Inti Ombak is a style of

pencak silat Pencak silat (; in Western writings sometimes spelled "pentjak silat" or phonetically as "penchak silat") is a class of related Indonesian martial arts. In neighbouring countries, the term usually refers to professional competitive silat. It ...

which blends martial arts descended from the Mataram Kingdom of Central Java with those hailing from the island of

Madura is an list of islands of Indonesia, Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administratively ...

. In English it is often abbreviated to IOPS, short for "Inti Ombak Pencak Silat". The Inti Ombak Pencak Silat Union (''Persatuan Pencak Silat Inti Ombak'') is guided by three caretakers in accordance with the Javanese adage "In the front as a leader, in the middle as a moderator, in the back as an advocate". The current caretakers are Ki Poleng Sudamala of Yogyakarta, Daniel Prasetya of Colorado, and Tjahjadi Tanudjaya of Tengerang. The school's international headquarters are located in

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

, Indonesia while the US headquarters are in Ault, Colorado. The name ''Inti Ombak'' is Indonesian for "inner wave" and refers to the dual rising and cresting nature of a wave. Interpretations of this include the pairing of mind and body, the duality of internal and external power, or the low motion of Madura coupled with the high movements of Mataram.

Training

Instruction in Inti Ombak spans four phases: basic, animal, element and human. These represent the cycle of beginning and ending life with all of the tools and instincts mankind has inherently. The basic phase focuses on learning the fundamentals of safety versus risk when engaging with a bladed opponents. All motion in Inti Ombak assumes attackers may be wielding one or more blades. The animal phase consists of seven animal-based forms and develops the mechanisms for tapping into raw, instinctual power and reaction. These animals are the

pangolin Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: '' Manis'', '' Phataginus'', and '' Smutsia''. ''Manis'' comprises four species found in Asia, while ' ...

(''pengguling''), crane (''bangau''),

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

(''naga''), mantis (''belalang''),

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, co ...

(''monyet''),

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

(''ular'') and

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

(''harimau''). The element phase consists of the four classical elements: wind (''bayu''), earth (''bantolo''), water (''tirta'') and fire (''agni''). Elements are the students' first concentrated exposure to using the intellect within Inti Ombak. The human phase consists of forms (''jurus'') imitating a fisherman, nanny, monk, drunkard, and pretty woman. These routines are archetypes of human motion and teach the student to understand both the possibility and limitations of the human form.

Weapons

Traditional weapons of Inti Ombak include the knife (''pisau''),

kerambit The karambit or kerambit (as used in Indonesian language, Indonesian), kurambik or karambiak (both from the Minangkabau language) is a small curved knife resembling a claw. Origin The karambit is believed to have originally been weaponized a ...

(claw-like blade),

celurit A Celurit or Clurit is generally a sickle (sometimes other variants include billhook) with a pronounced crescent-blade patterns which curves more than half a circle and a long handle, is widely used for agricultural purposes and also in Pencak Si ...

(Madurese sickle), single-edge sword, double-edged sword, stick (''toya''),

rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan (from Malay language, Malay: ''rotan''), is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the clos ...

stick (''rotan''), and

whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

. These are meant to represent the full spectrum of traditional weaponry, so that the practitioner is able to wield any object or weapon even without being specifically trained in its use. As each system of pencak silat often incorporates a unique weapon of its own, so the specialty of Inti Ombak is the Agni tactical knife designed by Daniel Prasetya. This knife is a hybrid between straight and curved knives. In designing the blade, Prasetya aimed for a profile optimized for use and application of Inti Ombak principles.

Logo

Inti Ombak's logo features a golden seagull flying, a 12-pointed sun, and a swirling, wave-like vortex. The symbolism behind this emblem is explained as follows: * The bird is a seagull which symbolizes the self, the one seeking to learn about life * Yellow, the bird's color, like the yolk in the center of an egg represents the core spirit * The surrounding blue, like the ocean, is a symbol of the deepest maturity or calmness. It teaches the lesson of water - fluid and continuously moving with one's surroundings. * The 12 red rays or beams symbolize purification and the desire to dive deeper in understanding one's self. * Red symbolizes the fire of life's desires and hardships * The number 12, referred to as ''rol-las'' in Javanese (short for ''rohing kawelasan''), means the spirit of love. Thus the 12 is made up of the ''Panca Pama'' (five bases for conducting one's life) plus the seven lessons for controlling the spirit. * The cloud or wave located in the middle of the logo symbolizes the struggle to tame the self. It shows the ups and downs of interacting with the surrounding environment and people. * White represents emptiness, innocence, the beginning and the end. The white appears as a circle in the symbol which the seagull is flying towards. To reach this goal, the seagull must fly through all the other components of the symbol.

References

{{reflist Silat