Because Indonesia was historically made up of separate kingdoms, pencak silat can be further divided into regional categories, notably silek tuo created by the Minangkabau of West Sumatra. The term Silat is an "umbrella" term, like "Karate" or "Gung Fu" and a lot of individual systems fall under that umbrella. To give an idea of how vast it really is: I have heard that there are over 300 systems of Pencak Silat formally recognized on the island of Java alone. This doesn't include systems and instructors who chose not to be formally recognized; nor does it include systems from any of the other islands.
There are hundreds of inhabited islands in Indonesia and it was common for individual villages to have their own system; sometimes individual families within the same village would have different systems. And I'm still talking about Indonesia. As previously mentioned, the term silat is used in many parts of Southeast Asia. It's not inconceivable to think that there might be a thousand or more systems of Silat throughout the region. As you can tell from the handful of systems listed below Silat systems run the gamut of the martial arts. For any aspect of martial arts, there are multiple systems of Silat that specialize in that aspect. Some specialize in striking, some in locking, some in weapons or in a particular type of weapon. Some specialize in ground fighting, some specialize in sweeps, takedowns and throws.
Bakti Negara : One of the most prominent schools in Bali, it emphasises functionality and self-defense over competitive sparring. Bangau putih : White egret style founded in Bogor in 1952. It is a combination of pencak silat and kuntao. The head organisation, Persatuan Gerak Badan (PGB), has branches in Indonesia, North America, the Middle East and Europe. Cimande : A West Javanese style founded by Embah Kahir in the 18th century, along with the kera (monkey), pamachan (tiger) and stick-fighting styles. Around 300 variations of cimande exist today, and are practiced primarily in villages along the Cimande River. Gadjah Putih Jati Wisesa : A village system from Garut in West Java. It features conservative hand positions, a deep base with limited kicking, and a focus on grabbing, breaking, and elbow strikes. It reflects influences from neighboring systems such as Cimande, Cikalong, and Syahbandar.
Harimurti : A traditional style developed in the palace grounds of Yogyakarta. It was first taught outside the palace by RM Harimurti (Raden Rio Tedjonegoro), and the school was formally organised by his student Suko Winadi. Inti ombak : Based on old styles from Mataram and Madura, it focuses equally on internal and external training. Merpati Putih : White dove or white pigeon style, allegedly founded in 1550. Outside Indonesia, branches exist in the USA and the Netherlands. Mutiara Panca Rasa : A modern style founded by Bapak Haji Tengku Fuad Alzakiyat Azhar. It is the national silat of Indonesia. Penca Silat Nampon : A defensive style which mixes self-defense with internal training, founded by Nampon in 1932. It consists of ten steps that focus on redirecting the opponent's attack to leave them open to a counter-attack. The movements are combined with bursts or waves of the senses.
Pencak Silat Padjadjaran : A Sundanese style from West Java. Pencak Silat Pertempuran : A combination of Pencak Silat Pamur and Silat Teralak, with influences from Silat Jati Wisesa and monkey king silat. The name means "combat silat" because of its focus on sparring rather than demonstration. Perisai Diri : The national silat of Java founded by Pak Dirdjo. Also known as PD, it combines pencak silat with Chinese techniques which Pak Dirdjo learned from Yap Kie San in Parakan. Pukulan Bongkot : A style based mainly on cimande, Derosemo and Sera silat with some elements of pancha bela. Pukulan Pencak Silat Serak : Founded by Pak Sera and expanded by Mas Jut. Several regional variations exist. Silat Bali : The traditional Balinese style, influenced by 15th-century Javanese immigrants.
Silat Wali Songo : A modern style based on traditional techniques centered around the kembangan, similar to the wai khru ram muay. Includes comprehensive groundwork, strikes, grappling and weapons. Silek harimau : The Minangkabau tiger style, referred to in standard Indonesian as silat harimau Minangkabau. One of the oldest silat systems in existence, it is also called silek kuching or cat silat. It is unique among other tiger-based styles because practitioners fight while crouched down. This tactic is believed to have been developed to avoid falling or stumbling during battle in West Sumatra's wet paddy fields. TADJIMALELA : A Sundanese style from Bandung, West Java. Tapak Suci : A modern system based on Muslim philosophy. It combines several West Javanese methods with karate and Chinese martial arts. It is one of the most well-known schools in Indonesia and the Netherlands today.
