What is Pencak Silat?
With such a wide variety of influences, and breadth of styles it is a task few would take on. However, most silat practitioners can recognize pencak silat when they see it. This is because it does have characteristics that are not found to the same degree or with the same combination of influences as they are found within pencak silat. One of those characteristics is the consistent use of “baiting” through the use of Sikap Pasang or Welcoming Postures. They do not look the same from art to art but often, within pencak silat, it is the use of “baiting” as a method for expression of beauty and gracefulness that is noticed. In addition, in concert with the fluidity of movement, changes of tempo, constant changes of height, and wave-like energy, that no other martial art does similarly. The degree to which that it is apparent or different appears to be the degree to which the particular system of pencak silat has been influenced by external martial arts such as, kung fu, karate, tae kwon d
