MY ASSORTED ASSESSMENT. By the magus of Denver.

I like to make sure that in what I am writing is purely the truth, and like to share my experience and feeling, (thoroughly) with my most loyal, devoted and steady in growth of practitioners and martial associated friends --were with me for many years. Over the years I taught many, and from the many needed to remove also many others, who i had taught with a minimum of my wasted time, for having taught nothing to them. They thought to have mastered my system, through false imitation and by a source of their thinking to know everything I had to offer. I never had tried to mislead them; but by studying them, also knew their false pride and intend. I said nothing by remaining to keep my silence; but wend further by expediting my other and brighter resources in devoted loyal practitioners in followers. I taught them with more of my caring, and mostly, my maximum in effort by making them my best and well practiced exponent in decades of my laboring in efforts. So where also my true friends, as true friends to me, while others lost my interest in them. I was forced to remove many out my two web sides: the one I am writing from, and my two other webpages on Face Book.  I understand causing them to even in becoming me a most disliked teacher on the planet. The many I needed to remove were also individuals not really serving the good for any of my web sides. They were all self servers , and may never appear that way. For whatever the reason, just had to terminate them for good as no lost to me.
  First I wish to thank my webmasters: Dr conrado Bui, and guru Bilgrami for their patience with me, and still remain as the main administrators for any of the two information centers; the one on Face Book and for here on Silat TV.  I own them a large in gratitude, and wish them, and their families the very best for the coming holidays, and the very best for the New Year. Also guru Santiago Doblos for another web side for Face book he created for me to comment as freely.
  My heart goes also out to Mr Omar Hakim, and hereby wish to thank him  by allowing my web side to sustain and to float freely as I could express my true feeling in writing. I fully understand may not always find any approval by anyone; but it never had occurred  to me that the truth can never me misled by others. I wish Mr Hakim, and family my best for the holidays and a safe 2017 in health and in prosperity.
                                    MY MARTIAL EXPERIENCE.
  I was never ashamed for what I knew for my regard in fighting arts. The longest of all teachers I ever had trained under was for certain my father in law --who I met, here in America. I trained and studied under him for seven years; he taught me the many skills of old style Ci Mande, (under Raden Patman}, and also trained me in his family's Hakka Kun tao style. When I married his daughter, my wife now, I lived with him. Our training was continuous, and rugged and steep. My father in law made me his successor slightly before his passing, in July fourth, in 1971.  I am proud to set forth his lineage.
  I also finished my training in the Cheribon Serak, under guru Egmund, a German born native of Indonesia who trained and studied directly under Pak Serak the founder, in the late 1800's. Mr Egmund was in the 1970's, also my age for being in his 80's. He felt young as I feel young at heart NOW. I met him in Deli City, in Northern California - when my wife and I were working for the airlines and we were occupying an apartment , in Red Wood City, and was also reintroduced to de van der Groen family by guru Glenn Abrescy. I am glad to have met Edgar and Otto van der Groen, and became familiarized with the Imua shantung Kun tao. They were always my best of friends, in the Dutch Indo community. I cared less about others, and non of this was ever known to the whole Serak community, and my brothers that I had finished my studies in Serak. I met not long after many of the very best to excellent in the martial community of San Francisco, and was always informed and kept training and learning.  But remained my deep silence.
  In America I also have private studies for the very best of Chines martial arts masters, and even trained in the Tung Lung Tai under a predominant Chinese Hakka master, in America. My trained studies was on his kitchen floor, and weather permitting, his back yard. My learned and enhanced knowledge for knowing martial arts was on a continuous bases. I learned much and experienced a lot more.
  In Holland trained hard style old Japanese Ju Jitsu where falling and throwing was done on the brick stones of the asphalt jungle outside the comfort of a martial studio. I expanded even there my studies by going to Belgium, and was training European fencing. My studies was the main source for my foot placements more adequately.
  In Indonesia got my training mostly from the best of players, also calling them selves only players and never a guru or master -were also even better than masters. The street corners of cities was my real training ground. When it comes to blades was taught by the best, a butcher in guru Ta Ing, in East Java, and in Central Java learned from Mustafa, in the city of Pekalongan. My father who was always relocated to different places made it hard for me to learn for many years. In West Java was mostly my uncle Eddy de Vries from my mother's side a cousin, and the two teachers who taught me Pentjac Kendang silat under Pak Atjo and guru Sardjono. They taught me in Bandung. I grew up with the art Serak in my own family, since the beginning in going back to 1946. So I was well informed in the two Serak systems; the Serak Bandung and the Serak Cheribon. My three kun tao teachers taught me, my Hakka Kun tao out Tibet. The art started it beginning to involve from the large bodied man of the Shandong Valley.  In what i ever had studied to learn was always very good in excellence. Never forgetting uncle John de Vries. I shall always carry the spirit and souls of all my teachers, now long gone on the palm of my hands to remain just a simple old man with more practical skills.
  My relationship in friends are always with excellent gurus from Madura, and Surabaya. Some also in Central Java. Some in Holland, and not many. My lineage much more stronger than most for me never to retreat or be in fear. My skills are combined many of the practice back to the old Temple Boxing School of the Wild Boar system of China --the Wutang. temple.
  OTHERS MAY CLAIM OR DO WHATEVER OTHERS LIKE TO DO, I REMAIN JUST THE SIMPLE OLD MAN OF IN WHO AM I REALLY.  My peace is always lastingly, and just.
WISHING ALL MY DEVOTED PRACTITIONERS. THEIR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES AND MY MARTIAL ASSOCIATED FRIENDS AND THEIR FAMILIES A PEACEFUL AND VERY BEST FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS AND THE NEW YEAR.
By Oom Willem de Thouars, the magus of Denver.