Silat Gayung Fatani
Malay silat developed since 1976 by Anuar Abdul Wahab's association PSGFM. Four foundations, seven levels, from bunga to tempur.
Quick Facts
MalaysiaCharacter & Origin
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.
Catalogs & Databases for Silat Gayung Fatani
About Silat Gayung Fatani
Seni Gayung Fatani, known in Czech as Silat Gayung Fatani, is a Malay silat that, according to a 2025 UiTM abstract, derives from the Silat Melayu used in the wars of ancient times. Since 1976 it has been developed by Pertubuhan Seni Gayung Fatani Malaysia (PSGFM), whose pengasas utama, chief founder, was Allahyarham Tuan GM Haji Anuar Abdul Wahab. According to UiTM, he registered it with Pejabat Pesuruhjaya Sukan that same year, and the association's first meeting was held in Batu Kurau, Perak. UiTM calls the same silat a silat olahraga that Anuar created himself. We therefore give 1976 as the year the organization was founded, not the art.
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English Wikipedia gives 14 September 1976 as the founding date, 1945 to 2009 as the years of Anuar's life, and a lineage that Syeikh Abdul Rahman brought to Kedah in 1840. We have not confirmed these details in specialist sources. We have not found the names of earlier teachers given by Wikipedia in specialist sources, so we do not adopt them as fact. UiTM interprets the name Fatani as Fathonah, meaning wisdom, and a respondent in the article rejects a derivation from Patani. A school blog, by contrast, claims origin in the state of Patani in southern Thailand. According to UiTM, teaching rests on four foundations, bunga, jurus, bela diri and tempur, and has seven levels from Anak Gelanggang to Pendekar. Shapie and Elias (2016) describe seven levels distinguished by belts and seven teaching topics. The numbers differ between sources, so we present them as two views.
History
According to UiTM (Jurnal Kajian Lisan Malaysia 2025), Seni Gayung Fatani derives from Silat Melayu, which was used in the wars of ancient times. Pertubuhan Seni Gayung Fatani Malaysia (PSGFM) has developed the art since 1976. That year Anuar Abdul Wahab registered it with Pejabat Pesuruhjaya Sukan (PJS). Shapie and Elias (2016) state that the organization was founded in 1976 and that its syllabus became the basis of the Malaysian curriculum Seni Silat Malaysia. Anuar held office in PSGFM from 2002 to 2009. After his death, according to UiTM, the organization was led by Aminuddin Anuar from 2013 to 2021 and then by Mohd Safwan as president, while Wikipedia gives Aminuddin's years in charge as 2009 to 2023. After Anuar's death the organization split into two groups, and when societies moved from PJS under the Registry of Societies it was taken over by Dr Mohamad Nizam, Mohd Shahiid and Mohd Safwan, who installed Aminuddin, the founder's son, as guru utama. This is the oral testimony of two respondents.
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The Malaysian inventory JWN lists two works by Anuar from 2008 in its bibliography: Silat, Seni Gayung Fatani and Silat, Sejarah Perkembangan Silat Melayu Tradisi dan Pembentukan Silat Malaysia Moden. Among styles it lists Gayung and Pulut separately, alongside Gayang Lima, Bunga, Harimau, Sendi Naga, Cimande, Cekak, Kuntau and Hamboran. English Wikipedia states that at the 1976 registration the art was formally renamed Seni Gayung Fatani Association. A school blog claims the art originally comes from Patani.
How it differs
A PSGFM respondent in UiTM states that every bunga movement in Seni Gayung Fatani has its meaning, whereas the bunga of other styles are hard and their meaning is not known. This is an instructor's claim, not an independent comparison. Shapie and Elias (2016), PSGFM members, claim that it is the only style that truly originated on the Malay Peninsula and that its syllabus contains no techniques taken from other styles. UiTM distinguishes Silat Melayu from Indonesian pencak silat, which according to the respondent now dominates PESAKA competitions.
Technique
According to UiTM, jurus are kicks, strikes and belebat, that is, evading an attack. Tapak is footwork after evading, buah is an attack and tempur is an engagement with an opponent. Weapons, for example the keris, may be used as in the ancient Silat Melayu, but a skilled practitioner can do without them. English Wikipedia names elakan (evasion), tangkisan (blocks), tangkapan (grabs), potong (counterattacks) and amuk, and the weapons sickle, sword, staff, kris, rope, hardwood stick, straight dagger and trisula. We have not confirmed this list in specialist sources.
Training
According to UiTM, Seni Gayung Fatani teaches four foundations: bunga, jurus, bela diri and tempur. Bunga is the main foundation from which jurus derives. Shapie and Elias (2016) give seven topics taught at each of the levels: Bunga, Jurus, Belebat, Tapak, Buah Pukul, Tempur Seni and Tempur Bela Diri. The numbers four and seven come from two different sources. According to a UiTM respondent, an adult masters the first level after forty hours and a child after eighty hours, and a training session lasts an hour and a half in two parts. Every training begins with a recitation of surah Al-Fatihah and ends with tasbih kafarah and surah Al-Asr, and according to the respondent the school has no hidden ilmu or pantang larang. A uniform with a bengkung, that is, a belt, is recommended but not compulsory, and one can train in a long (women) or short (men) sports shirt.
Ranks and progression
UiTM lists seven peringkat: Anak Gelanggang, Pesilat Remaja, Pesilat Perkasa, Pesilat Muda, Pesilat, Pendekar Muda and Pendekar. Shapie and Elias (2016), writing in Revista de Artes Marciales Asiáticas as PSGFM members, describe seven levels distinguished by belts in the order white, blue, brown, yellow, green, red and black. According to UiTM, the bengkung is only an optional part of the uniform.
Today
According to UiTM, Seni Gayung Fatani is open to everyone regardless of race and religion, men and women train separately, and there is no touching between the sexes. Since 2015 Australia, Bangladesh, Dubai and Syria have shown interest, and the organization is based in Bangi, Selangor. Among the largest organizations, registered with the Registry of Societies and PJS, UiTM names Seni Gayung Fatani, Silat Cekak and Gayong Malaysia. According to UiTM, PESAKA was founded by three or four of the largest silat organizations, including Gayung Fatani, Gayong Malaysia, Cekak and Lintah. Shapie and Elias (2016) write that Seni Gayung Fatani was overall winner of the National Silat Championship in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1995.
Did you know
The PSGFM website, i.e. the school itself, states that the organization hosted the IMACSSS and GSMACC 2024 conferences in Putrajaya with UNESCO ICM support. English Wikipedia lists the competition disciplines Silat Olahraga, Silat Tempur and Silat Seni and the National Silat Tempur Competition tournament since 2014. Both claims come only from Wikipedia and the school website. UiTM interprets the name Fatani as Fathonah, a quality of the Prophet Muhammad, wisdom.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Seni Gayung Fatani?
UiTM (2025) calls Anuar Abdul Wahab the chief founder of the PSGFM organization, which he registered in 1976. We have not found evidence of the origin of the art itself.
What does Fatani in the name mean?
According to UiTM, Fatani refers to wisdom, Fathonah. A respondent in the article rejects a derivation from Patani in southern Thailand, but a school blog claims an origin in Patani.
What grades does Seni Gayung Fatani have?
UiTM lists seven named peringkat from Anak Gelanggang to Pendekar. Shapie and Elias (2016) describe seven levels distinguished by belts from white to black.
Is Seni Gayung Fatani the same as Gayong?
Sources list them separately. The Malaysian inventory JWN lists Silat Gayong among styles and mentions Anuar's book on Seni Gayung Fatani only in the bibliography, and Malay Wikipedia names them as two different founding associations.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.