Bapak Guru Besar Rudy TerLinden

A History of His Martial Arts and the Development of Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil

The martial history of Bapak Guru Besar Rudy TerLinden is a story spanning Indonesia, New Guinea, Holland, and the United States. It represents a lifetime devoted to studying, preserving, practicing, refining, and ultimately transmitting the Indonesian martial arts entrusted to him.

Rudy's eventual system, Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil, was not created at a single moment and did not come from a single source. It developed over decades as Rudy refined the arts received from his teachers and organized them into his own method of instruction.

At the structural foundation of that method was Pentjak Silat Sera(h).

The relationship between Sera and Rudy's eventual Ratu Adil system can best be expressed by a principle preserved within our lineage:

There is all of Sera in Ratu Adil, but not all of Ratu Adil is Sera.

Understanding this distinction is essential to understanding the martial life and legacy of Rudy TerLinden.

Early Life in East Java

Rudy TerLinden was born in 1931 in East Java, Indonesia.

His martial education began at approximately eight years old. Among his earliest teachers was Pak Sumo, through whom Rudy was introduced to Kun Tao and Setia Hati.

As Rudy grew older, his education expanded into the Indonesian fighting systems that would influence him throughout his life.

Among these influences was an Indonesian teacher whose identity Rudy did not publicly disclose and from whom Rudy received early Sera(h) instruction.

Rudy also studied Tjimande and Tjikolong. One of the teachers associated with this period can be found within the historical material connected with Donn F. Draeger's Weapons and Fighting Arts of the Indonesian Archipelago.

These early experiences gave Rudy exposure to multiple Indonesian systems, but they would not simply become a collection of unrelated techniques. Over the course of his lifetime, Rudy would continue refining the relationships between their principles of movement, structure, striking, positioning, weapons, internal development, and combat.

War, Revolution and New Guinea

Rudy's youth occurred during one of the most turbulent periods in Indonesian history.

War, occupation, internment, and the struggle surrounding Indonesian independence profoundly affected the Dutch-Indo community in which Rudy was raised.

During this period Rudy's history also became associated with Colonel Wesslinger, the Dutch-Indo freedom fighter.

Another pivotal event occurred during Rudy's time in New Guinea, where he met Paul de Thouars.

Rudy and Paul became close friends.

Their meeting is particularly significant to Rudy's later martial history because Paul recognized elements of his own family's Sera tradition within Rudy's movement and martial knowledge.

The relationship between these men and this period of Indonesian martial history was later discussed in published martial-arts material, including the historical Black Belt-era account remembered as "Men of the Spice Islands."

Paul encouraged Rudy to seek out members of Paul's family when Rudy returned to Holland.

Rudy eventually followed that advice.

Ernest and John de Vries

Upon returning to Holland, Rudy sought out Ernest de Vries.

Rudy continued his study of Sera under Ernest, eventually receiving recognition as a full disciple. Through Ernest, Rudy was also brought to study with Ernest's brother, John de Vries.

This instruction further developed and refined the Sera knowledge Rudy had previously acquired.

The historical circumstances surrounding Indonesia remained extremely sensitive during this period. The martial traditions involved were not treated simply as commercial systems available for unrestricted public instruction. They remained closely connected to family, culture, and personal relationships.

Before leaving Holland for America, Rudy was instructed not to publicly teach using the Sera name.

The knowledge could be transmitted privately to family and to selected individuals Rudy considered worthy of becoming disciples. Those receiving the material were expected to respect the same responsibility concerning its transmission.

This would have an important influence upon the way Rudy initially presented his Indonesian martial arts in the United States.

America

Rudy came to the United States in approximately 1962–1963.

His early life in America was closely connected with the Wielandt family.

Joyce Wielandt, who later became the wife of Guru Besar Frank den Daas, knew Rudy through this family relationship and referred to him as Oom Rudy—Uncle Rudy.

The Wielandt family helped Rudy during his early years in America, and Rudy lived with the family during part of this period.

Rudy also reunited with his old friend Paul de Thouars, and their martial exchange continued in America.

Fortunately, part of that early relationship survives on film.

The 1964 Film Record

Among the important materials preserved within the private historical archive are original 8mm films dated 1964.

The films show Rudy TerLinden and Paul de Thouars training together.

They preserve both Pentjak Silat and Kung-Fu San Soo material from this early period. Among the surviving footage is Rudy performing belah diri with Paul, while Paul can also be seen demonstrating San Soo forms and material.

