Beksi Silat is one of the most popular traditional martial arts ( Betawi: ''maen pukul'') of the Betawinese. This

kuntao Kuntao or kuntau (wiktionary:拳, 拳wiktionary:道, 道, Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kûn-thâu, Tagalog language, Tagalog: kuntaw) is a Min Nan, Hokkien term for the martial arts of the Chinese community of Southeast Asia, specifically the Malay Archipelag ...

silat is the collective term for a class of indigenous martial arts from the Nusantara and surrounding geocultural areas of Southeast Asia. It is traditionally practised in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Philip ...

hybrid style was originally developed in Kampung Dadap, a village in

Kosambi Kosambi (Pali) or Kaushambi (Sanskrit) was an important city in ancient India. It was the capital of the Vatsa kingdom, one of the sixteen mahajanapadas. It was located on the Yamuna River about southwest of its confluence with the Ganges at ...

district of

Tangerang Regency Tangerang Regency is a regency of Banten province, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Java. The current regent is Ahmed Zaki Iskandar. Though commonly misunderstood as being a part of Jakarta, Tangerang is actually outside Jakarta City but ...

Banten Province Banten ( id, Banten; Sundanese: , romanized ''Banten'') is the westernmost province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on the east, the Java Se ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. The founder of this style combined elements of his ancestral Chinese martial arts with the

knowledge he received from his Betawi teachers. The style spread through his disciples to the coastal Betawinese and the

Benteng Chinese Benteng people (Indonesian: Orang Cina Benteng or Orang Tionghoa Benteng) are a Chinese Indonesian community of 'Peranakan' or mixed descent, native to the historic Tangerang area in the modern-day Indonesian provinces of Jakarta, Banten and We ...

around Kampung Dadap. Eventually, the silat style also reached Petukangan Selatan in South Jakarta and Batujaya in Tangerang.

Etymology

Opinions on the origin of the term ''Beksi'' vary. According to silat researcher G.J. Nawi, the term evolved from the phrase ''Bhe Si'', which means '

horse stance The horse stance (sometimes called horse riding stance) is a common posture in Asian martial arts and takes its name from the position assumed when riding a horse. It is called ''mǎbù'' (馬步) in Chinese, in Japanese, and ''juchum seogi'' ( ...

' in

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

History

Beksi Silat was originally created by Lie Tjeng Hok, a

peranakan Chinese The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, t ...

farmer who created a unique mixed martial art that combined elements from his family's martial arts and Betawinese martial arts. His Betawinese martial arts masters are recorded as Ki Jidan and Ki Miah (also spelled Ki Maimah). Lie Tjeng Hok taught the martial arts to his students, the Peranakan Chinese, and the coastal Betawinese around his home in Kampung Dadap, Kosambi, Tangerang. One of his most talented Betawinese students was Ki Muharli (or Marhali). Ki Muharli then had a Peranakan-Betawinese disciple named H. Gozali (or Godjalih) bin H. Gatong, who then taught his knowledge to his students in Petukangan, South Jakarta and in Batujaya, Batuceper, Tangerang. The main disciples of H. Gozali included Kong H. Hasbullah bin Misin, Kong M. Nur, Kong Simin, and Kong Mandor Minggu - who also studied with Ki Muharli. Among others, Lie Djie Tong and his successors were those who continue to teach this style in the vicinity of Kampung Dadap. From these places, the Beksi Silat styles spread throughout southeast Asia. It is estimated that there are at least 120 Beksi Silat clubs in the

Jabodetabek The Jakarta metropolitan area or Greater Jakarta, known locally as Jabodetabek (an acronym of Jakarta–Bogor–Depok–Tangerang–Bekasi), and sometimes extended to Jabodetabekjur (with the acronym extended to include part of Cianjur Regency) ...

area that participated in the ''Girli and Beksi Village Festival 2016'' in the village of Batusari, in Batuceper, Tangerang.

Forms

Basic forms

Generally, Beksi Silat schools teach 12 basic forms or moves (Betawi: ), each of which has its own advanced forms (Betawi: ''kembangan''). According to four grandmasters of Beksi schools in Petukangan, although there are differences in names and sequences, most schools teach at least 3 basic forms with the same names and sequences, namely: 1. ''Beksi'', 2. ''Gedig'', 3. ''Tancep''.

Form names

Below are the form names of the Beksi Silat, according to Eddy Wijaya (H. Oki): # ''Loco Buni (Pukulan Celentang)'' # ''Goleng (Ngeles/Menghindar)'' # ''Bandut Atas - Bandut Bawah'' # ''Singkur Kiri - Singkur Kanan'' # ''Tiles (Pukul Kanan)'' # ''Jejek Kaki'' # ''Raub'', or ''Saub'' (for hands) # ''Dedak Kuda ke Tanah'' # ''Tangkis'' # ''Sikut Belakang - Sikut Depan'' # ''Kibas Luar'' # ''Tangkep Dalem - Tangkep Luar'' # ''Kepret'' (down to the side and to the front with the fingers) # ''Totok'' (with a finger to the face) # ''Jurus Cabut Pisau'' # ''Jurus Pedang Tangan Kosong'' # ''Jurus Pedang Serangkai'' # ''Jurus Bangau Terbang'' # ''Jurus Ganden'' # ''Jurus Toya (Jurus Toya 1 - Jurus Toya 2)'' # ''Susul (Dobel Pukulan)'' # ''Baduk Kebo'' # ''Tekuk Saub'' In addition, there is also a mentioned Beksi move which uses the foot, called ''Sam Kauw'' or ''Resiah Sembilan''.

Schools' lineage

References

{{reflist Silat Indonesian martial arts Indonesian culture Sport in Indonesia Mixed martial arts styles Tangerang Regency