Teknik asli is a set of movements that has been prepared in an order. The techniques are grouped according to it’s original technique. In silat, it is commonly called as Jurus (similar to Kata in Karate). There are 9 teknik asli customized by the founder to be trained. Out of those 9 teknik asli, we can split them into 2 groups, Animal techniques and Human techniques.
Those teknik aslis are listed as follow:
1. Minangkabau (as a basic technique, before they learn Animal technique)
Animal techniques:
2. Burung Mliwis (heron)
3. Burung Kuntul (egret)
4. Burung Garuda (eagle)
5. Harimau (tiger)
6. Naga (dragon)
2. Burung Mliwis (heron)
3. Burung Kuntul (egret)
4. Burung Garuda (eagle)
5. Harimau (tiger)
6. Naga (dragon)
Human technique :
7. Satria (knight)
8. Pendeta (priest)
9. Putri (princess)
7. Satria (knight)
8. Pendeta (priest)
9. Putri (princess)
1. Technique of Minangkabau
Level trained : Cakel (Calon Keluarga)
The name of Minangkabau technique is taken due to the movements are similar to the traditional dance of Minangkabau, West Sumatra, Indonesia.
One of the objective in learning this technique is to strengthen lower body, i.e. leg muscles and tendon as well as the back area. This technique also gives some experience in ‘feeling grounded’.
This technique also teach how to move soft and slowly when opponent in a long distance, but suddenly change to very fast and sharp when attacking or blocking opponent’s attack.
In order to attract the opponent, Minang technique often opens weak areas in the body with a slow movement. This is actually ‘a trap’ for the opponent to attack those open areas. Once the opponent coming with an attack, Minang technique will always be ready to destroy opponent’s attack, by hitting any part of opponent’s body.
2. Technique of Burung Meliwis.
Level trained : White Stipe
Burung Meliwis is a kind of bird like heron. This technique moves from one stance to another in a light and fast movement.
The objectives of learning this technique is to build a good acceleration, as well as to make a habit of moving light. By learning this technique, students will train their leg and hip muscles.
Meliwis uses it’s top fingers to attack the opponent. Those, this technique will always attack to weak areas such as eyes and neck. During attacking, Meliwis throws their hands very fast and pull them back to the body, so the opponent will find some difficulties to block the hands.
Beside the top fingers, Meliwis can also use it’s wrist to attack other areas such as neck and chin. It can also uses the inner and outer side of the hands to block, by shifting opponent’s attack to different way.
3. Technique of Burung Kuntul
Level trained : White Green Stripe
After learning technique of Mliwis, a student will be given another teknik asli to be learned. Burung Kuntul is kind of egret that lives around rice field in Indonesia.
If a student was trained to move lightly when learning mliwis technique, they will now learn how to move light and combining a power in their technique. While mliwis mostly attack weak area such as eyes, kuntul not only strike to the eyes but also to the knee. This technique have one kicking technique that is used to break opponent’s leg.
Kuntul performs it’s attack more to whip than to hit. The attack is thrown very fast from the body to the target and automatically return back to the body with the same speed. However, kuntul will always attack to the side, not staight to the front.
4. Technique of Burung Garuda (eagle)
Level trained : Green Stripe
Garuda (eagle) is a symbol of powerful bird. Thus, compare to previous birds technique, Garuda has the most ability amongst other bird techniques.
When learning garuda technique, student starts to learn using their body as a power source. This technique starts transforming the body movement as additional power during attacking and blocking. Due to this capability, the power of garuda technique is stronger than mliwis and kuntul.
Garuda uses side of the hands and elbow as the equipment for attacking and blocking. This technique spreads all the 5 fingers to strengthen the muscle on the outer side of the hands.
The target of attacking are mostly the neck. Using the side of the hand, garuda hit the neck using the elbow and slice the neck skin in order to damage the skin as well as the bone. Garuda is also targeting opponent’s eye to be attacked by the side of the hand. The strike is using the elbow as a start to hit just below the forehead and slice it, by using the side of the hand, along the eye line.
In a very close distance, garuda uses it’s elbow to attack. With similar distance, garuda uses short distance kick to damage opponent’s groin.
