Pencak silat words · Intermediate

The International Pencak Silat Federation, also written IPSF-PERSILAT. It sets the competition rules and appoints the officials for international championships. Its revised rules took effect on 25 February 2026 for every international championship it endorses, after a meeting of the founding countries (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei) in Jakarta on 21 and 22 January 2026.

The pencak silat principle a technique must follow: start from the on-guard stance (sikap pasang), move with a step pattern (pola langkah), attack or defend, then return to the stance. Scores count only when kaidah is used, and not using one of its parts is a light violation.

The 5 to 10 pencak silat movements shown after the salute: in tanding, firmly and from the pesilat's own school, before the match, not counting the school's greeting (salam perguruan); in the jurus category, at the start of each round.

The standard routines for tunggal and regu, performed in a fixed order. The 2013 rules describe the single routine as 100 movements in a set sequence; the movement lists themselves were not read.

For the youngest groups, Singa and Macan, there are no weight classes: opponents are paired within 1 year of age, 3 cm of height and 2 kg of weight. Masters are paired within 5 kg.

A weight check for tanding, with no tolerance, in the dry competition uniform without belt, groin guard or joint guards; a pesilat may weigh naked behind a towel, in separate rooms for men and women. Both team officials witness it. Failing the weight means disqualification. The text says the check is on the morning of each competition day, but a revision note says it happens only twice, on the first day and at the semi-finals.

Every pesilat must carry a valid health certificate from a recognised health institution of their own country, or be disqualified. Female juniors and seniors must also sign a declaration that they are not pregnant.

At multi-sport games a pesilat must be a citizen of the country they represent. At single-sport events they may represent any country, with a letter of support from the national federation endorsed by PERSILAT.

The square space at the red or blue corner where a pesilat's coaches must stay. In tanding up to two certified coaches in PERSILAT uniform may sit there and give instructions only in the breaks between rounds. In the jurus category coaches may not leave the box or give voice commands.

A standard black uniform without stripes, sleeves no more than 5 cm short of the wrist and trousers no more than 5 cm short of the ankle, never rolled up. The PERSILAT logo goes on the right chest and the team's own on the left, each up to 10 cm, with sponsors on the right sleeve and the flag on the left. Women's hijabs are black. A torn uniform must be changed within 3 minutes.

A standard PERSILAT protector covering the chest, abdomen, ribs and back, red for the red corner and blue for the blue. In the 2013 rules it was black with a coloured sash.

Each pesilat brings their own groin guard, plastic or similar. One layer of soft joint and limb guards up to 1 cm thick is allowed, taping needs the referee's or doctor's approval and a mouthguard is required with braces. Spectacles are banned, contact lenses need an eye doctor's certificate, nails must be short and hair accessories must be safe.

A plain-coloured uniform for tunggal and ganda, with a matching headband and samping (a hip cloth) of the same pattern; plain black for regu, with a 10 cm white belt wrapped round the waist but not tied and the shirt left out. Tunggal bebas has free costume. Men may not wear make-up and women only powder and lipstick. Wrong attire means disqualification.

Traditional weapons of the Malay archipelago. Ganda adds one, and tunggal bebas may use any of 15 listed ones or the golok and stick, 17 in all. The list includes the celurit (sickle), keris, pecut (whip), dagger, trisula, kerambit, kipas (fan), kujang, long parang, badik, sewar, lading, sikin and rencong, most with set lengths.

Announced at least 30 minutes before a jurus event. Competitors bring their weapons to the inspection station; certified weapons are held there and collected only when the competitor's name is called. A weapon that fails inspection means disqualification.

Catching the opponent, usually a leg, to drop them. The drop must follow an exchange of attack and defence and be completed within 5 seconds; if it takes longer, or turns into dragging or wrestling, or the catcher falls, there is no drop. The catcher may grip the lower part of the uniform, protector or body; the defender may hit back or hold the lower protector or uniform with one hand.

The referee's count to ten. A pesilat dropped by a valid attack who cannot rise is counted, and one who falls on their own gets 10 seconds to recover. A pesilat the doctor declares fit who still will not get up is counted to nine and then to ten. Failing to continue means a technical defeat or, after a valid attack, an absolute win for the opponent.

When both pesilat attack together and both fall, a pesilat who cannot rise is counted. If both are counted at the start of round 1 with no scores yet, the lighter pesilat wins, by the latest official weight; if both stay down past ten after scores, the higher score wins.

Not using part of kaidah; stepping out of the arena with both feet or the whole body; signalling or talking to anyone outside; passivity of more than 10 seconds by one or both pesilat; turning the back; walking, running or jumping about; standing guard with both fists clenched; ignoring the referee; a sweep or scissors that does not drop the opponent; a low stance within striking range; a fall that is not a drop; feinting with five fingers at the face; and grabbing a leg while the foot is still on the mat.

Holding the opponent while punching or kicking; clinching, grappling or pulling hair or a head covering; stepping on a fallen opponent; striking after a valid drop; dropping by holding the protector and upper uniform; pulling without attacking; a sweep from too far away; deliberately throwing or pushing out of the arena; grazing an invalid target; counter-dropping; time-wasting; taking over 3 minutes to change; attacking after the stop; hiding behind or touching the referee; diving; clinging in defence; and a leg grab that drops the opponent.

Attacking the neck, head or groin (below the navel), injury or not; pulling or pushing the referee; a direct attack on the knee joint; a single kick to the thigh with nothing before or after it; throwing or pushing out of the arena so as to injure; head-butting; sliding from a valid to an invalid target and injuring; attacking before Mulai or after Berhenti and injuring; biting or scratching; elbowing or kneeing while holding; insulting, spitting at or provoking the opponent or officials; pile-driving; and dropping by grabbing directly.

