Please click on our great Flag for Pak Vic’s thoughts on the terrible 9/11 tragedy.

You are visitor number (since May 1, 1999)

THE AGE OF SILAT SERAK®

By Maha Guru “Pak Vic” de Thouars

Copyrights 1957 – 1960 - 1980- 1999- 2003

Part II - USA Serak® History

  10:00 am set, May 11, 1960

      That is the time I place my right foot on American Soil, when I disembarked from the Holland-American Liner the "Statendam".  Silat Serak® has come to roost in the United States of America.  With our lives in the United States growing, from our first house that we owned on 550 First Street, Azusa, California.  Our father passed away on April 14^th, 1961 at 2:20 in the morning, and in the fall of that year Paul introduced Rudie ter Linden to the family, for Rudy was a friend from New Guinea. In New Guinea my brother Paul and Maurice worked for the Armed forces, like Rudie.  Great time we had in those days sharing much of Sera.  Later Paul took over and started to share with Rudie most of the system of Serak®.

      Rudy has a great profile, and I enjoyed making a sculpture of him, and commend Rudy for sitting still for over 14 hours. From what I saw, Rudie was a tremendous fighter, and enjoyed sharing the first Serak® Jurus with him.  With his gift of adventure he founded "Ratu Adil", a system of his own making. Certainly my respect and Hormat to Rudy, for he has a great faithful following that practice the art that he created.

      As the years went by, and both Rudie and Paul collaborated in 1965, in doing an article in a well known martial arts magazine, somewhat unfortunately an older brother forgot to include his younger brother, in the magazine Paul called the art Bukulan Silat.  A book by Bruce Haines also depicts Paul and Rudie, and good to see Silat promoted even in those early years and a humble beginnings.

      As years went forward, between years and Pasadena where Paul lived and taught, in the early year of 1972 our uncle John de Vries passed away, Maurice the oldest at the time should have taken the lead in teaching, but as it was Paul who took the Role up and served as the senior at the time.

      Uncle John’s younger brother Ernest (Ventje or Nes) de Vries, also lived in Holland at the time and my dear friend and student Kees Boering helped many of Uncle Vent his personal and businesses projects. Since Kees was my first student, our Uncle Ventje was very proud to see a westerner practicing the system he so dearly loved.  Kees trained with our Uncle Ventje from 1961 till 1968, also to include he trained with Maurice for many years, Kees is still a senior member of the International VDT Academy.

      Of course with my uncle Ventje, you had to prove your worth in carrying the name of Serak®.  So he let Kees spar full contact frequently with the bare-knuckle fist. The old way, you had to earn his respect.  Kees Boering was and still is the "Dutch Red-Neck", and he lives in Koog aan de Zaan.  Uncle Nes (Ventje) mentioned a student of his that also lived in the United States Guru Besar William Reeders and to look him up.  He (Nes) and William were prisoners of war in "Na-Khom Pathom" in the Siam, now called Thailand.

      In conversation with my uncle Ventje on January 10, 1982, I had asked him specifically of who else here in the United States may have ever trained with him, and he replied emphatically "No".   As always, my uncle Ventje was himself, even in his advanced age, for he just

simply said, "you are going to come here and visit me so I can check on your Silat Serak®", and mentioned that he was proud of Kees, my first student.  I told him that I had plans to come on May 16 of 1982 in Holland, which made him happy.  For sure this was my chance to meet an Icon of the System of Serak®

      Because of my work, I had to cancel my May trip till June 30 of 1982. On July 5^th of that year I came to Leiden and visited Dolf de Vries and mentioned to him "Lets go to your dad", and to my greatest fear and sadness, and my heart sunk deep, Dolf replied, "My father passed away in April".  This is a learning experience of which I wrote myself and taught my students after that:  

"Look what you have in your hands, never be sure for it can slip like sand"

 For sure, my regret that Dolf did not call that his father was ill in March of that year, sometimes folks forget.  To time a lesson learned, also a motto never put off things you can do today till tomorrow. Sharing never to have regrets, and never place yourself in situations that there will be a time and say to yourself, “I should have”.  Trust your own instincts and depend on what you yourself can accomplish.

