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

kuntao Kuntao or kuntau (, ) is a Min Nan, Hokkien term for the martial arts of the Chinese community of Southeast Asia, specifically the Malay Archipelago. It is most commonly practiced in and associated with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and S ...

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

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

Kosambi Kosambi (Pali) or Kaushambi (Sanskrit) was an ancient city in India, characterized by its importance as a trading center along the Ganges Plain and its status as the capital of the Vatsa Kingdom, one of the sixteen mahajanapadas. It was loca ...

district of

Tangerang Regency Tangerang Regency is a Regency (Indonesia), regency (''kabupaten'') of Banten Province, Indonesia. It is located in the northwest of the island of Java. Though commonly misunderstood as being a part of Jakarta, Tangerang is actually outside Jakart ...

, Banten Province,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. 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 language, Indonesian: Orang Cina Benteng or Orang Tionghoa Benteng) are a Chinese Indonesians, Chinese Indonesian community of 'Peranakans, Peranakan' or mixed descent, native to the historic Tangerang area in the moder ...

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 is a common posture in Asian martial arts. It is called ''mǎbù'' (馬步) in Chinese, (or ) in Japanese, and ''juchum seogi'' (주춤 서기) or ''annun seogi'' (lit. sitting stance) in Korean. This stance can not only be ...

' in

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

History

Beksi Silat was originally created by Lie Tjeng Hok, a peranakan Chinese 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 Greater Jakarta. 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 ''Jabodetabekpunjur'' (an acronym of Jakarta–Bogor– Depok– Tangerang– Bekasi further extended to include Puncak region of Bogor Regency and portions 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 Culture of Indonesia Sport in Indonesia Mixed martial arts styles Tangerang Regency