Merpati Putih Silat
Indonesian pencak silat school from Yogyakarta, founded in 1963: breathwork, tenaga dalam, breaking objects and getaran.
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Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
About Merpati Putih Silat
Merpati Putih, in full Perguruan Pencak Silat Beladiri Tangan Kosong (PPS Betako) Merpati Putih, is an Indonesian pencak silat school founded on 2 April 1963 in Yogyakarta. The date is given by Widagda et al. (2022) and Khunaefi (2015). The school was founded by the sons of master Saring Hadi Poernomo, Poerwoto Hadi Poernomo, known as Mas Poeng, and Budi Santoso Hadi Poernomo, known as Mas Budi. According to Widagda, Saring charged them in 1962 with spreading the art. The year 1963 is therefore the year the school was founded, not the art: according to the same source, until then it was passed down within the family circle of the Mataram sultanate.
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The sources disagree on the origin of the art. Widagda and Khunaefi trace the line from a ruler named Mangkurat in Kartosuro and from BPH Adiwidjojo through Gagak Handoko to Saring. According to Khunaefi, Saring was Handoko's son, according to Widagda a distant relative and pupil of R. M. Wongso Widjojo. We have not found the year 1550 given by NOW Jakarta magazine in sources with expert backing, so we do not adopt it. According to Widagda, the name abbreviates the Javanese sentence Mersudi Patitising Tindak Pusakane Titising Hening, in the Indonesian interpretation to seek until right conduct is reached in stillness. The school is known for breathwork and tenaga dalam, inner strength. According to the authors, the practitioner learns to use this original human strength at any time, not only in distress. Characteristic are the breaking of hard objects, breathwork and tenaga dalam. Since 1995 the school, in cooperation with the foundation Yayasan Kartika Destarata, has offered a programme for the blind.
History
According to Widagda et al. (2022), it was originally a martial art reserved for the family of the Mataram sultanate, passed down from generation to generation. It begins with a ruler designated as Pangeran Prabu Mangkurat and BPH Adiwidjojo, the first generation of the line. The same article elsewhere names Pangeran Prabu Amangkurat II and a flight to Bagelen, while the Indonesian Wikipedia names Sunan Amangkurat I, so the ruler differs between sources. R. A. Djojoredjoso passed the art to three sons: Gagak Handoko received the martial art, Gagak Samoedro healing and Gagak Seto literature. According to Widagda, the historical line of Merpati Putih runs through Gagak Handoko.
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According to Widagda, Handoko passed the leadership to R. Bongso Permono, who passed it to R. M. Wongso Widjojo, who had no offspring and took a relative as his pupil, R. Saring Siswo Hadi Poernomo. Khunaefi (2015) gives a different link: according to him Saring was the son of Gagak Handoko. According to Widagda, in 1962 Saring charged his heirs with spreading the art, and his sons Poerwoto and Budi Santoso founded PPS Betako Merpati Putih in Yogyakarta on 2 April 1963. Budi Santoso died in 2002 and Poerwoto in 2014, and their sons Amos Priono Tri Nugroho and Nehemia Budi Setyawan are the heirs. Until 1998 the school was only for Indonesian citizens, then it opened to foreigners. In October 2000 both brothers ceremonially opened the American School of Merpati Putih in Ogden City Mall in Utah. According to the same source, the school trained soldiers of Seksi I Korem 072 and Batalyon 403 in Yogyakarta in 1968, Pasukan Pengawal Presiden in 1976 and Kopassandhu, later Kopassus, in 1977.
How it differs
According to Widagda, Merpati Putih is a school that combines movement with breathwork and getaran. Weapons are secondary in it, and the name Betako stands for the bare-handed art. The source makes no comparison with specific other schools. Merpati Putih must also not be confused with the sport pencak silat of the IPSI federation: Widagda lists among the school's members the pencak silat world champions Joko Suprihatno, Haris Nugroho and Dian Kristanto (2010) and Zulkarnaen, silver medallist at the 2005 SEA Games and winner of the Belgium Open from 2017 to 2019, but this is a sport discipline, not the school's own examinations.
Technique
According to Widagda, Merpati Putih is known for its skill in breathwork. The name Betako stands for Beladiri Tangan Kosong, that is a bare-handed martial art, and weapons are secondary. The school uses tenaga dalam asli manusia, the original human inner strength, with breathing techniques, among them Pernapasan Pembinaan and Pernapasan Pengolahan. According to the authors, the result of breath and movement can be processed into getaran energy. The order in which movements are learned is Gerak Dasar, Gerak Pengarahan and Gerak Naluri with the addition of getaran. According to the source, getaran energy can also be drawn from nature.