Guidance from the referee, the first step for light violations. Pembinaan counts up across violations of any kind but carries no points penalty; it can still be given after a warning.

In tanding, for a further warning after Warning II; a deliberate serious violation against sportsmanship; a serious violation that injures an opponent so they cannot continue; deliberately driving the opponent's head into the mat; failing the weigh-in or medical check; or a positive doping test. In the jurus category, see jurus disqualification.

A win because the opponent cannot go on: at their own request or their coach's; because the doctor, who has up to 5 minutes, declares them unfit; or because they fail a count of ten. A pesilat hurt by their own poor defence or by diving who is declared unfit loses.

A knockout: the opponent, dropped by a valid strike, cannot get up at once or is dazed, and after a count of ten cannot stand upright in the on-guard stance.

A win when the referee stops an unbalanced match that endangers a pesilat. It also follows a lead of 30 points for juniors and seniors, or 20 for pre-juniors, from no later than 1 minute into round 2; the higher scorer wins.

A win when the opponent has not appeared after the third call, with 30 seconds between calls, unless the team manager has already announced a withdrawal.

A win because the opponent got Warning III, committed a serious violation punished directly by disqualification, or injured them so they cannot continue. The winner may fight on only with the doctor's approval; after a head or neck injury they must go to hospital and be cleared by the competition doctor first.

Each round pits a red against a blue competitor or team. Both line up facing the jurors, salute and perform their opening movements, then step out; each performs in turn, starting anywhere inside the area at the gong, and both return for the result. Competitors may perform at most twice a day. A competitor who does not appear when called is out of that event only.

Tunggal, ganda and regu last 3 minutes, with a tolerance of 10 seconds either way for pre-teens and pre-juniors and 5 seconds for juniors and seniors; tunggal bebas lasts 1 to 3 minutes. Going outside the tolerance brings a penalty, and going beyond 15 or 10 seconds means disqualification, though the ganda and regu sections say any overrun disqualifies. The competition chairman keeps the time.

The written outline of a ganda or tunggal bebas routine, handed in complete before the event. The jurors judge from the first gong to the last movement on the form, and the pesilat must show that final movement before the performance. If the routine does not end with it, the clock runs on to the disqualification limit.

What the jurors judge in tunggal and regu, besides wrong movements: movement, rhythm and soulfulness, with power and stamina, from the first gong to the end of the routine. The council records the other penalties.

Judged on attack-defence technique (quality, richness and logic, with skill and creativity), firmness (the pair's harmony, weapon skill, power and stamina) and soulfulness (expression of movement).

Holding a movement for more than 5 seconds costs 0.50 each time. In tunggal, finishing more than 1 m from the end point with an extra move costs 0.01, and extra moves at the end are marked down. Penalties a coach can protest include a missed jurus and a dropped weapon. Stepping out of the area means one foot fully over the line.

When scores are equal: fewer penalty points, then the time nearest 3 minutes, then the lower standard deviation of the jurors' scores, then a vote of the competition chairman and the ten jurors for red or blue.

A weapon coming loose from its handle or breaking, a weapon failing inspection, not completing the whole routine, movements out of order, wrong attire, going beyond the time limit, failing to continue or failing a doping or medical check. The chairman stops the performance at once. If both sides are disqualified, tunggal and regu go to whoever reached the later jurus, then fewer penalties, then time, then a coin toss; ganda goes on time, then a coin toss.

The International Technical Delegate, who guides the organisers from the start, decides appeals with the competition chairman, medical team and protest commission referee, settles general and technical problems with a binding decision, signs the officials' licence books and reports within a month. An assistant technical delegate is appointed for single-sport events only.

The official responsible for the smooth running of the competition, who can halt a match, keeps the time in the jurus category, alone may ask for a jury verification, holds the protest cards and conducts draws and disqualification announcements.

The supervisors who help the chairman assign referees and jurors and oversee their work. In the jurus category the council watches for held movements and may call a juror to correct a score.

The official who runs the video review (VAR) and makes sure protest decisions are unbiased, with the council and the referee.

Examines an injured pesilat in the arena at the referee's request and has up to 5 minutes to declare them fit or unfit.

A replay of the incident, requested by a coach's protest card and decided by the protest commission referee with the council and the referee. It is the final decision, even after a jury verification. If both corners ask at once about the same incident, it is decided once and both cards are taken.

A check of the jurors' view of an incident, which only the competition chairman may request. A coach may still ask for a video review afterwards.

A written protest that the rules were misapplied, announced within 10 minutes of the match and handed in on the official form within 20 more minutes with USD 300, which is not returned. A committee of the assistant technical delegate, the chairman and the protest commissioner, none from the teams involved, decides within 2 hours; no member may abstain.

A second-tier protest against the first decision, filed within 10 minutes and returned within 20 with USD 200. The technical delegate, medical team, board of jurors and one PERSILAT executive decide within 2 hours, finally. A proven deliberate error by officials changes the result; an honest one brings an extra tanding round from 0 points, which a side that refuses loses, or a fresh jurus performance.

In the 2013 rules, a meeting before the competition, chaired by the competition chairman with the technical delegates, the council and organisers, attended by team managers and coaches, which explains the rules and holds the draw. The 2026 edition does not describe it.

PERSILAT events are international, regional or other (invitationals, open tournaments, exhibitions, single-sport and multi-sport events). Bodies outside PERSILAT may use these rules in coordination with it. Every event must follow the separate health and doping guidelines, and a positive doping test means disqualification.