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If you want to get in shape you could head to the gym and plod along on a treadmill. Or you could take up pencak silat and learn some cool martial arts moves while you shed the kilograms. 

Just look what the Indonesian martial art has done for Budiman. The 52-year-old is fighting trim and radiates the quiet confidence of someone who knows he could beat you up if he had to. Not that he would, mind you.

The 30-year pencak silat veteran tells My Jakarta that learning to control your emotions is one of the requirements before you can study at the White Crane School.

Have you ever been in a fight?

[Laughs]. I think all men at some point have. However, after I learned silat, I become more mature. I can judge a situation objectively. Usually, if someone only relies on his guts, he becomes emotional and tends to fight recklessly. Controlling your emotions is a must, and it is one of the oaths of the White Crane School.

Can you tell us a little about White Crane.

The school was founded by Grand Master Subur Rahardja. He learned many martial arts; his father and grandfather were masters from China. He also learned silat from other regions, such as Cimande [West Java] and Bali. As a result, the moves in this school are influenced by many arts.

Currently, White Crane has spread its wings to Germany, the United States, Spain, France and Abu Dhabi [United Arab Emirates], and we provide training not only for silat but also for the kilin/barongsai dance [mythical Chinese lion dance], which is only performed on special occasions.

At White Crane, we have members from all religions and from many different ethnic groups and nationalities. So we have a very multicultural society. Anyone, from any background is accepted here. That is what I like most about White Crane.

You’ve practiced silat for more than 30 years. How did you get into it originally?

At first, I was interested in the acrobatic movements. For the first three months, I took part in the training but always stood in the back row [laughs]. After a few months, I started to learn the silat arts and became able to practice the moves consistently.

I didn’t want to start something I couldn’t finish. I enjoyed practicing; it didn’t feel like a burden. Plus, it’s good for the health. I used to have a problem with my stomach, but because of my consistent training, now I am able to stay healthy.

What about the other students?

Besides the adults, some children are sent here by their parents to learn self-defense, while some kids want to lose weight or grow taller [laughs].

Through continuous practicing, your body will become healthier. You will have more energy and sleep much better. There are a lot of cases of people who have suffered from years of acute backaches and were cured after training here regularly. The pain goes and they become much healthier.

Do your children also train at White Crane?

The eldest one, who is 23, does not. Because as a father, I think he is too emotional, so I have concerns that if he learns this and is unable to control it, things will get worse. But I let my second and third children, who are 10 and 4, to practice silat because I see them as calmer and less emotional.

Have you ever learned any other martial arts?

No. I’ve only studied at White Crane. I’ve been trained by Grand Master Subur Rahardja himself and also by his son. So, I have been able to study under two generations of masters. I don’t think I want to learn any other martial art. White Crane is my life.

What’s the most satisfying thing about it?

When we are able to perform silat or the kilin/barongsai dance in a show and receive warm applause from the audience. It makes me really happy. There was this one time when we did a show for some local government officials. During my performance I broke some ribs. But because the audience gave a very big applause, I was happy and didn’t care very much about the injury.

It’s been 30 years. What now?

I just want to share my knowledge with the younger generation. I’ve already learned a lot and received many benefits from silat. I want other people to learn what I have learned and get even more benefits from it.

What’s the routine at the White Crane silat school?

Besides regular tests for our students, which will next take place this month, we also have White Crane International meeting, which takes place every two years and is hosted in Indonesia every four years. This year, the international meeting will be held in Bali. The meeting after that, two years from now, might be in a place like Germany or the United States, but the meeting after that, four years from now, will again be held here. It was made this way because Indonesia has the most White Crane followers. There are thousands here, which is much more than other countries.

At the meetings, we do joint training and talk about new moves, if there are any. There are also sessions meant to keep all of us updated about what’s happening in the world to further improve ourselves.

Budiman was talkingto Denny Firmanto Halim.

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