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.
No comments:
Post a Comment