Additional surviving 8mm footage records Rudy demonstrating the 18 long-form djurus of Pentjak Silat Sera(h).

The importance of these films is straightforward: they are contemporary visual records.

Rather than relying exclusively upon memories recorded many decades later, the films preserve Rudy's martial movement and material during the 1960s.

The original films remain part of the privately preserved historical archive and are not distributed publicly on the internet.

Jimmy Woo and Kung-Fu San Soo

Rudy continued studying martial arts after coming to America.

One particularly important relationship developed with Sifu Jimmy H. Woo, founder of Kung-Fu San Soo.

Rudy trained extensively in San Soo and received black-belt recognition from Jimmy Woo.

Jimmy provided Rudy with a studio in Glendale, California, where Rudy could teach.

During this period Rudy's friend Paul de Thouars and Paul's younger brother were also present around the school and were exposed to Kung-Fu San Soo. Rudy, meanwhile, was beginning to expose selected advanced students to the foundations of his Indonesian martial arts.

Eventually Jimmy Woo encouraged Rudy to concentrate upon teaching his own Indonesian martial heritage. Rudy was permitted to continue using the studio, and the two men remained close friends.

This became an important transition in Rudy's development as a teacher.

Pentjak ADE

During the late 1960s and into the 1970s, Rudy publicly taught an art he called Pentjak ADE.

The name honored his deceased younger sister, Ade, with the name carrying the meaning of a younger one or younger sibling.

Pentjak ADE provided students with an introduction to Rudy's Pentjak Silat.

It also enabled Rudy to teach his Indonesian martial arts publicly while continuing to honor his commitment concerning the private transmission of Sera.

Consequently, an important distinction existed between Rudy's public curriculum and the material taught privately to selected advanced students.

The Inner Training

Those students whom Rudy brought further into his martial teachings received considerably more.

The langkhas and djurus of Sera provided the structural platform.

Some of this advanced instruction took place during unusual training sessions beginning around midnight on Saturdays and continuing into the early hours of Sunday morning.

Following their Pentjak Silat training, the students would also practice the Tai Chi Chuan Rudy had learned from Tung Fu Long.

Rudy's method was progressive.

Rather than simply mixing several martial arts together, Rudy first established a foundation. Once his students understood that foundation, he could begin introducing the additional systems and principles he had accumulated throughout his life.

This included elements from his Kun Tao, Tjimande, Tjikolong, Setia Hati, Tai Chi Chuan, and other martial studies.

Over decades, Rudy continued refining both the material and his method of transmitting it.

Eventually that process became Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil.

Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil

By the mid-to-late 1980s, Rudy's teaching methodology had matured into the system known as:

Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil

Ratu Adil represented the culmination of Rudy's lifetime of martial study.

Its central structural platform remained Sera, but Rudy's system incorporated the knowledge and principles he had accumulated from his other teachers and martial experiences.

This distinction is important.

Ratu Adil was not an abandonment of Sera, nor was it merely another name for Sera.

It was Rudy's broader system constructed upon that foundation.

Thus:

There is all of Sera in Ratu Adil, but not all of Ratu Adil is Sera.

Establishing the Continuation of Rudy's Arts

As Rudy grew older, the preservation of his martial knowledge became increasingly important.

Two particularly important responsibilities were entrusted to senior students during this period.

Guru Besar Frank den Daas

Guru Besar Frank den Daas began studying with Rudy in 1971 and continued as his student for more than two decades.

Frank became one of the principal students entrusted with Rudy's mature Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil system.

In 1991, Rudy named Frank den Daas his lineage holder for Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil.

When Rudy returned to Holland in 1993, Frank was left in charge of Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil in the United States.

He would continue teaching, refining, and preserving the system entrusted to him.

Pendita Guru Dr. Andre KnustGraichen

At approximately this same period, Dr. Andre KnustGraichen was entrusted with another important responsibility.

Andre had developed into one of Rudy's highly refined students.

Rudy recognized him as Pendita Guru and entrusted him with preserving and promoting the broader body of martial arts Rudy had transmitted to him.

Within the lineage this responsibility became known as Keeper of the Flame of Rudy TerLinden's martial arts.

These appointments were complementary rather than contradictory.

Guru Besar Frank den Daas was entrusted with the lineage of Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil.

Pendita Guru Dr. Andre KnustGraichen was entrusted with preserving the broader body of Rudy TerLinden's martial teachings.

Andre and his younger brother, Guru Besar Hans KnustGraichen, would become central figures in carrying that knowledge into the next generation through Pentjak Silat USA and TerLinden Martial Arts.

