Pencak silat competition is divided into two main categories: tanding (match) and seni (artistic).
Tanding is the combative form of the sport, where exponents are separated by weight classes and face off in a full-contact bout and score points through clean strikes, kicks and throws.
Seni, on the other hand, focuses on technique and presentation rather than contact. Athletes perform choreographed routines either solo (tunggal), in pairs (ganda), or in trios (regu), and are judged on precision, power and rhythm.
This SEA Games will only feature 13 categories, down from 22 in the last edition: eight tanding weight classes for the men’s competition, two for the women’s competition and three seni categories (male tunggal and regu, female tunggal).
For most SEA Games-bound athletes, the biennial multi-sports tournament can be a springboard to success on the wider international stage. But for two-time silat world champion and Asian champion Sheik Ferdous Sheik Alauddin, the regional Games represent “unfinished business” with gold being the last piece of the puzzle.
“It’s just this one,” he said, having amassed two bronzes and two silvers over the years.
Sheik Ferdous will be competing in his sixth straight edition in December and will be part of a 14-athlete team flying to Songkhla province in Thailand to do so.
Sixth Shot at Greatness
After years of near-misses, the national exponent is now set to compete in his preferred weight class, Class I (85-90kg), and believes this edition offers his clearest shot yet at finally standing atop the podium.
But the path to gold won’t be straightforward, as he is aware that the competition pool in Thailand will be “the best of the best”.
“The SEA Games is not an easy competition because all the powerhouses of Silat are there,” he said. “Everyone is a monster. All the good fighters are there. You cannot pick who you want to fight. Because whoever you fight, it will be a problem.”
Facing a Field of “Monsters”
One such contender is reigning Class H (80-85kg) gold medallist Nguyen Duy Tuyen from Vietnam, whom Sheik Ferdous faced most recently at the Asian Pencak Silat Championship in July, where he fell to the home favourite 23-6 in the final.
“He was one class below me, but he brought his weight up to my class. He’s a respectable fighter and has a couple of SEA Games and world championships in his original weight class… I played him in the Asian Championship finals on his home ground. But now, we are on a fairer playing field,” he said, adding that should they face off, the contest is sure to be a strategic and tactical one with neither giving an inch.
In contrast to the uncertainty of the eventual draw, one thing is for sure: Sheikh Ferdous’ confidence.
“The feeling of confidence comes from preparedness… I think my preparation is good, and that’s where I get my confidence. I train hard. I eat properly. I sleep well. I do everything that’s right… I will just continue doing what I’m doing, focusing just on this competition, and hopefully I win the gold.”
Also competing with a chip on his shoulder is three-time world champion (2018, 2022, 2024) in the male artistic singles, Muhammad Iqbal Abdul Rahman.
At 32 years old, Muhd Iqbal is the most senior athlete in the contingent, but will enter the competition with bags of motivation stemming from the heartbreak of relinquishing gold in the last edition after his 2022 scalp.
A Painful Loss, a Burning Drive
“The goal is to win back the gold I won in 2022. I lost it (two years ago) in Cambodia,” he said.
“(Winning gold this time) will be huge. It’s even bigger than the first time I won it. Because it’s a very painful journey to win gold and lose it. If I win it back, it will be the greatest feeling ever.”
Having spent 21 years in the national team, the fire in Muhd Iqbal’s belly has hardly diminished, adding that he “has no plans to retire yet”, holding out for a shot at the 2029 home SEA Games.
Guiding the Next Generation
But with that wealth of experience under his belt, Muhd Iqbal has seen himself get more involved in guiding the younger athletes, with five of the 11 athletes set to make their SEA Games debut.
“We do a lot of talking and sharing (with the juniors)… Every athlete has different processes of getting themselves ready and preparing mentally, so we want to let them explore their own styles,” he said. “The young ones are very hungry to be on this journey… That’s a good thing, and we should keep that going. The future is good.”
A New Wave
One such future star is Nur Aniqah Qistina Roslan, who will be competing in class B in the senior female match category.
The 17-year-old Singapore Sports School student has earned her stripes in the junior arena, having been crowned Asian champion last October in Uzbekistan when she triumphed in the junior female class D category.
She also finished joint-third after moving up to the senior competition at this July’s Asian Championships, edging out Vietnam’s Duong Thi Hai Quyen 60-21 in the semifinals.
“Ultimately, the goal is to win gold for Singapore and fly the flag high. But realistically, what matters most is my performance and just knowing that I’ve done my best.”
With two younger brothers who are also in Silat, Nur Aniqah is hoping her performance can inspire them.
“My parents were really proud and shocked (to hear about my qualification)….We are really grateful to be in this position, she said. “I also want my brothers to see me as a good example. My parents have been sending us to Silat classes since we were young, and I want to make them proud.”
Inspired by a Champion
The youngster has a role model of her own, in the form of world champion and SEA Games gold medallist Nurul Suhaila, who also made her Games debut at 18 at the 2013 edition.
Nur Aniqah now turns to her sporting idol’s advice as she steps onto the SEA Games stage herself.
“It’s not going to be easy, and it won’t be smooth, but you just have to push through.”
Silat Men’s SEA Games Team
Dhani Andika Razali – Tanding under 45kg
Aniq Asri Mohammad Yazid – Tanding Class C
Ahmad Hanin Abdul Rahim – Tanding Class D (Debutant)
Zulhilmi Zul’Irfan – Tanding Class E (Debutant)
Nurhisham Sapari – Tanding Class F
Abdul Raaziq Abdul Rashid – Tanding Class G
Sheik Ferdous Sheik Alauddin – Tanding Class I
Muhammad Iqbal Abdul Rahman – Seni Tunggal
Muhammad Affiz Mohamed Zakri – Seni Regu
Muhammadinil Mustafar Mohd Isa – Seni Regu
Muhammad Nazrul Mohd Kamal – Seni Regu
Silat Women’s SEA Games Team
Nur Aniqah Qistina Roslan – Tanding Class B
Rifqah Mursyidah Mistam – Tanding Class C
Nurin Insyirah Mohamed Aidil – Seni Tunggal