In order to shield the body from opponent’s attack, garuda uses the legs to block all attackings that coming to lower body and uses its hands to block upper body area.
5. Technique of Harimau (tiger)
Level trained : Green Blue Stripe
The technique of harimau is adopted from tiger’s behavior. Compare to garuda, harimau is stronger due to the technique uses a total body spin to increase the power. The body also twist a little bit to fasten the movements.
The stance of harimau can be varied. This technique has the ability to fight in a low, medium and high stances. In a low stance, this technique will widely spread the legs to get closer to the ground and attack lower area. It will use it’s rolling technique after attacking opponent’s lower area, to stay away from the opponent. In a high stance, this technique will target to opponent’s body and head. It can also jump to the opponent’s side to attack upper area.
During attacking, harimau uses it’s claws, palm, knee and toe. When blocking, this technique will use the legs, hands and also the claws. The attacking target points are almost the whole area, such as eyes, face, ears, head, neck, chest, joints, groin, knees and skins.
This technique has its own breathing rhythm. However, this breathing systematic will be delivered when the student has reached red-yellow stripe.
6. Naga (dragon)
Level trained : Blue Stripe
Naga is a symbol of the strongest animal in PD. Thus, naga is given as the last animal technique. The unique characteristic of this technique is the movement. It mostly moves in a small rotation movement instead of straight forward. The power is stronger than other animal techniques because naga merge the body twist and the body weight all together.
Even more, student has already become an instructor when they receive this technique. At the same time, this new instructor will also receive a first level of pernafasan (breathing exercise). This pernafasan will increase the strength of the instructor. Thus, naga will even stronger because the practitioner will combine the body twist, body weight and pernafasan into an application of each technique.
Naga aim for main joints for attacking such as necks, thigh joint and arm joint. Some weak areas such as chin and groin can also become a target point when they are open.
The stance of Naga are mostly low. This technique has a back circling kick in a very low stance to drop the opponent down when they are standing on it’s back. From a low position, Naga can also throw the opponent away by hitting opponents thigh from the ground.
7. Satria (knight)
Level trained : Blue Red Stripe
After learning all animal techniques, an instructor will start to learn human techniques. The first human technique is called as satria. On this stage, an instructor should be able to perform the abilities of all animal techniques in previous levels.
However, as a human technique, satria will put animal’s characteristics aside, such as the wildness and brutality. Satria will always think what is right before performing a technique.
Together with this technique, an instructor will also receive a second level of pernafasan (breathing exercise), which is focused in how to explode the power. Due to the result of two level breathing exercises, the power of satria is stronger and can be exploded anytime. To explode here means that the power can be quickly transferred to any area of the body , either to attack or to block.
This ability makes satria technique very confidence in handling opponent’s attack. When it comes an attack, such as a kick from the opponent, this technique will break the leg on the spot by hitting the joints. This technique does not require a sophisticated movement like harimau and naga.
8. Pendeta (priest/monk)
Level trained : Red Stripe
Taken from the javanese language ‘pandito’, this mean as a person who provide guidance for others into goodness.
This character is adopted to the technique. Pendeta is a bridging technique to putri (princess). It does not show the wildness and brutality, nor to destroy opponent’s attack.
Although this technique has the ability of all technique in previous, pendeta will only hit when necessary. The movement is always short and never make a long distance to the opponent. The attack is always performed with the body twist with full power.
The equipment during an attack are knuckles, back of the hand, toe, body, shoulder and forehead. The attacking targets are ulu hati, head, side of the body and some joints.
9. Putri (princess)
Level trained : Red Yellow and Yellow.
This is the highest technique asli in PD. The characteristic of this technique is unpredictable. Sometime it is soft, but sometimes it is fast. Putri merges all ability on previous techniques. It moves very light and soft, but suddenly changed to very fast when attacking or beladiri and back to soft again.
Putri mostly do two moves at once. It can be attacking while avoiding or attacking after blocking, in only one step movement and a very close distance. A body twist is always used and third level of pernafasan will always be implemented in this technique. Since normally the movement is hard to see by the opponent, this technique is then called as having an unsighted attack.
Putri will normally react to the opponent’s attack. It is not it’s main characteristic to open the first attack. During learning this technique, all part of the body becomes very flexible.
