Indonesian Fighting Fundamentals: The Brutal Arts of the Archipelago

by Bob Orlando

The fighting arts of Indonesia, a mix of pentjak silat and Chinese kuntao, were never meant for sport: they are brutal, unrelenting and designed to take the enemy out and punish him every step of the way. This unprecedented book by a long-time student of Dutch-Indonesian Master Willem de Thouars shows you why.

Genres: Martial Arts

200 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

Reviews

[Timothy Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

Orlando lays out some good principles and makes them accessible to his readers (especially if you pick up the companion DVD as well, which is available from Paladin). Written as it was by a man whose cup was already full of kenpo when he came to kuntao silat, this is NOT a balanced introduction to silat in general, nor to the De Thouars family arts in particular. However, for what it is -- some kuntao silat concepts filtered through a kenpo perspective -- it's pretty good, and it's accessible to martial artists who perhaps haven't seen this sort of material before. If that's where you're coming from, this book will unquestionably furnish you with several months worth of good practice, at least. That said, if you're looking for silat presented on its own terms, Stevan Plinck's material is far, far better, and equally accessible.

[Neil Baesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imho, one of the greatest martial arts books ever written. It stresses concepts and biomechanics over cookie cutter techniques, and instead teaches you how to think about the martial arts. Any martial arts enthusiast would benefit from readng this.

[Elrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the time I read this - this was the best book out on the techniques and concepts behind Silat.