Not many are privy to the world of traditional martial arts. There is an air of mystique around it, even for the Malay martial art known as Silat. Like many Silat Associations in Malaysia, Persatuan Silat Kalimah Negeri Johor (PSKNJ) has its roots dating back a few centuries ago, while its modern incarnation was formed in the early 18th century. But unlike most traditional martial arts centres, PSKNJ not only teaches self-defence, but also conducts learning programmes and other activities to instill positive values into its members.
“It’s not just about self-defence and tradition, there’s more to take from Silat. There are values you can apply every day and we conduct activities such as seminars, family-centric events as well as volunteer work to get people on board with what we’re teaching,” said Syahril Fikri bin Shahrudin, an instructor for the PSKNJ who has been teaching and coaching students since 1999.
Syahril explained that anyone can become a member of the association, including non-Muslims, and there is no age limit – they have members as young as primary school students to adults. Even the elderly can join in.
“We have an international syllabus for non-Muslims because we know that they also have the interest to learn Silat. Over the years, fewer people are taking up this form of traditional martial arts because of the rise in other western martial arts that are popular now. But we have a dedicated following as we teach our members humanitarian values, how to be self-conscious, have good social behaviour as well as money or wealth management. All these helps in building character,” said Syahril.
Many Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) and other corporate entities often approach PSKNJ to conduct special self-defence classes for women to help build confidence and provide them with some form of protection.
“We organise a lot of special classes for women. Internally, we do it once every two weeks, but GLCs and companies including certain gyms, request us to do it as frequently as possible. We train and conduct practise sessions consisting of the all-female class first, and once they are ready, we pair them up with our male trainers,” added Syahril.
