Archive | Applications
Testing Resumes
By Dr. Jonathan Pyndus on May 5, 2023 in Applications, Forms, Health, Informational, Inner Circle, Knife, News, Teachers, Testing, Training, UpDates, Video
Greetings to everyone in KTS, With Pak Steve’s release this weekend we will be resuming online testing. However, to streamline the online testing process for everyone in the Distance Learning Program and the Guru Certification Course tests will now be conducted via live video conference using FreeConferenceCall.com, FaceTime, or FaceBook Messenger. If you are wanting […]
Bela Diri – Self-Defense
By Dr. Jonathan Pyndus on February 3, 2023 in Applications, Informational, Teachers, Training, Uncategorized
Many readers may or may not know that there is an epidemic of homelessness in the United States. Many major cities have large populations of individuals living on the streets. A significant number of these people suffer from mental illness and/or addiction. I bring this up as a lead in to this week’s subject: teaching […]
Family Ties: A Comparison of Filipino Martial Arts and KunTao Silat
By Dr. Jonathan Pyndus on January 27, 2023 in Applications, Forms, Informational, Teachers, Training
Recently, a member of the Distance Learning Program asked me about the similarities and differences between the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) and KunTao Silat. As there is much crossover culturally and technically across the Southeast Asian martial arts, and many KTS players have a background in FMA, I thought this would be a great topic […]
Gauging “Success” of a Technique
By Dr. Jonathan Pyndus on January 20, 2023 in Applications, Children, Informational, Training, Uncategorized
A frequent source of online martial arts debates (as these questions could be easily resolved in person) is on whether or not a particular technique or even whole style “works.” That the functionality of any endeavor ultimately rests in the effort of the individual notwithstanding (because who wants to take responsibility for their actions), these […]
Learning to Teach Yourself
By Dr. Jonathan Pyndus on January 6, 2023 in Applications, Forms, Informational, Teachers, Training, Uncategorized
Pak Steve has often referred to KunTao Silat as a, “collegiate martial art.” There are many reasons for this. First, it is important to remember that Pak Steve and the other founding members of the Kun Lun Pai were already experienced and highly proficient martial artists before they began training with Ba Pak Willem De […]
Engines of Destruction: The Difference Between Silat, Shaolin, and Taoist Mechanics
By Dr. Jonathan Pyndus on December 9, 2022 in Applications, Forms, Informational, Teachers, Training, Uncategorized
The following will also be found in some variation in the upcoming book: GuruMuda James Kern coined the phrase, “Destruction Theory,” to refer to how a martial art school develops and applies force (Fa Jin in Chinese) for combat. It’s a cute term, easily appropriated by any number of “internet tough guys,” but it gets […]
The Six Zones of Attack
By Dr. Jonathan Pyndus on December 2, 2022 in Applications, Health, Informational, Teachers, Training
As Ibu Rose mentioned in her recent guest post, Pak Steve and I are working on the definitive KunTao Silat book. Here is an early excerpt, subject to much change: One of the biggest victims of cultural misunderstanding and outright misrepresentation as the martial and medical arts of Asia have spread to the West is […]
That Doesn’t Work, Except When It Does
Recently I was re-watching an old Filipino martial arts instructional video from the 1990s. The instructor was highly qualified and clearly knowledgeable and skilled. He made a number of salient points about how many martial arts deal with knives using unrealistic methods. But then he made a statement to the effect of: “no one stabs […]
The Dead Man’s Ten
https://www.kbtx.com/2022/08/08/graphic-smoke-shop-owner-fights-back-stabs-attempted-robber/ I would think it’s safe to assume that everyone who practices martial arts, even those only interested in health, performance, or culture, still occasionally have the “hero” daydream. Faced with no way out they apply their training to an aggressor. Often the outcome of these mental scenarios is based largely on assumptions drawn not […]