Fighting Arts Home Page - Previous Features

A Fledgling E-zine for the Martial Arts Enthusiasts of Central New York
©1996, Robert R. Latham, II.
Previous Features (Sorry, Graphics Removed For Speed)
January - July


January/February's Feature:
The Bruce Lee International Martial Arts Museum.
The Martial Arts Hall of Fame, which has been inducting martial arts experts for 37 years, may finally have a home: Dragon Temple, The Bruce Lee International Martial Arts Museum.

The genesis of the proposed museum lies with Seneca Falls, NY businessman and martial arts enthusiast William Berry. Berry, in discussions with Black Belt Magazine's publisher and de facto Hall of Fame Curator Michael James, shared his vision with Joel Fairbanks. Fairbanks had already proposed a mega-theme park on the site of the General Crushed Stone Quarry; adding the proposed $30 million plus attraction would serve as the anchor for the project.

To lend credence to the project, Linda Lee, Bruce Lee's widow, will lend Lee's name and his memorabilia to the museum. She will be in Syracuse, NY on May 4 to attend a fund raiser to be held at the Onondaga County War Memorial. The fund raiser will include boxing matches, martial arts competitions, PKC State Title Kickboxing Matches, and half-time martial arts demonstrations, according to Berry.

A volunteer board of well-known local martial arts experts is now forming to aid in securing funding and corporate sponsorships. Some of the members include:

I'll post more information about this exciting event here as it becomes available.

Some of the information presented above is summarized from an article written by Glenn Coin that appeared in the Syracuse Herald Journal on December 17,1995.
February/March's Feature:
Dragon Temple Update


Remember, May 4 is when The Dragon Temple, Inc. Martial Arts Showcase opens at the Syracuse, NY War Memorial. There are confirmed appearances by: Linda Lee, Shannon Lee, Joe Lewis, Jhoon Rhee, and John Chung. Tentative guests may include Joe Corley, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others to be announced here as soon as I receive the info. Keep checking back, as I update this page often!

Activities at the Showcase starting at 9:00 AM include:


Activities at the Showcase starting at 7:00 PM include::
A Lion (Dragon) Dance performance is also scheduled. Tickets are available through Ticketron; Adults $15.00, Children to 14 yrs $10.00.


Corporate Sponsorships- Promotional Availability & Pricing.
Company name or logo to appear on spectator program......$4,000
Full color advertisement on back of program........................$4,000
Company name or logo on all flyers, posters, & media........$5,000
Company banners in contesting & exhibit areas (max 4)......$4,000
Company name or logo on sleeve of event shirts for sale....$1,000
Company name or logo in center of ring or on corners..........$25,000
Sponsorship of half-time show...............................................$15,000

Extras available:
- Sales booth in exhibit area..................................................$500
- Use of your equipment by
- boxers & kickboxers............................................................$500

Package price for ALL of the above for only............................$35,000

Individual Sponsorships - your chance to "Own Part of the Dragon Temple". As part of a fund raising effort, you have the opportunity to purchase a brick that will be part of the wall at Dragon Temple. Each brick will be accompanied by a letter of authenticity.

Numbered bricks sell for $50 each; bricks with your name engraved sell for $100; and corner stones with engraved names sell for $1000. To participate or learn more information about sponsorship of this exciting event send snail mail to:

The Dragon Temple will donate a portion of each ticket sold to the
Chuck Norris Kick Drugs Out of America Campaign.


Many of you have written asking for contact information concerning the proposed International Martial Arts Hall of Fame: Dragon Temple. Contact names/telephone numbers are available on the current Black Belt Magazine page. Be sure to mention The Fighting Arts Homepage!

(Note: I'm not an official mouthpiece of the comittee; just happy to share any info.)

Guest Essay: The Origins of Kuntao

By Roberto Torres

What is Kun Tao Silat? I have been asked this question numerous times at my seminars. I have developed a small lesson plan to do at the beginning of each seminar to explain this. As I travel around the web and see different pages I see various comments being made about Kun Tao Silat, what it is and what it is not. I would like to just try to explain this, so that we can all get a handle on this. Your comments of course are quite welcome, especially those list members (1) who are Indonesian, Chinese or Filipino.

First let start in China. Kun Tao is the southern (Fukien/Hokkien) word for martial arts. It means fist way. In the northern part of China, the same word is pronounced Chuan Fa. The modern Chinese term for these arts is Wushu. When the Chinese traders started to trade with other countries (i.e Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia) they of course bought their arts with them. This occurred around the 9th century.

