KunTao Silat: Chinese & Indonesian Martial Arts

Articles & Information:

Sigung Steve Gartin Who???
2007 Seminar Schedule
Historically, kuntao and silat have been practiced by ethnic groups divided by language and cultural diversities.

In the late 1970's and the early 1980's three of the four de Thouars brothers, Willem, Paul and Victor and a Chinese Indonesian I shing Ie grandmaster, U. Un Surya came to Colorado to live and teach. A small group of dedicated practitioners had the honor of studying with these four world-class grandmasters of kuntao and silat. Steve Gartin and Chas Clements are among that small group.

In 1981 KunLun Pai was introduced to the world in an event hosted by Pak Victor de Thouars in Southern California. This was the first melding of the two diverse martial styles.

The brutally hard training and the extreme contact kept the student rolls very small during the first 20 years or so. Until 1988, none of the de Thouars brothers cared to promote their arts publicly.

In 1993 Steve Gartin introduced KunTao Silat™ to America. Maintaining the heart and soul of the two great martial arts, Guru Gartin adapted training methods geared for the American life-style to the tactical considerations and training required to actually apply silat and kun tao principles in combat. Seven levels of training take the novice to practitioner level. We consider a "practitioner" or Guru Muda to be a very good black belt level martial artist.

Several AKTS Gurus and PracticeLeaders conduct classes around the U.S. It is possible to study at a distance with modern technology, so we do offer a DistanceTraining Program and a vast offering of video and DVD documentaries, seminars and training aids. We also conduct seminars and workshops and are available by email and phone most of the time.

In 1994 Pak Victor de Thouars opened Serak® to the public and began training gurus.

In 2004 BaPak Willem de Thouars codified his Family System and certified 12 Sigung level Teachers.

Thanks for visiting: We appreciate you stopping by ~ please drop in again!

*[Serak® is a registered trademark used by permission of Victor Ivan Charlie de Thouars] *