What differentiate Merpati Putih from other martial arts? How is Merpati Putih going to benefit me in my life and future endeavors? How is it going to give me an advantage? Those are the few questions that might arise in a mind of an interested person. It is relevant, considering the proliferation of various martial arts from various countries in Asia. Based on a marketing research conducted by a student at Asian Institute of Management on the level of awareness and attraction of the various arts, it has been found out that Aikido enjoys the top spot for awareness, while Karate and Tae Kwon Do are runner-up and third place. How is Merpati Putih going to compete with those established arts and garner the same level of respect and awareness? Well, Merpati Putih is different in that it not only develops your physical attributes, but also develops your internal strength and more.
 

I. TENAGA / POWER - Breaking stacks of huge ice blocks, big river stone, and five pieces of stacked water-pump handle (pipa dragon) in one breath is not something out of the ordinary for a practitioner of Merpati Putih. It is possible by utilizing a technique of self-defense in Merpati Putih, whereby the practitioner is able to channel his or her energy to any part of the body through proper breathing and physical exercises. Thus the power being generated by a Merpati Putih practitioner is derived from routine breathing exercises and pure physical fitness and not from some unknown sources. The breathing exercises of Merpati Putih have a double effect on the practitioner. It not only helps in increasing the fitness of the body, but also helps in increasing body immune system. Heart disease, high colesterol, asthma, alergy and other such diseases that is due to an unbalanced body metabolism can be remedied by the breathing exercise.
 

II. GETARAN / VIBRATION - One of the differentiation aspects of Merpati Putih as compared to other martial art schools is in its use of Getaran or Vibration. It can be said that Merpati Putih, as of this time, is the only pencak silat school in Indonesia that studies Getaran/Vibration in a natural and scientific way. By practicing Getaran extensively, a practitioner can achieve a stronger vibrational power, thus enabling him to perform out-of-the-ordinary feats. Among the feats is to detect the location of a hidden object, to anticipate and read situations based on surrounding Getaran from people and objects. A pilot project has been undertaken by Merpati Putih Indonesia to open an exclusive school for the blind by teaching them the Area of Excellence of Ilmu Getaran Merpati Putih (IGMP).
 
 

Merpati Putih is a complete art of self-defense. It incorporates five branches of skills which the students will learn in a step-by-step manner. The five branches of skills that an MP practitioner must learn and master are :
   - Movement (Kata in Karate)
   - Internal Power Management
   - Fighting Techniques
   - Healing
   - Vibration

In the movement part, students are being taught the skills of attacking techniques, defensive technique, and kicking techniques. The movements of MP are fluid and dynamic. It resembles a dance like movement, but behind the simple and delicate moves lies a devastating power waiting to be unleashed.

The breathing portion is taught early to the students, as breathing techniques is the basic skill necessary to generate the Internal Power required to perform the various incredible feats. There are 3 types of breathing :

Inner power.
Nafas Halus (Fine Breathing), is used to regain strength that has been lost due to strenuous physical activities.
Nafas Pengolahan, is practiced to build the power of the practitioner. There are 14 stance that a beginner must perform to attain complete power build-up. As the rank increases, the student is required to perform this exercise using heavier weights and more stances to perform.
Nafas Pembinaan, is used to maintain the current level of power. There are basically 3 styles of Nafas Pembinaan. It is advised to practice this breathing technique daily to maintain the power level attained during practice sessions where Nafas Pengolahan has increased one’s power.
Then, the students are being taught the skills to manage and focus their internal power to perform an activity. Those activity might range from breaking a block of cement and metal bars using fists, legs and even shins, to the incredible lighting of a neon bulb without electricity. At higher level, it is possible for a practitioner to focus and control his internal power so as to be able to break a metal bar (i.e. railway track or leaf suspension of trucks) with their forehead.

The third skill is the Fighting Techniques. Here the practitioner is being taught how to apply the movement techniques to a real fighting situation. Certain do’s and don’ts are learned to ensure combat readiness of the MP students.

The fourth is the skill of healing. At higher level, a practitioner will learn to control his internal power and manage it to heal sick people. Whether it is an ordinary muscle pain or a much more complex illness, an MP practitioner, depending on his mastery of the various skills, can perform healing for others.

The last skill is vibration. This skill is used to sense the vibration frequency of different things, down from ordinary things, up to sensing the frequency of another person. As the MP student is adapted to sensing vibration frequencies, he or she will be able to detect the undetectable. The practitioner, for example, might be able to tell if a certain person intends to do harm to him. Or he can sharpen his senses to the point that it can warn the practitioner of an immediate danger, sort of like a premonition. The practitioner can perform various tasks while blindfolded and uses his other senses to compensate for the lost sense of sight. The proponents are looking into the possibility of using this skill to teach blind people to see using their other senses.
 

                                                                *** cited from other MP sites ***