FMA - Considered Silat?

Discussion in 'Filipino Martial Arts' started by Nojon, Aug 6, 2008.

  1. Nojon

    Nojon Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein

    Hi all,

    I have always been interested in all types of martial arts,

    and have wondered if FMA in general are considered Silat? Or Just their own unique catergory. Thanks for replies.

    Jon.
     
  2. Cathain

    Cathain Lily Lau Gar

    I think it's the other way around - Silat is an FMA.

    PS. Ta Gaeilge agam :)
     
  3. LabanB

    LabanB Valued Member

    FMA Silat

    Hi Jon,

    FMA is an umbrella term, like CMA (Chinese Martial Arts) or JMA (Japanese Martial Arts). Some Filipino systems have no weapons at all (Yaw-Yan is a kickboxing system, for example) and others specialise in single weapons such as only practicing knife or single stick/sword.

    Guro Inosanto developed a system to teach Silat concepts in a seminar format which he called Maphilindo - MAlaysianPHILipinoINDOnesian. I once talekd to Cass Magda about getting him up to the North East of England to do a seminar which would have shown the differences between the different forms of Silat from those three main areas and he said that it wouldn't be worth doing a whole seminar because they were too close in structure. Not you note different systems but the overall arts.

    I also now note that Cathain has said much the same, but much more concisely!!!

    Bill
     
  4. Nojon

    Nojon Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein

    Cathain Ciamar a tha sibh?

    Ahh, I wasnt really sure. Thanks for the info..

    Just had wondered about that for a while.
     
  5. Nojon

    Nojon Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein

    Thanks for the info. Is Yaw-yan similar to say muay thai? (Elbows, knees etc) First ive heard of it.(Which isnt surprising)

    I have never trained with Guro Inosanto, but years ago I was involved in CMA, and our Sifu would have other martial artists help grade the black sash testings, Guro Inosanto had helped grade at one or two of the testings.
     
  6. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    You've actually got a very reputable Filipino martial arts school within about 20 minutes of you. In Pasadena, Maryland. They teach Doce Pares Eskrima. (Eskrima, Arnis, and Kali are the blanket terms associated with FMA, rather than Silat, which can be, but is also often associated with the Indonesian martial arts.)

    If I were you, I'd go over to the Kick Connection on Ritchie Hwy and have a go. Actually, I say "If I were you..." but what I mean is "I did..."

    I was a student there for many years, having grown up in the Annapolis area myself.


    Stuart
     
  7. Nojon

    Nojon Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein

    I appreciate the info..

    Im currently injured, and am not training anywhere, so you'll see alot of postings form me.

    Indonesia and the Philippines have always fascinated me, all of the islands, and hundreds of styles practiced..amazing. So for now ill ask questions..


    thanks again.
     
  8. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    They've fascinated me too. There's a lot more to Filipino (and Indonesian) martial culture than we over here are generally led to understand. Believe me, you won't be bored.
     
  9. Cathain

    Cathain Lily Lau Gar

    Ta me go maith, go raibh maith agat. Agus tu fein?
    (looks to me like you are speaking Gaidhlig rather than Gaeilge though, am I right?)
     
  10. Nojon

    Nojon Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein

    ...trying should be noted. I picked a bit travelling in skye, and west highlands..

    this east coast humidity, makes me wish I was back there..
     
  11. Cathain

    Cathain Lily Lau Gar

    Ah, nice places to see.
    Good luck with that, it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination!
     
  12. Nojon

    Nojon Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein

    Well back on topic, we have had the opportunity to have a silat instructor come to our ninpo dojo.. he showed us a few things I found very interesting, such as fighting from the ground... the explanation was alot of places in Indonesia are very wet, slippery, muddy places..and if you slip and fall..then you need to be able to fight even if the opponent is standing. It was very cool stuff.
    I hadnt learned anything like that from the FMA I had learned or cross trained in..(That doesnt mean they dont exist..)anyone have experience in fma where that is trained?

    Thanks again guys for all the helpful info. Now im off for a guinness or 3

    :)
     
  13. Ular Sawa

    Ular Sawa Valued Member

    http://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Fight...=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218065226&sr=8-7

    You may want to check into "The Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesia" for a good overview of Silat.

    There are some FMA that are considered Silat but they would be more southern and probably not considered FMA proper. Silat is a generic term mainly referring to Indo-Malay arts.

    Silat and FMA are quite compatible and many people in the states have studied both, including yours truly.
     
  14. LabanB

    LabanB Valued Member

    FMA Silat Kali Eskrima Arnis etc!

    Well back on topic, we have had the opportunity to have a silat instructor come to our ninpo dojo.. he showed us a few things I found very interesting, such as fighting from the ground... the explanation was alot of places in Indonesia are very wet, slippery, muddy places..and if you slip and fall..then you need to be able to fight even if the opponent is standing. It was very cool stuff.<

    One common misconception about Silat is that it is all very low stances, such as the stuff you've obviously already seen for the reasons given. There is also standing/upright Silat, used where the ground is firm/concreted or where going low wouldn't be an advantage.

    >I hadnt learned anything like that from the FMA I had learned or cross trained in..(That doesnt mean they dont exist..)anyone have experience in fma where that is trained?<

    My main instructor, GM Danny Guba, trained with most of the top Doce Pares guys (Diony Canete, Cacoy Canete, Momoy Canete, Loloy Uy etc) as well as having travelled around and trained with a variety of others. Some of the empty hand we do is very Silat like.

    I think the main thing to remember when training with Filipinos is that they will take effective techniques from anyone they deal with and incorporate it into their systems, sometimes this makes the identification of origins difficult. Not impossible, and not always deliberately obscure, sometimes the instructor genuinely cannot recall where they learnt the technique. So Doce Pares do train their own form of Silat, it just depends on the instructor you learn from!

    Bill
     
  15. Nojon

    Nojon Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein

    Thanks alot for the replies! My only experience in FMA has been stick and knife, and unarmed. Gunting, hubud, espaday daga, sinawali etc..which I think is great..

    I have had a little experience with Kuntao- silat type techniques, but when said teacher showed us the ground-fighting..(not bjj type) but what I had mentioned before, the "OOPs I fell on the muddy ground" techniques..(please forgive, because I dont know the name for them)..I was amazed! It was cool stuff! My opinion(doenst make it right) was that alot of the FMA I had learned was developed in a jungle-type environment..meaning lots of trees..etc..so ground fighting didnt seem practical..

    and thanks for the book title! I have actually read that one. Its what got my imagination going about, all the islands, and hundreds of styles..mind blowing!
     
  16. shootodog

    shootodog restless native

    the silat here in the philippines is practiced mostly by our moro brothers in the southern most islands (mindanao, sulu). it is sometimes mixed with kuntao and kuntaw. it is sometimes practiced by non-muslims (not common). like almost everything in the philippines it has been mixed and blended and strained and added ...no absolutes. silat here belongs to the same family tree as indonesian and malaysian silat (maybe even the rare thai silat). similar but not the same. different animal.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2008

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