From Pencak Silat – Self Defense Arts of Indonesia, G. Groot & Drs. Notosoejitno, page 253)

Aliran

Aliran means style or art of performing Pencak Silat ethically, technically, aestheticly and athleticly, which is coloured by local culture. Every style has outstanding distinguished uniqueness, characteristic and peculiarity when compared with the other ones, and is only related with physical side, not with spiritual side.

Pak or Bapak

Literally Bapak means father. Socially and culturally Bapak means predicate in calling a man who is considered honorable because of his age, position, role, knowledges, experiences, attitude, deed and behavior (manner). For woman, the calling predicate with the same meaning is “Ibu”

Berguru

Literally berguru means to be student of or studying to guru Pencak Silat (the teacher of Pencak Silat) Connotatively this term means studying learning) intensively and in family spirit, the process of which is observed, watched, guided and supervised directly and intensively by the guru (teacher), so that the progress of the ability and morality of the student can be known clearly. The guru will not educate and upgrade anyone nor extend his education to anyone whose mentality is regarded unworthy. For that reason, in the old time it was not easy for a person to be a student or member of perguruan Pencak Silat. One should take hard or difficult tests concerning mental attitude and pass them before he has accepted as a student.

Guru

Guru Literaly guru means teacher or master. Socially and culturally guru means an example man whose words are to be trusted and whose conducts are to be taken as an example, because of his honorable position, role knowledges, experiences, science, attitude, deed and behavior (manner).

Guru Besar

Guru Besar has the same meaning with Pendekar and Maha Guru, which means Grand Master, that is a man who masters all kinds of Pencak Silat techniques and their performance tricks as well as the teaching of noble mind and character, implemented in personal and social discipline as well as in kinship leadership. The term Pendekar was originated from Minangkabau, Wes Sumatera, one of the big source area of Pencak Silat in Indonesia. Another big source area of Pencak Silat in Indonesia is West-Java. In the era of colonialization, this was nationalized by the pioneer figures of the independence of Indonesia and further- more by IPSI in 1948. Guru Besar is a new name created by by certain perguruans, not all perguruans, inspired and idealized by the same word used in university as the predicate calling of the highest level of teacher. The purpose is for leveling or grading the ability to execute Pencak Silat as ilmu padi. The hierarchy of the mentioned level or grade from the lower to the upper level are : Pesilat, Pelatih (instructor), Guru, Guru Besar and Maha Guru. Maha Guru can be construed as Senior Guru Besar and has the same meaning with Sesepuh or Pinisepuh.

Ikrar Pesilat

Ikrar Pesilat This term means self-promise declared by a Pesilat (Pencak Silat performer or practitioner) to himself to fulfill his sublime obligations. This term has the same sense with Prasetya Pesilat.

Ilmu padi

Literally ilmu padi means the science of paddy rice plant. Socially, culturally and philosophically this term means: when the physical capability is increasingly high, the spiritual capability, prominently self-control, must be increasingly strong, firm and solid, so that the spiritual capability can always control the execution of the physical capability. Like the characteristic of paddy, the more luxurious and contented its grains, the more bending will be its stalk.

Jurus

This term means a series of techni grouped in four components, that is positio movement, attacking and defending, as a sepping achieve a special purpose in the framew defense performance. Jurus is one of th Pencak Silat training. The other method are “seran hindar” (attack-avoid), e.g. Perisai Diri, “men mengembangkan” (imitate-develop), e.g. in Minang kabau, and “bebas untuk mengkombinasikan” (free to combine), e.g. PERPI Harimurti.

Kaidah or Pakem

The meaning of this term is basic rule relating to the enforcement custom and manner of Pencak Silat This norm contains moral teaching as well as values and aspects of Pencak Silat as a unity. Thus, this basic rule contains norms of ethical, logical, aesthetic and athletic. These norms can be construed as basic rule which arranges the carrying out Pencak Silat ethically technically, aesthetically and athletically as a unity

Gendang Pencak

This term means a special percussion actually to accompany the presentation of Artistic Pencak Silat. This instrument is only found in West Java.

Nusantara

The term Nusantara come from the word nusa (island or archipelago) and antara (between or among), which literaly means islands between the continents of Asia and Australia as wellI as the Pacific and Indian oceans. Thus the word Nusantara has the same meaning with the Indonesia, which come from the Greece word Indos and Nesos. Culturally, and especially in the circle of PERSILAT, Nusantara means indi genous communities in South East Asia existing in the area involving Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brumei Darussalam, which is also called as Rumpun Melayu or the Malay ethnie group. These four countries are the source or native countries of Pencak Silat. The term “Nusantara” is found in the book “Negara Kertagama”, written by Empu Prapanca. This book described the glory and fame of Majapahit Kingdom prominently in the governance time of King Hayam wuruk or Rajasa negara (1350-1389 A.D.) and his chief minister Gajah Mada.

Padepokan

(Javanese) Padepokan means a complex of houses on a relative- ly large area provided for learning and teaching a certain knowledge and skill. A padepokan provided for learning and teaching Pencak Silat is called Padepokan Pencak Silat. Padepokan Pencak Silat Indonesia (PnPST) is a padepokan with national and international scale. It is located on a land area of about 5,2 hectares width in the complex of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah The Miniature Park of Beautiful Indonesia), Jakarta PnPSI is considered as the big home of all members of the big Pencak Silat family throughout the world.