However there was a bigger movement around the 12th century during the Manchurian invasion. The people who mainly left China at this point were the Hakka people. These people were known for there traveling exploits. Their name Hakka means guest family or royal family, hence perhaps the reasoning for the exodus from China during the Manchurian invasion.

In Indonesia the art was referred to as Kun Tao. Due to political reasons the government frowned upon the use of Chinese, and outlawed the speaking of Chinese, the use of Chinese names, and most of all the practice of Kun Tao. The Chinese have always been a group that keeps to themselves and the art at this point kind of went underground and was only practiced in the Chinese communities. What some Chinese practitioners did was to just start calling their art Silat and giving it an Indonesian name. Some Silat systems today have a strong Chinese influence, like Mustika Kwitang. Because of this there is NO Kun Tao Silat art in Indonesia. There is either (Chinese) Kun Tao or (Indonesian) Pencak Silat. This also IS the same in Malaysia (they have Bersilat).

As the Philippines is in between these two countries it has had an influence from BOTH areas. There was no restriction put on the Chinese in the Philippines and therefore Kun Tao was openly displayed, which then became intermingled with Silat where eventually it evolved into Kun Tao Silat. This is the art of the Tausug people. They live in the Sulu islands of the Philippines. This is separate from Mindinao. In the Sulu area the total art of Kun Tao Silat, which would be the same as saying Pencak Silat or Bersilat; the art is still sub-divided into two arts, with Kun Tao being the empty hand phase, and Silat being the blade phase. The Kun Tao portion, however, did not retain the influence of the Chinese, probably because the art most likely came from Borneo where they practice an art called Kun Tao Bankui.

Please remember that part of Philippine history is that ten Datus left Borneo and settled in what is now known as the Philippines, establishing a school called Bothoan, where many things were taught including their martial arts. There has been so much change and intermingling in the Philippines and these arts that most Filipinos consider THE art indigenous to the Philippines. This is why Grandmaster Carlito Lanada changed the spelling of his ancestors art from Kun Tao to Kuntaw, to relate more to the Tagalog tongue. So please keep in mind that yes in the Philippines there is an art called Kun Tao Silat, but this is not the case in Indonesia. One of my Indonesian teachers refers to his art as Kun Tao Silat in order to give honor to both his Indonesian and Chinese teachers.

(1) The above is reprinted with permission from the author.
©2/17/96. All Rights Reserved.
Roberto Torres, Pencak Silat Perisai Setia


Join Roberto Torres' Mail List. Email MATJAN@NYIQ.NET
Also check out the Kuntao article in this month's issue of Inside Kung Fu magazine. Good historical notes by noted Kuntaoists Roberto Torres, Willem deThouars, and Carl Spitale.
March/April's Features
More On The Dragon Temple


Local Martial Arts Masters Seminars
Five Central New York Martial Arts Masters will be holding seminars to showcase their arts to the public. These seminars, held in the lower level of the War Memorial, will run from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Participating are: Dragon Temple Honorary Board Members Named
Honorary board members named to date:
Gary Alexander, Nigel Binns, Carl Brown, William Cheung, Hee Il Cho, John Chung, George Dillman, Terrance Webster Doyle, Robert Ferguson, Kensho Furya, the Gracies, Stephan Hayes, Boog Soo Han, Larry Hartsell, Joe Hess, Dan Inosanto, Dan Ivan, Wally Jay, Pat Johanson, Richard Kim, Takayuki Kabota, George Kirby, Roy Kurban, Joe Lewis, Eric Lee, Douglas R. Lee, Dave Lowery, Ron Marchini, Patrick McCarthy, Tom Musulla, Aaron Norris, Hidy Ochai, Jhoon Rhee, Cynthia Rothrock, Karen Shepard, Manny Siverio, Mike Stone, Don "The Dragon" Wilson, and Ted Wong.

Tickets for the Martial Arts Showcase are being handled by Ticket Master.
Tickets now on sale for:
Daytime Events - $9.00 Adult, $5.00 Children to 14 years.
Evening Events - $15.00 Adult, $10.00 Children to 14 years.

The Dragon Temple will donate a portion of each ticket sold to the
Chuck Norris Kick Drugs Out of America Campaign.


Many of you have written asking for contact information concerning the proposed International Martial Arts Hall of Fame: Dragon Temple. Contact names/telephone numbers are available on the current Black Belt Magazine page. Be sure to mention The Fighting Arts Homepage!

(Note: I'm not an official mouthpiece of the comittee; just happy to share the info.)


