Lian Padukan
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Lian Padukan is an offensive martial art that specialises in close-range striking. It is one of Malaysia's biggest silat schools and also the most well-known variant of lian or buah pukul. Because of their shared
Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
origin, lian padukan is very similar to Chinese
Wing Chun Wing Chun (Cantonese) or Yong Chun (Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin) (, lit. "singing spring") is a concept-based martial art, a form of Nanquan (martial art), Southern Chinese kung fu, and a close-quarters system of self-defense. It is a martial ...
. The origin of the term ''lian padukan'' is uncertain. The word lian can either be translated as "game" or "way". Padukan is usually said to derive from ''paduka'' meaning royal because the art was originally taught to palace guards and other nobility. Another theory is that it is a combination of the words ''pukulan'' (hit) and ''aduk'' (mix).


History

The art of lian was brought to Southeast Asia by a Hui (Muslim Chinese) trader from
Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
usually called Abdul Rahman Yunani (
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
: ''Adulaman''). Some give him the title of Sheik, asserting that he was a missionary. Others precede his name with Syed claiming that he was part Arab, but such later details weren't present in the original story and had only been added during the Islamisation movement of the 1980s and 90s. While in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, eight dock-workers attempted to mug Abdul Rahman but he defeated them easily. News of this incident reached the palace of nearby
Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...
and the royal bodyguard Awang Daik, a silat sunting exponent, wished to test Abdul Rahman's skill. Knowing that he couldn't beat the Chinese trader by himself, Awang Daik asked his friend to accompany him. His friend was Pak Long Mat Yasin, the Muar police chief and a practitioner of silat sendeng. The two
pendekar Pendekar (hero; master of swordsmanship or martial arts), Pandikar or Pandeka is a Malay word to reference or address a warrior who mastered martial arts, particularly silat. Not all masters carry the title; it must be either officially bestowed ...
talked with Abdul Rahman and requested that he spar with them. After their repeated entreaties he agreed and fought the pair of them at once. Both Awang Daik and Pak Long were bested by the trader and became his students to redeem themselves.
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
at the time was a British colony, and the island's small size made it too tightly-controlled for
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
to be practiced openly. Instead, Abdul Rahman was invited to teach in the Mersing district where Awang Daik was High Commissioner. He and Pak Long completed their training a few years later, after which Abdul Rahman Yunani left Mersing. His whereabouts are unknown but many believe that he was the same Chinese Muslim credited with bringing a similar style to
Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
during the same period. Awang Daik and Pak Long continued teaching lian which became known as ''buah pukul Mersing'' meaning "Mersing striking techniques". Derivatives of this style were passed onto the descendants of those who learned it. As buah pukul spread outside the palace, its variations were known by several names including gayang lima, lian Yunan and silat senjata lapan. Lian padukan was founded by Pak Mat Kedidi who first began learning buah pukul from his father. He went on to train under several other masters, including Pak Teh Mat Yasin Kubung and Pak Cik Sani Abu Samah. Under the tutelage of Chu Aman, he became the lineage holder of buah pukul. Pak Mat Kedidi continued training in other martial arts, specifically silat sunting, silat sendeng and tomoi. In the 1970s he tried to combine the lian with these other methods, thereby creating the more direct and aggressive lian padukan.


Training

Unlike most styles of silat, lian padukan is offensive and teaches students to advance before the opponent makes a move. Once the fighter closes in on the opponent, they attack with a continuous combination of hand, foot, elbow, and knee strikes until the enemy has been subdued. All styles of buah pukul contain four main techniques called ''jurus'' which introduce the use of punches, kicks, elbows, and knee strikes. Lian padukan further includes the knife-hand as one of its primary attacks. The most basic strike is the ''polek'', a hand-strike in which one hand attacks while the other pulls down the opponent's blocking arm. This is delivered as a rapid series of "rolling" punches or chops aimed at the head or upper body. This rolling action, called ''gulung'', is the most fundamental technique in all variants of buah pukul. Kicks are mostly targeted below the waist but the
roundhouse kick A roundhouse kick (also known as round kick or turning kick) is a kick in which the practitioner lifts the knee while turning the supporting foot and body in a semicircular motion, extending the leg striking with the lower part of the shin and/ ...
is much the same as in tomoi. After learning all the ''jurus'', students begin training in preset forms called lian. Lian are divided into four "chapters", each of which contain four routines, making a total of sixteen forms. The lian allow students to learn strategies and applications of moves.


Weapons

The quick thrusting hand movements of lian padukan lend themselves to small paired weapons. Thus, the system's primary weapon is the
tekpi The ''tekpi'' is a pointed melee weapon from Southeast Asia. Known as ''tekpi'' in Malay language, Malay, it is called ''chabang'' or ''cabang'' (Dutch spelling: ''tjabang'' meaning "branch") in Indonesian language, Indonesian, ''siang tépi'' (é ...
or three-pronged truncheon. The
kris The kris or is a Javanese culture, Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although ma ...
or dagger is used in a similar manner. Other weapons include the
Chinese sword Historically, Chinese swords are classified into two types, the '' jian'' and the '' dao''. A ''Jian'' is a straight, double-edged sword mainly used for stabbing; the term has been commonly translated into the English language as a longsword. M ...
and
spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...
.


See also

*
Silat Melayu Silat Melayu (Jawi script, Jawi: ), also known as ''Seni Persilatan Melayu'' ('art of Malay Silat') or simply ''Silat'', is a combative art of self-defence from the Malay world, that employs ''langkah'' ('steps') and ''jurus'' ('movements') t ...
*
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 ...
*
Wing Chun Wing Chun (Cantonese) or Yong Chun (Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin) (, lit. "singing spring") is a concept-based martial art, a form of Nanquan (martial art), Southern Chinese kung fu, and a close-quarters system of self-defense. It is a martial ...


References

{{Martial arts Silat