Pencak Silat

This term is a compound words coming from the local terms Pencak and Silat. These two words have the same meanings. Philosophically, Pencak Silat has same meaning or synonym with ilmu padi. Holistically and systemically, according to its identity, means a system of variegated fighting techniques which has the values of self control, self-defense, beauty and sports, having norm arranging the performance of Pencak Silat ethically, technically, aesthetically and athletically, and all of them are based on the teaching of noble mind and character and the culture of the Nusantara communities which esteem highly the religious, social and cultural morality. As physical dimension, Pencak Silat consists of two subsystems, that is subsystem of structure and subsystem of process. The structure of Pencak Silat consist of 4 groups of techniques, that is positioning, stepping movement, attacking and defending. The process of Pencak Silat is the performance of Pencak Silat according to its norms and by using tricks

Pendekar

The word Pendekar came from Minangkabau area and then is also construed or considered coming from the words Pandega, Pandika, Pandita and Pandai Akal. Thereby, literally Pendekar means a leader (Pandega), master (Pandika), holy man (Pandita) and clever/smart man (Pandai Akal). In general, the leaders of perguruan Pencak Silat are considered as Pendekar. According to its original conception, Pendekar is the status of mental spiritual and social maturity in assuming high quality attitude, in self-controlled behavior, in enforeing the Pencak Silat discipline and in fulfilling the noble obligations imposed upon human beings as God’s being, individual being, social being and universal being Pendekar is the highest status related with the grade of skill in performing Pencak Silat according to its norm and principles or the fact of applying the philosophical doctrine of Pencak Silat consistently and consequently In a traditional perguruan, a Pendekar is looked at as a holy man or a man with supernatural power. By the society, Pendekar is looked at as a prominent figure by whom to seek shelter not only physically but in the very first place mentally and spiritually. His words are to be trusted and his conducts are to be taken as an example. Pendekar is a figure who can put ilmu paddy into practice as an example in his daily life, living course and social interaction This specific term of Pencak Silat is also used outside the world of Pencak Silat, which generally means an example leader and struggler in obtaining sublime goal by sublime ways.

Perguruan

Perguruan is an institution which educates, teaches and trains someone to comprehend, to absorb fully and to apply the spiritual dimension of Pencak Silat and to master its physical dimension along with its styles and tricks of performance. Viewed from the branch of Pencak Silat to be taught, there are four kinds of that is: perguruan of Mental-Spiritual, perguruan of Self-defense, perguruan of Artistic and perguruan of Sports Pencak Silat. Viewed from the management and method of education, teaching and training, there are three kinds of perguruan, that is traditional perguruan, with monologue method and unwritten management, modern perguruan with dialogue method and modern management, and transitional perguruans which combines those two mentioned characteristics.

Pesilat

Pesilat is a person who ables to comprehend and to perform kindly and correctly the various techniques of Pencak Silat according to its norms along with its tricks and styles, and all at once also ables to comprehend and to put into practice kindly and correctly the substances and values of the teaching of noble mind an character as well as the code of conduct of Pesilat. Included into Pesilat are they who involved directly in the idealizing, thinking, writing, efforts and activities concerning and in connection with the perpetuation, development, dissemination and increasing the image of Pencak Silat along with its values, and making Pencak Silat and its values as a means to form high quality human being, either physically or spiritually.

Saudara

Literally the meaning of saudara is brother and sister. In this writing Brother and Sister is abbreviated with Br. and Sr. Socially and culturally it means predicate in calling someone in a kinship social intercourse among the relatively same age persons

Sikap pasang, gerak langkah, serangan dan belaan

These four terms literally means positioning, stepping movement, attacking and defending, which is the components of physical Pencak Silat. Technically, positioning is a combination and coordination of effective and practical positions of trestle, body position and hand position. It is an alert positional techniques in facing the opponent Stepping movement is a moving techniques of the foot for removal and changing position to approach or to evade the opponent in order to get a favorable position. Technically, it is a combination and coordination of effective and practical foot movement, body position and hand position Attacking is a technical and tactical effort to unnerve the opponent or to overtake the opponent’s initiative to attack. Considering from its techniques, attacking involves beating (hitting), scratching, elbowing, kicking, kneeing, catching, throwing down, dropping down and locking. Each of which has its own descriptive details In self-defense system, included Pencak Silat, attacking is a part of defending Defending is a technical and tactical effort to fail the opponent’s attack. Considered on its character defending consists of reactive and proactive defending Considered from its techniques, reactive defense involves parrying, avoiding, evading, dodging, escaping (releasing) and attenuating, each of which has its own descriptive details. While proactive defending or interception defending involves hitting interception, kicking interception, kneeing interception, catching interception, throwing down interception, dropping down interception and locking interception Positioning and stepping movement can be called as “Pencak Silat Nirlaga” (the Non-fighting, whereas Attacking and defending can be called as “Pencak Silat Laga” (the Fighting Pencak Silat)

Tanding, Tunggal, Ganda, Regu (TTGR)

These terms means categories of the Achievement Sports Pencak Silat. Tanding (Match) is a match between two Pesilats from different parties as fighting opponent. Tunggal (Single) is a presentation of a single Pesilat of a party. Ganda (Sparred) is a play match presentation between two Pesilats of the same party as artificial fighting opponent. Beregu (Team) is a presentation of 3 Pesilats from one paty. Those names of competition are the alteration of the previous competition, that is Tanding (Match) for Wiralaga, Tunggal (Single) for Wiragana, Ganda (Sparred) for Wirasanggha and Regu (Team) for Wiraloka.