I was born in a small village in Indonesia. Back then, it was common that if you were weak and frail, you were the easy target of many bullies. As a result of being bullied so much, I started to study a means of self- defense. At the beginning I was just watching and imitating villagers practicing Silat, a traditional Indonesian martial art. Training was held at night, in the moon light of the evening among the rice paddies. It was a harsh place where I grew up. Criminals haunted the village with gangs of robberies that kept the villagers awake at night. There was little policing and weak laws. It was common to see either villagers get injured by the thieves, or the thieves get caught and hurt by the villagers. Elders were weary of strangers and taught the secret of their Silat to only a few trusted family members. I was not one of them. Though things have dramatically changed, that period has affected my whole feeling and self-image about the importance of developing oneself through martial arts training.
My formal training began in 1987, when I was in middle school. I began the art of Karate, under two different organizations: The Shotokan and Kyokushinkai. Both of my teachers were from the military. While the Shotokan emphasized Kata and Bunkai (practical application of the kata moves), Kyokushinkai emphasized Kumite (sparring). Most practices were done on the dirt pavement of a temple or on the elementary school yards. There was no formal dojo (martial arts school) in my village. Yearly rank promotion examinations involving several hundred Karateka gathered from several villages in the main dojo. The hard physical and grueling Kumite is a fond memory that I have. I received the rank of first kyu brown belt (one rank before black belt) by the time I left my country to the United States in 1996.
The same year I came to the US, I was introduce to Sifu David Leung and started my martial arts training in Wing Chun Kung Fu. Through his school, I attended many workshops with Internationally known Kung Fu masters. I was exposed to other styles of Kung Fu such as: Hsing-I and Tai Chi Chuan. I trained with Sifu Leung until I found out that my heart belonged to Judo.
In 1999, I switched my training and began focusing on studying Judo under Master Kyuchin Hwang. Looking back at this time, I am not satisfied with my training, because it focused too much on a tough-guy mentality. It was the search for a balance of philosophy and practical sense of personal development that led me to Best Martial Arts Institute in 2001. Since I stepped my feet through the doors of BMAI I never looked back. I finally found what I was looking for.
Now, I consider BMAI as my school for learning the way of martial arts in a total sense. It is not only that Sensei Best embodies true leadership for me, but he has positively affected the development of my son, Rhian, and hundreds (or thousands) of others. I have had many profound conversations going to the dojo with Rhian, and I know that my son’s thoughtfulness is a direct result of the time he spent at the dojo, surrounded by the many beautiful spirits the dojo has brought to his world.
I consider Judo to be my root art for both its practical use and philosophy, but I still continue my study of other martial arts. Besides holding the rank of San dan (3rd degree black belt) in judo, I am a two-stripe blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Professor Ryan Kelly, 5th kyu in Aikido under Sensei Chuck Hauk at BMAI, and have two years of training in Muay Thai under Ajarn Mike Warlrath. Martial Arts has not only taught me to believe in myself, but it has allowed room for my creativity and learning what my limitations are.
PacMac Instructor – 2019