      And the years forwarded, teaching "Silat Tongkat", the system that I developed. At the time to give Paul some Hormat instead of calling the system Silat Tendjek in what I wanted to call it, Paul mentioned that Silat Tongkat would be more appropriate, meaning carrier. His first visit in 1984 to North Glenn Colorado was good. It was there where he got acquainted with now Guru Serak® Robert Vanatta and Maha Guru Mudah in Silat Tongkat.  Guru Vanatta has expanded his horizon and is developing his own system called Silat “Bledek” a name I choose.  Besides a "Great Teacher" also a true brother to me and I do give my Hormat to this great man.

      In 1984, some even copied the Tongkat Jurus I devised, and called them in tapes that were sold as "Cimande Pusaka". Those things can be expected once the public knows it. Everyone has to answer for what he or she sows into the fast expands that other want to learn.

      As I went back to the Netherlands to work from 1986 to 1989, I shared Silat Serak® again with Kees Boering and others. With my return in the fall of 1989 to the United States I made every effort to contact Mr. William Reeders, and I was successful in locating Guru William Reeders, and had many phone conversations with him. On March 13, 1990,  Mr. Reeders wrote to me his joy from the heart, writing about the Champion "Nes de Vries" he learned Serak® from.  To my great sadness, Mr. Reeders passed away before we could meet.

Sifu Bruce Lee, Founder of Lee Yun Fan.

      Here is one for the books, Sifu Bruce studied with Guru Reeders in the late sixties, and yes he studied Serak® from him.  It is hard to deny the fact that it is so, undeniable hand written notes depicting Sambut Lima and Sambut Buwang Satu and many Copies of personal notes given to me by Ustad (Senior Serak® Teacher) Dan Inosanto.  With permission from him, those handwritten notes are displayed on the VDT Academy Honor Wall.

      In the spring of 1994 I met a man named Daniel Predovich, he introduced me to many people, and I shared with the police departments a system I developed from my early years called ODF or "Offensive Defensive Force". This system teaches to defend against the "Naked Edge (Blades and Knifes) weapons", and safe arrest procedures.

      As of this time and writing always remembering where I came from and lessons in life.  I do remember, I once knew Paul de Thouars as a brother a decade ago, he shared his way in knowledge in what he beliefs the system of Silat Serak® Pak John de Vries to be.  For a certainty I helped Paul through the years in promoting what he wanted to be promoted.  He wanted the system of Serak® to be for the Special few, which is not my Philosophy and that caused our departing company in August of 1994.   I remember that Paul wanted to retire back in 1984, because of the few students he had at the time.  I was part of him not retiring in those years.

      One of his Students Guru Stevan Plinck promoting Paul’s Silat system of Bukti Negara he developed in 1985 the way Paul was teaching.   Also, to Ustad Dan Inosanto and his wife Instructor/Teacher Paula Inosanto who in the mid-eighties promoted Silat, and still as of this writing.

      To give credence to Maurice de Thouars, oldest living Serak® practitioner, in sharing his way of practicing Silat Serak® Nes de Vries produced.  On a short remembering, In the summer of 1993 four brothers did a workshop in Ustad Dan Inosanto Academy, a very rare occurrence that will likely never happen again because of the shear distance and time periods we now live in.

      I know this is the USA Serak® age page, but not to forget, that a Guru of Serak® teaches the same curriculum on Java, Dhaka Mardjoeki as of today.  This website is maintained by students, and honoring Ibu Jane for their hard work to keep this website updated.

Go Back to Part I of the “Age of Serak”.......

Copyright VDT Communications, Inc. © 1999, all rights reserved