| Inti Ombak | |
| Country: | Indonesia |
| Creator: | Daniel Prasetya, Ki Poleng Sudamala, and Tjahjadi Tanudjaya |
| Olympic: | Exhibition (2020) |
| Meaning: | Inner wave |
Inti Ombak is a style of pencak silat which blends martial arts descended from the Mataram Kingdom of Central Java with those hailing from the island of Madura.[1] In English it is often abbreviated to IOPS, short for "Inti Ombak Pencak Silat". The Inti Ombak Pencak Silat Union (Persatuan Pencak Silat Inti Ombak) is guided by three caretakers in accordance with the Javanese adage "In the front as a leader, in the middle as a moderator, in the back as an advocate".[2] The current caretakers are Ki Poleng Sudamala of Yogyakarta, Daniel Prasetya of Colorado, and Tjahjadi Tanudjaya of Tengerang.[3] [4] The school's international headquarters are located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia while the US headquarters are in Ault, Colorado.
The name Inti Ombak is Indonesian for "inner wave" and refers to the dual rising and cresting nature of a wave. Interpretations of this include the pairing of mind and body, the duality of internal and external power, or the low motion of Madura coupled with the high movements of Mataram.
Instruction in Inti Ombak spans four phases: basic, animal, element and human. These represent the cycle of beginning and ending life with all of the tools and instincts mankind has inherently. The basic phase focuses on learning the fundamentals of safety versus risk when engaging with a bladed opponents. All motion in Inti Ombak assumes attackers may be wielding one or more blades. The animal phase consists of seven animal-based forms and develops the mechanisms for tapping into raw, instinctual power and reaction. These animals are the pangolin (pengguling), crane (bangau), dragon (naga), mantis (belalang), monkey (monyet), snake (ular) and tiger (harimau). The element phase consists of the four classical elements: wind (bayu), earth (bantolo), water (tirta) and fire (agni). Elements are the students' first concentrated exposure to using the intellect within Inti Ombak. The human phase consists of forms (jurus) imitating a fisherman, nanny, monk, drunkard, and pretty woman. These routines are archetypes of human motion and teach the student to understand both the possibility and limitations of the human form.
Traditional weapons of Inti Ombak include the knife (pisau), kerambit (claw-like blade), celurit (Madurese sickle), single-edge sword, double-edged sword, stick (toya), rattan stick (rotan), and whip. These are meant to represent the full spectrum of traditional weaponry, so that the practitioner is able to wield any object or weapon even without being specifically trained in its use. As each system of pencak silat often incorporates a unique weapon of its own, so the specialty of Inti Ombak is the Agni tactical knife designed by Daniel Prasetya.[5] This knife is a hybrid between straight and curved knives. In designing the blade, Prasetya aimed for a profile optimized for use and application of Inti Ombak principles.
Inti Ombak's logo features a golden seagull flying, a 12-pointed sun, and a swirling, wave-like vortex. The symbolism behind this emblem is explained as follows: