Pencak Silat is the collective name for traditional Indonesian martial arts. Different styles have traditionally been developed per region, which often imitate local animals. In Indonesia, the PencakSilat is strongly mixed with mental and spiritual elements, where physical and spiritual development go hand in hand. In Europe the physical side is best known.

Although the Dutch colonials in the then Dutch East Indies were already introduced to it, the article that appeared in June 1965 in the American magazine Black Belt, with a photo on the cover, is considered the moment of their first introduction to the West and the beginning of the international breakthrough. of a demonstration by Rudy Ter Linden and Paul de Thouars, two great figures who would play an important role.

Within Europe there are only a few schools that focus on the traditional and more authentic form of silat. Here the teachers try to keep the style untouched by influences from other fighting and defense arts to keep the style as authentic as possible. These schools are often in direct contact with the mother school in Indonesia.

The more modern styles of PencakSilat mainly focus on the physical element of the silat (self-defense techniques, art form in the form of demonstrations and the sports element). Influences from other martial arts are not excluded. For example, the use of weapons from mainly Chinese martial arts is common.