More information can be found in my Back Issues pages!
Guest Essay: The Fighting Arts of Indonesia By Sifu Daniel Donzella

It wasn't until judo in the 1950's that the public got their first taste of Asian Martial Arts. Karate soon followed in the 1960's, next was the kung fu craze of the 1970's, and then the strong popularity of ninjutsu in the 1980's, when the term Ninja became a household word.

In the late 1980's and early 1990's, the Chinese "Internal" Martial Arts were suddenly being recognized as a metaphysical way of learning self-defense. This was accomplished using the mystical force called "chi". Now in the mid 1990's, the Indonesian and Filipino Martial Arts of Kuntao and Pentjak Silat, as well as other exotic Martial Arts are getting recognition.

Pentjak translated means skillful movements. Silat is the fighting application of those movements. The islands of Sumatra, Bali, The Celebes, Timor, and Jave to name a few, all have their own style of fighting. West Java is known to have the bulk of the Indonesian fighting arts of Pentjak Silat. The islands have been influenced by many different cultures, and they can be seen in their martial art styles and use of weapons. India, China, Arabia, Japan, and Holland all had an impact on Indonesia's fighting arts, although you still can find a system that is uniquely Indonesian. As an example, Harimau, or tiger style, is common on the island of Sumatra. It comes from the Menangkabau region of the island. The majority of the techniques are performed near or on the ground. The legs are used to attack the opponents legs by striking, then locking both the opponents' legs and bringing him crashing to the ground. The use of the leg, hands, foearms and elbows are used to subdue the opponent.

Many weapons are used in the practice of Pentjak Silat. Some are very odd looking, and others are quite typical. Most common are: The Sai was originally thought to be strictly from Okinawa, but drawings found in caves of the Tjabang predates the use of the weapon in both China and Okinawa.

To learn more about the martial arts of Indonesia, The Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesia, by Donn Draeger, is easily found in your local book store.

About the author:
Sifu Daniel Donzella began his training in the martial arts in 1973. His Sifu (teacher), Gary Galvin, studied under the well-known Chinese/Dutch master Willem Reeders. Master Reeders grew up on the Island of Java in Indonesia. His uncle, Liu Seong, was his first teacher. Master Reeders also studied from many well Indonesian, Chinese, and Japanese instructors before the outbreak of World War II. After the war, Master Reeders brought his fighting system to the U.S. Bruce Lee sought out Master Reeders to enhance his development in the martial arts. Through the years, Sifu Donzella has also sought top masters connected to the lineage of the system Master Reeders had brought to this country, including Dutch/Indonesian Silat master Pendekar Paul deThouars, and Guro Dan Inosanto, former student of Bruce Lee and an instructor in the Indonesian and Filipino Arts. For Information on Sifu Donzella and his Liu Seong Combat Arts call (315) 454-3515.

(Notes from the editor: As an interesting aside, according to noted Silat practicioner Roberto Torres in this months' Inside Kung Fu Magazine, the relationship of Master Reeders and his uncle Liu Seong were the basis for the popular TV series Kung Fu.)
April/May's Features

Important Announcement Regarding The Martial Arts Showcase!

The Martial Arts Showcase that was to be part of the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame: Dragon Temple celebration this May 4 and 5 has been indefinitely postponed.

Why the postponement is uncertain at this time. A saying that an old favorite professor of mine was fond of overusing comes to mind: "a camel is a horse designed by committee", if that gives you any indications.....

I will share further information as it becomes available.

This Month's Guest Essay: Rebuttal to Robert Dreeben.

By Sifu Daniel Donzella.

The Error:
I would like to address an article written by Robert Dreeben and published in the April issue of Inside Kung Fu Magazine on Kuntao Silat. It was not completely accurate. Unfortunately, the inaccuracies were repeated on this homepage. (ouch!)

Carl Spitale mentions the connection of Master Reeders and the Kung Fu television series. When my Sifu, Gary Galvin, who was a student of Willem Reeders, read the article, he stated that the TV reference was untrue. A recent conversation with Reed Smathers, of Meadville, PA confirmed Sifu Galvins' position.

The Kuntao school in Meadville is directly connected to the late Willem Reeders. According to Smathers, Bill Reeders was just kidding around at the time he said it, and some people took the comments as fact.

Some Background on Master Reeders:
Any information, connections, or comments are welcome for this section. What styles did Master Reeders study and from who? What did he teach in Western New York differently from the early Sixties to the later years? Master Reeders Kuntao came from his Uncle, Leong Seong. Also, a Kung Fu style, most likely a combination of systems put together by the Liu family.

