Virtually a silat styles, particularly Filipino silat, emphasize weapons training. In the areas where silat originated, carrying a weapon – usually one of the bladed varieties - was for generation a fact of life for the general male populace.
A silat practitioner will normally be skilled with a knife, stick, sword, staff, spear, rope, chain, whip, projectile weapons or a combination thereof.
The kris sword, with its wavy blade, is one of the most common weapons in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Another wicked weapons found in Indonesia is the kerambit (tiger’s claw), a short, curved blade used to hook into an opponent’s vital points. According to the expert, the kerambit is used in an upward, ripping manner to tear into the bowels of the victims.Most silat systems emphasize low, quick kicks, primarily because of the likehood the practitioner will be confronting an opponent armed with a bladed weapon.
A good rule of thumb is to never try a kick against a knife-wielding opponent, unless the kick is delivered at close range and is used as a support technique.
Weaponry in silat
