Indonesian martial arts Indonesian martial arts Indonesian martial arts refers to the variety of fighting systems native to or developed in the archipelago of Indonesia, both the age-old traditional arts, and the more recently developed hybrid combatives. In the Indonesian language the term "bela-diri" (lit. self-defense) is used to mean martial art, and in essence the Indonesian fighting arts are meant as one's defence against perceived threat and assault. Other than physical training, they often include spiritual aspects to cultivate inner strength, inner peace and higher psychological ends. Today, Indonesian fighting styles are synonymous with pencak silat. Indeed, the term was coined as
Pencak Silat ("sikut"), knees ("dengkul" or "lutut"), shoulders ("bahu"), or the fingers ("jari"). Even basic attacks may vary depending on style, lineage, and regional origin. Some systems may favour punching with the clenched fist, while others might prefer slapping with the palm of the hand. Other common tactics include feints ("tipuan") or deceptive blows used as distraction, sweeping ("sapuan") to knock the opponent down, and the scissors takedown ("guntingan") which grips the legs around the opponent. Defense in pencak silat consists of blocking, dodging, deflecting, and countering. Blocks or "tangkisan" are the most basic form of defense. Because pencak silat may target