When he was in Jamestown, NY, Master Reeders taught Judo and Shotokan Karate. The Chinese system was only for a select few. While teaching at the Dunkirk, NY school, students of these earlier years were taught a different system than the later. In the early Sixties the family Kuntao was taught. From around 1967 until Master Reeders left for New Mexico, it was predominately Chinese Kung Fu with Kuntao mixed in, with Pentjak Silat eventually added.

Three forms in the Lui Seong system that I teach give examples of the Chinese-Indonesian mix: Hok Chan, with its body postures, finger strikes, whipping actions of the hands and body, along with leg traps give it a Kuntao flavor; Ho Chan, or Dragon Form, a rare traditional-looking Chinese form, arm blocks, punches, sweeps , and longer stances; Kwitang, begins with a striking pattern found in the majority of Indonesian forms (Jurus). This was verified by both Dan Inosanto and Pendekar Paul deThouars.

When I met the Pendekar, I presented him with a colored photocopy of Master Willem Reeders. He smiled, and the first thing the Pendekar said was "Serak!". Serak is the base system eventually passed down to the deVries Family. According to Victor deThouars, Paul studied under John deVries and learned the entire system. Bill Reeders trained with Ernest deVries, but was only interested in the fighting applications, not the many forms. According to Victor, Master Reeders other Silat teachers were Leo Sjel, Theo Schrijn, Puk Soverbier, Abu Saman, Suro Djawan, and Tji Petjut.

After my morning session with the Pendekar, we broke for lunch. I went across the street to get some Chinese food. Pendekar deThouars came in and sat down next to me and told me about the first time he met Willem Reeders. When the war ended with Japan, Paul deThouars' Father was in a Japanese prison camp in Thailand. Paul and his mother went to the camp to bring him home. It was there that he met Willem Reeders. The Pendekar also said, with a laugh, that Bill Reeders was the quickest learner he ever knew. He would master a system in no time, and the instructor would send him to somebody else. The Pendekar said you couldn't keep track of who or what he was studying next.

Any further information or comments are more than welcome. Send Snail mail to:

Or you can send email via the link at the top of the page. Be sure to address Sifu Donzella in the first line of the body of the mail.
From The Scrap Book

Our Host,Rick Jackson, Guru Dan Huybrecht, & Pendekar Paul deThouars

Recently, I had the extreme pleasure of attending a seminar conducted by Pendekar Paul deThouars on his art Bukti Negara. The seminar was hosted by Rick Jackson at his school in Pittsburgh, PA. He and his staff did an exemplary job at seeing to the participants' needs. It was reassuring to find his staff collecting the participants from the motels and eateries each morning of the seminar and leading us to the school. They also kept an ample supply of cold beverages available at to charge to us. It is the little things that count. Yes, Rick, do it again. We would not hesitate to attend another seminar.

The first day of the seminar began with the Pendekar and Guru Dan Huybrecht demonstrating different blocking techniques (sort of a loose-wristed supported forearm block that hinted towards Kwitang-style forearm strikes) to gain an open entry to the opponent. He carried this into similar entries and some interesting double arm traps eventually leading to drill sets, or sambuts, involving inside/outside sweeps and take-downs. The second day was similar to the first and included counters to the previous techniques, some basic knife and kick defenses, and pull-downs. One topic that came to life for me was the multiple applications of the use of the sempok/depok cross-stepping patterns. I previously had seen them as evasive maneuvers or used primarily in pull-downs. The use of these stepping patterns applied to counter sweeps and facilitate defensive positioning reminded me of an engineering principle: KISS, or Keep It Simple, Stupid. Elegant simplicity. I suppose it is a good thing that, although I was humbled by my ignorance, I got an education beyond my expectations.

The strength of Pendekar deThouars is his unique teaching style. He has that ability to demonstrate the basic tools necessary for each technique in a simplistic, logical way. He also hints at variations to explore and enrich that which some of the advanced participants may already know. Giving ample time to practice each objective, Guru Dan and Pendekar deThouars "work the crowd" unlike any other seminar leaders I have had the pleasure to work under, excepting maybe another personal favorite of mine, Francis Fong. Both of them are approachable and highly personable and dedicated to seeing to it that all participants are successful before moving on to the next objective.

Based on my positive first experience with Pendekar deThouars and Guru Dan, I highly recommend that any stylist rush to a Bukti Negara seminar. You might even learn more than you expect. Consider the following anecdotal techniques:

Here the Pendekar is sharing his regret with me that there wasn't a reunion of Serak stylists prior to Master Willem Reeders passing. Or was it the "flicked a butt in his face" entry story?

