Teen silat warriors fight for supremacy



Members and supporters of the Persaudaraan Sendeng Bersatu team from Singapore turned up in force to support their contestants

The five-day Jom Silat competitions attracted hundreds of teenagers from 25 silat associations from Johor Baru and Singapore.

They competed for the coveted Datuk Nur Jazlan challenge trophy, which honours the Pulai member of parliament Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed.

The event was held at the Youth and Sports Complex in Larkin, Johor Baru, recently. It was organised by the National Silat Martial Arts Association Johor Baru branch (Pesaka) and the Pulai parliamentary office.

The pounding of the jidor (a pulsating drum from the kompang ensemble) filled the hall as the participants walked in to begin the competition.

In a typical silat competition, there is a referee and five judges.

The referee will only allow light attacks and will halt the competition should tempers flare between the two participants.

The five judges, who are seated along the boundary lines of the court, hold a blue flag in one hand and red flag in the other.

They will lift one of the flags to indicate their choice of winner.

The participant with the greater number of flags (minimum three) wins.

The Seligi Tunggal Silat Association of Singapore was declared the overall winner at the event. The members won eight gold medals, six silver medals and four bronze medals.

Azim Efendi of the Seni Golok silat team was declared the most outstanding male silat performer while Faradiba Tugiman of Silat Pahlawan was the most outstanding female silat performer.

Pesaka JB branch secretary Zaki Mohammad said silat was getting more popular, especially among youths.

"Its popularity is now at par with other traditional martial arts such as taekwondo, judo and karate.

"We thank the Youth and Sports Ministry and parents for encouraging the young ones, especially the teenagers, to take up silat seriously," he said.

Md Yusshalman Md Yusof, a silat trainer of the Seligi Tunggal group of Gelang Patah, praised the event and added that there was no foul play.

Silat teacher Ramli Alwi, who heads a silat group from Bukit Panjang, Singapore, said the judges were fair and decisive.

The event was closed by Abdul Rashid Kasman, a representative of the Pulai parliamentery office.

Also present was Pesaka's patron Datuk Rashidi Mohd Noor.

He praised Pesaka for its showmanship and effort in organising a commendable competition.

He pledged to support the association in its forthcoming programmes.

Sourced from: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/jpsilat2-2/Article#ixzz1HskyZXA2