I have loved these art from the get go, and I have explored many different methods of combat. I’ve learned upright fighting such as Silat, Kuntao, Panantukan (Filipino Boxing Similar to Western Boxing), Traditional Jujitsu at Rec. Centers, and Kajukenpo Karate. Then I learned locks from traditional Jujitsu and Dumog (Filipino Grappling). After learning Harimua (Indonesian Ground Fight not grappling) I wanted to explore the grappling arts. I started learning more about grappling in the early 90’s. I was teaching my students how to fight in every way possible. You could say I had the first MMA School in Cleveland.
My students would spar with each other using some contact, not full, but mild contact. If someone got knocked to the ground, there were no stopping the fight, and getting back up. The student had to flow right into Harimua if the other student was still standing, and fight his way back up, or take the guy down to his level. Then students had to use either Harimua to continue fighting, or start grappling. In grappling, to win the student had to get the other student to tap, but in the sparing it was who controlled the fight (i.e. the one mostly hitting the other person).
When people saw this in the early to mid 90’s, I was told I was only teching barroom brawling. However, I had to cut this back some in the late 90’s due to the lack of space I had to teach in. So some students didn’t get to do a lot of this, but they still didn’t. Sparing in my school is a big thing. This is what teaches you how to fight, and how to deal with an uncooperative opponent. Of course we use sparing gear such as hand and feet gear, shin guards, and face guards. I found hands, feet, and shin that fit you with little padding but fit you like putting on a sock or glove.
Through out most of my martial arts career I took a lot of crap from Poekoelan, then from people in Cleveland about knowing Silat, and then the way I taught my students how to fight. I had a friend of mine name Ed asked me to teach Silat in his school, and I said yes. I worked hard trying to get students, and I got a few but nothing big. One day I had a student of Ed’s come to me and asked if I knew any grappling. I told I did, and since he was a Correctional Officer he asked me to teach him. Before you knew I became the grappling teacher of Cleveland. However, I wanted to be known as the Silat Instructor of Cleveland, but that didn’t happen. Once I left to join the Army, Ed had to search for another grappling instructor.
Today, I’m best known for Poekoelan Tjimindie, and not the Malay Fighting Arts which is my blend of Kali/Silat/Kuntao. How did I get known for Poekoelan, over everything else? Easy, I took on an impossible task; I’m going to reunited Poekoelan. I opened a small forum and put that on as a category and people in Poekoelan started chatting in it. I then moved my forum to a better forum program which got even more Poekoelaners to join. I then thought it was about time to open the first Poekoelan social site called the “Poekoelan Tjimindie Community”, and even more people joined. This would brand me as a Poekoelan Instructor, over everything else. People started getting along, and moving ahead with conferences. Instead of people calling me names, and making fun of me. The Poekoelan Crowd started calling me the Back Bone of Poekoelan. Really, they’re the Back Bone of Poekoelan. If the members didn’t join the Community, and decide that they wanted peace and unity. I would have been just looking at an empty forum.
So, to the Poekoelan Community, Thank you so much for this award. However, it’s all of you that should be getting this award, because it was you that wanted a new future for our art. I only gave you a place to do it in. But it’s nice to be recognized for all my hard work.
Thank you everyone that is even read this. Without you, I’ll only be talking to myself.
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