I Remember When…

I can remember when I first started hearing about a new system called Silat that just came to the U.S. in the early 1990’s. I had to laugh because I knew for a fact that it’s been in this country for as long as I could remember. However, I did know that not everyone knew of the system, even though articles and books have been written about Silat since the 1960’s. So imagine my surprise to find out that the system was unknown to martial arts community. When I told friends that trained at the local martial art schools what martial arts I did. They asked their instructors about it and were told that there wasn’t any such martial art.


I told them that their teacher needed to meet with my teacher. I’m sure my teacher would disagree with them whole heartedly. I was called a liar and I didn’t know anything because this teacher has never heard of my system. I would explain to friends that Silat, or Pentjak-Silat was the generic term like Karate, or Kung Fu. That my system was Cimande, and it was also mixed with some Filipino Kuntao. Because they never heard of these systems I was laugh at, and thought to know nothing. However, when I had to fight in school they couldn’t deny that I knew what I was doing.


When I found myself without a teacher one day I went to the local Karate School to learn, and I was asked if I knew any martial arts. I had to open my mouth and say, “Yes, I know Silat”. The teacher asked what that was, and I told him that it was Indonesian martial arts. He told me that Indonesia had no martial arts so I couldn’t know it. I went to argue with him saying that my system is Cimande Kuntao. He replied that Cimande even sounds like a made up name.


He handed me my free uniform that came with the class, and I went and changed. This was the first time I ever wore a uniform. I understood the ties because I’ve seen Karate Kid, but I didn’t know how to tie the belt. I knew it wrapped around you twice (Yup, Karate Kid), but I didn’t know how to tie it. The teacher said, “If you took martial arts before you would know how to tie your belt”. Of course I came back with, “I never had to wear a uniform before”. I was told to just get on the floor and workout. Instructors of that school would tell me that I can pick up moves very quick, but I kept quite because I was done with that argument.


I would give their black belts a good run for their money once they got me to stop sweeping their feet with Sapus (Front Sweep) and Bezets (Rear Sweep). They also had to stop me from fighting from the ground once I fell in Harimua (Ground Tiger). We had a few other issues, but they got me in their words, “fighting the right way”. I have also trained in Kung Fu, Judo, and Traditional Jujitsu at the local rec. centers. I never achieved any belts in these systems. I just went to learn and never cared about belts. I decided not to talk about what I knew because I was taught to keep it a secret, and I got tired of being called a lair. What students I had all left, but two because my art wasn’t a real martial art.


I bought martial arts books, and when videos came out I bought them as well. I wanted to get as much fighting knowledge as I can get. However, I had one student see a Jujitsu book on my table at the same time I was taking Jujitsu, and I was showing him Silat throws. Since Jujitsu is an art of throwing, I must be teaching from the book. I tried to show him the book and show him that the throws I’m showing him isn’t in the book. Never the less, he left my little school because I was teaching from books.


When I started teaching Silat as Silat, and not as Kung Fu, I was the talk of the town. I was held as a fraud, and a scam artist. In the words of many, “Silat is new to this country so how could you know it”. I even had a kid name Chris Hoy call me and say, “Silat came into this country by way of California. I know for a fact you’ve never been to California”. I told him that as the years roll on he would hear of people like Willy Wetzel, Willem Reeders, and so on. He would then see how stupid that comment was. Silat came to this country in the 1950’s, and many settled in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York near where I lived.


Students came and liked what they saw and stayed with me. Many old students today find my web site and call me to just talk. I didn’t start getting creditability until one of my students attended a Silat seminar in New York. Grandmaster (GM) Jim Ingram went around asking what martial art people did. When my student said Poekoelan Silat (The begins of my Malay Fighting Arts), GM Ingram asked if it was the Wetzel System. My student told GM Ingram that was one of the influences in the system. GM Ingram invited my student back to his hotel room for a little Silat test.


GM Ingram asked his teacher’s name and he told him my name. GM Ingram told him that he never heard of me. After several hours GM Ingram told my student that he doesn’t know his teacher, and never heard of me, but my student should continue his training because he learning a very good Silat system. After others in the Cleveland area tried to prove me a fraud, they kept finding people in Silat that verified my training. After all of this, I now get calls, and emails that open up with, “Master Hogue”. Looking back while growing up in this system was hard, but it was all worth it.


Take care and I hoped you enjoyed.