KUALA LUMPUR: The new silat rules, which were amended last December, won’t stop the national silat exponents from achieving success in the Cambodia SEA Games from May 5-17.
Malaysian National Silat Federation (Pesaka) president Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin said the silat team this time will have 75 per cent new faces and, as such, he is confident they will have no problems adapting to the amended rules following the meticulous preparations over the past four months.
“The latest rules apply. There were amendments made after the World Silat Championships in Melaka last year. My secretary-general, Bibi Aisyah Golbal Shah, and I went to Jakarta to refine and look for weaknesses in the existing rules that needed improvement.
“It’s still new, so there’s bound to be trial and error. But (the rules) this time are more interesting, with athletes not allowed to use two hands during takedowns or grappling. The new rule allows them to only use one hand, so the right technique will come in handy,” he said when met recently.
He, however, acknowledged that senior athletes would need some time to adapt to the new rules.
“Our strategy in having more new faces is that they (the newcomers) have not been fully exposed to the old rules for a long time. If they had been with the national team for a long time, like six, seven or eight years, then they will be more accustomed to the old rules.
“So, for them to adapt to the new rules will take a longer time. That’s why we will give the seniors more time to adapt to the new rules,” he said.
At the World Silat Championships in Melaka last July, there was an uproar involving the country’s silat exponents when they withdrew after claiming that the competition referee was not fair in judging some of the bouts, with several amendments also made to existing rules. – BERNAMA