Visit the excellent Bukti Negara page listed in my links page.

June/July

Sifu, Guru, Guro Dan Inosanto 1996 Northeast Martial Arts Training Conference


by Sifu Guru Dan Donzella

Sifu Dan Donzella and Guro Dan Inosanto. For the third year in a row, I attended the Northeast Martial Arts Conference in Aurora NY. This four day event is sponsored by Sifu Kevin Seaman of Cortland, NY. Each morning from 8:00 AM to noon Guro Dan Inosanto taught Filipino Kali, Pentjak Silat, and Jun Fan/JKD Concepts to the well attended groups of martial artists of all styles.

Guro Dan was in excellent health; his strained back he favored last year was not present. I noticed quite a few new faces at the conference. Whether they were novices or veterans of Guro Dan's teachings, he kept everyone involved. During the siniwalli (double stick) portion of his Kali Seminar, Guro Dan split up the beginner with advanced students to run through the basic Abecedario drills. During the JKD Seminar, I was working working with one of my top students, Chris Reudink; we were working on a simple entry trapping drill. As I closed the gap I found myself doing Pentjak Silat techniques. Sifu Dan saw what was happening to me (us) and broke out laughing. Afterwards he brought it up to the rest of the seminar participants. He pointed out what I was doing was not something I should stop or correct; that the flow was mine, and of it worked, just let it continue. Sifu Dan mentioned that he thought at one time that he was losing the JKD he received from Bruce when he flowed into other styles. But, according to Sifu Bruce's teachings, he wasn't losing a style but expanding it and himself also.

Guro Dan teaches his own combination of Silat at the seminar he calls Maphilindo. The word means Malaysian, Filipino, and Indonesian Silat combined. Watching Guro Dan perform the intricate movements of Silat is inspiring. During one segment, Guro Dan took the West Javanese styles of Tjikalong and Tjimande and combined them with Malaysian Bersilat. From countering punches to standing locks, to take downs and ground fighting and grappling, his execution was awesome to watch. Guro Dan's technique is crisp, precise and devastating. Not only the technique is taught, but also its historic background. You are really missing something if you've never attended one of Guro Dan Inosanto's seminars. He is not only a superb martial artist, but a generous and very warm and friendly human being. Also, Sifu Kevin Seaman and his wife Charlene are great hosts. Each day went very smooth.

Also teaching at the conference were Sifu Francis Fong (Wing Chun) and Master Surachai Sirisute (Thai Boxing). Contact Sifu Seaman for more information on future seminars at 1-800-343-west.

Sifu Guru,
Dan Donzella.

P.S. I've been in the martial arts for 24 years but feel that one should never be content with the knowledge you possess. There is so much more to learn, and interesting people to learn from.

The above is reprinted with permission from the author.
©6/17/96. All Rights Reserved.
Daniel Donzella

Send Snail mail to:

Pencak Silat Perisai Setia In Buffalo, NY


By Dr. Jerome Barber

Guru Roberto Torres.It is my great pleasure to announce that the Kun Tao and Silat Seminar featuring Guru Roberto Torres was held on Sunday May 5, at Erie Community College/ South Campus. Guru Torres was very well received and provided the assembled participants with a very strong overview of the basics of Kun Tao and Silat.

In all fairness to Guru Torres, I will refrain from heaping gushing praise on him as I am aware of his modest demeanor, but I must say that we all appriciated his knowledgable, progressive approach to the seminar topics. During the seminar Guru Torres, gave us the opportunity to practice 10 jurus and then he broke down each one into several different possible interpriations. The instruction was clear, logical and consistant with the basic stances and footwork patterns that he had opened the instructional program with after his introduction.

He also teased the seminar group with his translations of empty hand techniques to stick work, bladed interpretations and grappling/ ground fighting. The discussions that we had shared on Saturday evening about basic motions and connecting themes were reinforced and put into motion during the seminar. Guru Torres, is a superb instructor, the relaxed manner and voice control that he maintained, greatly contributed to our going 90 minutes over schedule as the campus security officers pulled up some chairs and looked on. This seminar was a beautiful blending of personalities/chemistry, where ego were checked at the door and learning was the primary goal.

For the Seminar Committee, Monica Le Roux, Paul Martin and Deborah Moore as well as myself, I want to thank Guru Torres for sharing his Pencak Silat Perisai Setia system with us on May 5.

The above is reprinted with permission from the author.
©6/17/96. All Rights Reserved.
Dr. Jerome Barber

Email:Barber@sstaff.sunyerie.edu
August's Feature
Take Me Back