Ever Seen in the UFC (bleacherreport.com)
- Ultimate Eskrima (filipinofestival.wordpress.com)
Right After Coffee 
You just had to be biased, didn’t you.
no original drawing?
since you started posting your original drawing in your la luz post, it would be a great feature of your blog to have an original drawing per new post.
just suggesting…
Hi Coach Pat! Okai po, I like that. I’m updating with an original drawing in every post from now on.
Simply want to say your article is as astonishing.
The clearness to your put up is just spectacular and that i can suppose you’re a professional in this subject. Fine together with your permission allow me to take hold of your RSS feed to stay updated with drawing close post. Thanks 1,000,000 and please carry on the rewarding work.
dearest imp…
i really like the picture about the silat practitioners. do you know where is the exact place of their training ( in the picture?)
thanks :))
Thanks very much for being patient. I got that image from the wordpress image gallery but I’ve no idea about the exact place. Looking at their garb, it’s likely Malaysian. Some info on Silat schools here: http://grasio.webs.com/