Until relatively late in the twentieth century the styles of silat, even in
Indonesia, were extremely localized, with each village or master teacher
having a distinct style within the general pattern. Draeger and Smith refer
to 157 recorded styles in Indonesia in the 1960s, while others would label
this as a conservative estimate. Given the absence of a standardizing gov-
erning body for this combative art, the real number of styles is actually un-
knowable. While most of these styles survive on the island of Java, silat is
preserved not only among Muslims, but in Hindu populations (most no-
tably in Bali) and Christian communities as well. Noting that there is not a
random distribution of techniques and tactics (e.g., predominance of hand
strikes over kicks), Draeger argues for the development of particular char-526 Silat
Kelentan silat master Haji Su and his son Mat Noor. (Courtesy of Joe Svinth)