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The movements include hindaran, elakan, bantingan, strikes, kicks and kuncian. The movement sets are called Rangkaian Gerak Praktis (RGP), Rangkaian Gerakan Terikat (RGT) and Rangkaian Gerakan Bebas (RGB). The characteristic weapons are Tekbi and Kudi, taught compulsorily at certain grades, and the form of the Kudi was created by Guru Besar Poeng. Widagda calls the breaking of hard objects identitas unik, the school's unique mark. According to him, Merpati Putih Kopassus entered MURI by breaking 151 iron bars at 69 points blindfolded. The source also reports tests of using getaran, for example detecting radiation at BATAN, drugs at the DKI Jakarta police headquarters and damage to the Ciliwung river courses in 2009. It cites the results without methodology, so they are not independently verified measurements.
Training
According to Khunaefi (2015), training has three kinds: latihan fisik, latihan nafas and latihan gerak seni. In the Banyumas cabang, new applicants fill in an application with personal questions and take a physical and mental test and an interview, and by the same description the school has no other special admission conditions. This is a practice described in one cabang, not a rule of the whole school. The Tri Prasetya pledge is taken before and after training: obedience and faith in God, service to nusa bangsa and Indonesia, loyalty to the perguruan. According to the AD/ART, foreigners take only the first and third point. NOW Jakarta magazine writes that full training lasts over seven years, each grade half a year to two years. This is a magazine figure we have not confirmed from sources with expert backing.
Ranks and progression
Khunaefi (2015) gives twelve grades (tingkatan). In the Banyumas cabang, assistant trainers and co-assistant trainers come from the fourth to the tenth of twelve grades. We have not found belt colours or a belt system in the sources. NOW Jakarta magazine lists the grades Dasar I, Dasar II, Balik I, Balik II, Kombinasi I, Kombinasi II, Khusus I, Khusus II, Khusus III, Kesegaran, Inti I and Inti II. Khunaefi also confirms the number twelve. Widagda mentions promotion examinations (kenaikan tingkat) on Parangkusumo beach for a group from New Caledonia, once every two years. According to the magazine, from the grade Kombinasi II the examinations take place every year in Yogyakarta in the month of Suro, and participants walk or run 28 km to Parang Kusumo beach. We have not found this description elsewhere.
Today
According to Widagda, PPS Betako Merpati Putih is a member of the IPSI federation, the Martial Arts Federation for World Peace (MAFWP) and the international federation PERSILAT. The Indonesian Wikipedia says the same. The school organises festivals including the Pawai Pencak parade on Malioboro Street in Yogyakarta and the Indonesia Green and Healthy Life Festival 2013 in Lakawulung near Bandung. Since 1995 the school, in cooperation with the foundation Yayasan Kartika Destarata, develops a programme for the blind (tuna netra). Getaran is meant to help them read, distinguish colours and simplify everyday activities. The source states these abilities without independent verification. The Indonesian Wikipedia further states that Mas Eddie Pasar, a member from Jakarta Selatan, was recognised by Museum Rekor Indonesia (MURI) in 1995 for the longest blindfolded car drive from Bogor to Jakarta, but the sentence has no source.
Did you know
NOW Jakarta magazine states that the school's symbol is a white dove with spread wings and a lowered head, which refers to humility: the more a person achieves, the humbler they should be. The meaning of peace and justice we have not found in the sources. According to the Indonesian Wikipedia the school's motto is Sumbangsihku tak berharga, namun Keikhlasanku nyata, according to NOW Jakarta in English What I give is not much but I do it sincerely. Widagda writes about the operational research Operasi Seta I (1972) and a 1973 collaboration with AKABRI Angkatan Udara and experts from the UGM medical faculty led by Prof. Achmad Muhammad. According to him they showed that the Merpati Putih training pattern is similar to aerobics with additional energy. The source does not cite the study itself.
Frequently asked questions
When and where was the Merpati Putih school founded?
According to Widagda et al. (2022) and Khunaefi (2015), it was founded on 2 April 1963 in Yogyakarta. The year 1963 is the year the school was founded, while according to Widagda the art itself is older and was previously passed down in the family of the Mataram sultanate.
Who founded the school?
According to Widagda, it was founded on 2 April 1963 by Poerwoto Hadi Poernomo (Mas Poeng) and Budi Santoso Hadi Poernomo (Mas Budi), sons of master Saring Hadi Poernomo.
What does the name Merpati Putih mean?
In Indonesian, merpati putih means white dove. Widagda states that the name is also an abbreviation of the Javanese sentence Mersudi Patitising Tindak Pusakane Titising Hening, in the Indonesian interpretation to seek until right conduct is reached in stillness.
Does Merpati Putih have belts?
We have not found a belt system in the sources. Khunaefi (2015) gives twelve grades (tingkatan).
What is getaran?
According to Widagda, getaran is energy that can be processed from breath and movement and that the school also uses in its programme for the blind, developed since 1995. The source states the abilities of practitioners without independent verification.
Similar styles
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