UNAIR NEWS – Bintang AlFarel AlBantani, a student at the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) UNAIR, won third place at a pencak silat championship held from Friday to Sunday (September 11–13, 2026). The championship took place at the Brawijaya Regional Military Command (Kodam Brawijaya) in Surabaya. It was organized by Harimau Muda under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia and the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI). The achievement is one of AlBantani’s accomplishments since he began pursuing pencak silat in junior high school.
Interest in pencak silat
AlBantani’s interest in pencak silat started out of simple curiosity. Over time, he found that the sport suited his talent and interests. Since junior high school, he has pursued pencak silat seriously and has competed in various championships.
“Honestly, I just want to try something new. It turned out to fit my talent and interests, and that was back in junior high school, too,” he said.
The championship drew interest from pencak silat organizations from Surabaya, across East Java, and beyond the province. IPSI UNAIR was among the participants.
Consistent training shapes athletes’ reflexes
AlBantani believes that desire is the first step toward achieving a goal. He said willingness must be followed by consistent effort and training.
“When we have a desire, we will strive to get it. And that desire comes from our final decision,” he said.
AlBantani explained that repetitive training is essential for improving physical ability and technique, as well as building athletes’ reflexes. He said athletes need to get used to various situations so they can respond correctly during matches.
“In practice, you have to train your reflexes over and over again, continuously. So when you face, say, situation A, you will do action B by reflex,” he said.
Coaches play role in athlete development
AlBantani said coaches play an important role in athlete development. He said training methods need to be tailored to athletes’ needs, especially when preparing for competition.
He explained that pencak silat has two categories: tanding (full-contact sparring) and seni (artistic performance). In the sparring category, physical and technical training must be balanced with match simulations so athletes get used to facing opponents directly.
“If at the training venue we only learn theory and do physical conditioning, like running back and forth and push-ups, but we don’t train to fight or to compete, then when we face it in a competition, our bodies respond as if it’s something new,” AlBantani said.
AlBantani urged students who want to pursue pencak silat or other sports to start with a willingness to learn. He said that desire can drive them to find ways, train, and commit to the field they love.
He also stressed that it is never too late to learn as long as a person wants to grow.
Author: Abraham Chrisanta Putra
Editor: Yulia Rohmawati
