Is Silat the Deadliest Martial Art?

You must be familiar with some martial arts and self-defense systems. You probably also know that Silat martial art is brutal and one of the most effective ways to defend yourself. But is Silat the deadliest martial art?

Silat is NOT the deadliest martial art, Krav Maga is.  However, Silat is considered one of the most deadly martial art in the world.

Any close follower of the Silat martial art would have a hard time believing that there is a more deadly martial art than Silat.

Sadly, there is a superior art, and this is not an attempt to take anything away from the Silat martial art.

Silat which is a powerful and tough Indonesian martial art roughly means ‘skill for fighting’ in Bahasa Indonesian.

And yes, it can be vicious, and the brutal scenes shown in the movie “The Raid” do not in any way exaggerate the art.

Leverage, speed, and devastating disabling moves are the basis for Silat.

One Silat style places focus on nerves and pressure points. For example, the Rikeson Silat style takedown involves a finger-thrust attack on the nerves located in the crease between the torso and the upper leg.

This fighting style is the only art (we know of) that uses sarong as a weapon (traditional Indonesian clothing) by wrapping it around opponents’ arms to incapacitate them, or around their heads to blind them.

This art utilizes a sophisticated leverage system to achieve near effortless throws.

This fighting style is a sport like many others in the modern era. However, its hard-regulating form is designed to break bones and rules.

Interestingly, despite the brutal view of the Silat martial art, the Krav Maga remains the deadliest martial art in the world.

Here is why.

Krav Maga is a deadly self-defense system that is devoid of any rules.

It involves being able to quickly defend oneself by any means necessary through the usual target of the most vulnerable parts of an attacker’s body.

Although Krav Maga is not a martial art (it’s a self-defense system), it is often mixed along with other martial arts and has adopted techniques from different martial arts to fulfill a specific purpose (self-defense).

Despite its non-recognition as a martial art, it is still widely considered the deadliest martial art.

But what exactly is Krav Maga, and why is it so deadly?

What is Krav Maga?

Krav Maga is an Israeli self-defense and fighting system that was developed for the Israeli defense and security forces as a defense against bare-handed and armed attackers.

Its techniques combinations are derived from different martial arts such as aikido, boxing, judo, karate, and wrestling.

As mentioned earlier, there are no rules in Krav Maga, and its known focus is on real-world situations and extreme efficiency.

This art was derived from the street-fighting experience of Hungarian-Israeli founder Imi Lichtenfeld.

Lichtenfeld used his training as a wrestler and boxer while defending the Jewish quarter against fascist groups in Bratislava in the 1930s.

Krav Maga, like most martial arts, encourages its students to avoid physical confrontation.

However, where it becomes unsafe or impossible to avoid a fight, it emphasizes finishing a fight as aggressively and quickly as possible.

It launches attacks at the most vulnerable parts of the body as its training techniques are so brutal and capable of causing severe injury or even death to opponents.

The art teaches students to defend and counter against different attacks most quickly and effectively possible. 

Some of the principles surrounding this Krav Maga include;

• Simultaneous attack and defense
• Use of easy and simple repeatable strikes
• Development of physical aggression (it is believed that this is the most important component in a fight)
• Use of any available object to hit an opponent
• The continuous striking of an opponent until he feels incapacitated
• Development of muscle memory for quick fight reaction
• preemptively attacking, or counter-attacking as soon as you can
• Targeting attacks on the most vulnerable parts of the body such as; the face, throat, eyes, face, groin, foot, knee, liver, etc.
• Having awareness of the surroundings even during a fight. This enables him/her to look around for further attackers, fighting objects, or possible escape route.

Some of the common techniques in Krav Maga as inspired by aikido, boxing, judo, and wrestling include;

• Strikes- boxing and karate
• Groundwork- wrestling and judo
• Take-downs and throws- aikido, judo, and wrestling
• Empty-hand weapon defenses- aikido
• Escapes from holds and chokes–, aikido, judo, and wrestling

With the above understanding of Krav Maga, it should come as no surprise that the world’s most dangerous and effective form of martial art is also the deadliest in the world.

It is a non-sport form of martial art. This means it has no regard for rules and well being of opponents.

Why Silat Is the Deadliest Martial Art

Silat is one of the deadliest martial art because it focuses on violence, unlike most martial arts that focus on spirituality and self-perfection.

Silat martial art is all about exploiting the enemy’s weaknesses and incapacitating them as quickly as possible.

It focuses greatly on causing great pain to the opponent.

The style of Silas is founded on a quick and close attack on an opponent allowing you to break him in a few seconds and then make him unconscious with a strong blow to the throat, face, liver, and even crotch. Yes, the testicles.

No fame, no honor, just dirty nasty punches.

Students are made to experience what it feels like when you have to bend metal bars around your neck, or when someone breaks a row of bricks stacked on your ribs.

Silat also uses “Kris/Keris” a dagger which is a corrugated knife used to quickly stab an opponent.

This dagger usually contains poison capable of killing an opponent in just of few seconds after getting wounded.

Is Silat an Effective Martial Art?

Silat is an effective martial art, especially for self-defense. Its techniques are unique yet brutal and capable of causing extreme damage to anyone regardless of size.

Silat is a descendant of Malaysian and Indonesian fighting systems and has been developed over centuries to become effective.

This art is not known to many people in the martial art world, and this is likely because it’s not taught to the general public.

Silat is a family art passed down from teacher to student.

Unlike most martial arts, Silat is not focused on making money but rather focused on preserving ancestral techniques.

It is an effective street fighting technique as it emphasizes the quick disabling of an opponent.

This however does not mean you won’t see flashy moves in a Silat class.

Silat teaches you techniques that are proven to be effective in a real-life situation, and are designed to take down a much larger opponent.