Silat Lian Padukan Martial Art of the 21st Century

Silat Lian Padukan Martial Art of the 21st Century
by Nigel Sutton


In recent years the Malay martial art of silat has become more and more popular although it is probably fair to say that more people in the West are aware of the art in the variants practised in Indonesia. The art that is the subject of this book, however, is one of the five hundred or so different styles that may be found in what is now modern-day Malaysia.


While many styles of silat are characterised by their flowery dance-like movements which disguise the effective applications hidden within them, Lian Padukan is a direct, no-nonsense style and what you see is very much what you get.

The unique nature of Lian Padukan is in no small part due to the combination of its history and the pioneering and innovative spirit of some of its leading masters. This is particularly true of the man who gave the art its present name Pak Mat Kedidi and his successor the currentlineage holder Mohammed Hasyim Salleh.

Lian Padukan in its present form is a systematic method for close-quarter combat, based on clear principles, which are developed through a logical and coherent training process. Divided into five levels Lian Padukan teaches the exponent first how to use the various weapons of the human body, how to entice the opponent into attacking and then to deliver devastating counters. The Lian Padukan practitioner delivers a continuous barrage of techniques until the opponent is completely demoralised and unable to continue.

The weapons of Lian Padukan, as befits an art developed and used by law enforcement officers such as Pak Mat Kedidi, are the short stick, the long staff and the metal truncheons (known in Japanese as the sai). These weapons can all be used to subdue even a knife or parang-wielding opponent without necessarily doing permanent or fatal damage. Furthermore the principles of their use may be applied to a large number of objects found in a typical everyday environment; for example an umbrella for the short stick, a broomhandle for the staff, or rolled up newspaper for the iron truncheon.

That Lian Padukan is very different from other styles of silat is perhaps explained by its unique history which has resulted in a blend of Chinese boxing methods, native Malay silat and the Tomoi, Thai boxing style of Southern Thailand. Along the way all that is superfluous or wasted in the form of movement or technique has been dropped away leaving a direct, sophisticated fighting system.

Nigel Sutton


Reference: Silat Warrior. Issue Autumn 2001