Silat (of which there are many, many styles) seems to have shot up in popularity almost overnight. I'd personally be a bit wary of learning an esoteric style such as Silat, just because if it's not common it's hard to tell if you're learning from a good school. One of my friends absolutely laments that there is no place for him to learn Sambo. Though if you have the opportunity to check it out, jump on it. You might learn a thing or two. As for being a dedicated student, don't worry about committing to an art 100%. The majority of people that go to these gyms do so as a hobby, six months on, six months off, sometimes skipping classes for other things. You get out of it what you put into it, and if you're not looking at competing, you don't have to give it your all. Myself personally? I was never going to compete. I wanted to learn boxing to be a coach. That's the reason I was always going myself. That said, you should still find a good school so you find worthwhile techniques. If you're gonna learn something, it's best to learn it right.
That's what I figured. Besides going to Indonesia or any of the surrounding states it would be hard to find something that is authentic. That is a huge issue I see now-a-days with martial arts. It's hard to find schools that are teaching the authentic principles of the art. Yea, I have no interesting in competing, but rather to learn the art or style as a hobby.
That's always been a problem actually. It's just that the success of MMA has brought to light how bs some of the more "traditional" styles are. Competition weeds out which techniques are effective and which ones are sorely lacking in merit. Even if you go to a school that is authentic, that doesn't necessarily mean it's good.That is a huge issue I see now-a-days with martial arts. It's hard to find schools that are teaching the authentic principles of the art.