Independent Corroboration of Rudy's Sera

The historical connection between Rudy TerLinden and the de Vries Sera tradition is preserved through several different forms of evidence.

Among the historical witnesses was Sir Don Kessing, who reported witnessing Rudy studying with Ernest de Vries in Holland.

Another remarkable form of corroboration emerged through what Rudy had actually taught his students.

That became particularly significant through Dr. Andre KnustGraichen.

Jim Ingram and Maurice de Thouars

During the late 1990s, Bapak Guru Besar Jim Ingram, whose Pentjak Silat Mustika Kweetang system contained Sera material received through his own family tradition, recognized Andre's substantial knowledge of Sera.

Jim Ingram and Bapak Guru Besar Maurice de Thouars were longtime friends who had grown up together.

Recognizing what Andre possessed, Jim helped arrange for Andre and Hans KnustGraichen to meet Maurice in Holland in approximately 1997–1998.

Andre demonstrated for Maurice the Sera material he had learned from Oom Rudy.

Maurice was one of the oldest and most knowledgeable Gurus within his family's Sera tradition.

The substantial correspondence between the system Andre had received from Rudy and the family Sera known to Maurice became important technical corroboration of Rudy's earlier training.

Maurice subsequently accepted Andre and Hans KnustGraichen as his students.

For approximately the following decade, the brothers repeatedly traveled to Holland, often spending summers and holidays with Oom Maurice.

Maurice refined their existing Sera and continued their education, including further instruction in the weapons material belonging to the family system.

In May 2004, Maurice formally named Dr. Andre KnustGraichen heir and successor to his Pukulan Pentjak Silat Pa Sera (MFDT).

Guru Besar Hans KnustGraichen likewise received recognition within the system and, following Andre's passing, continued as lineage holder in that transmission.

The Next Generation — Guru Jim Brown

The transmission of Rudy's martial knowledge continued into another generation.

Jim Brown began studying with Guru Besar Hans KnustGraichen in August 1994.

In November of that same year, Dr. Andre KnustGraichen came down to teach his brother's students.

This began a relationship that continued for approximately the next twenty years.

Andre regularly visited Hans, often returning every few months, and during those visits continued teaching and refining Rudy's martial material with the students training under his brother.

Following Rudy TerLinden's passing in January 2000, Jim also began training personally with Guru Besar Frank den Daas at Frank's home.

Frank continued refining Jim's Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil.

The 2003 Guru Examination

An important milestone occurred in 2003, when Jim Brown organized a seminar bringing together senior representatives of Rudy TerLinden's martial legacy, including the KnustGraichen brothers, Guru Besar Frank den Daas, and Guru Besar Fred Durant, one of Rudy's early students.

During this gathering Jim was formally tested for the rank of Guru in both Pentjak Silat USA and Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil.

Within the tradition followed by the organization, a student's principal teacher does not administer that student's Guru examination. The examination is conducted by another qualified Head Guru.

Because Guru Besar Fred Durant held Guru status within Ratu Adil and was qualified in both systems, he administered Jim's examination.

Jim successfully completed the examination and was recognized as Guru in Pentjak Silat USA and Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil, granting him authority to teach both systems.

His certificate was signed by:

Pendita Guru Dr. Andre KnustGraichen
Guru Besar Hans KnustGraichen
Guru Besar Frank den Daas

This distinction is historically important.

Jim's authority to teach the systems did not originate with his later appointment as Frank's successor. He had already been examined, recognized, and authorized as a Guru by the senior leadership in 2003.

Maurice de Thouars — 2004

Maurice de Thouars' 2004 recognition extended beyond the KnustGraichen brothers.

When Maurice came to the United States in connection with the recognition of Andre and Hans, he also acknowledged a small group of their students.

Among those students was Guru Jim Brown, who received a certificate acknowledging him within the direct line of Bapak Guru Besar Maurice de Thouars.

This became another connection between the martial knowledge transmitted through Rudy and the continuing de Thouars family Sera tradition.

Succession of Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil

Jim continued studying privately with Guru Besar Frank den Daas for many years after receiving his Guru recognition.

In March 2018, Frank formally named Guru Jim Brown as his lineage holder in Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil.

The progression therefore occurred over decades:

1994 — Student under Guru Besar Hans KnustGraichen

2000 — Began additional direct study with Guru Besar Frank den Daas

2003 — Formally tested and recognized as Guru in PSUSA and PSRA

2004 — Recognized within the direct line of Bapak Guru Besar Maurice de Thouars

2018 — Named lineage holder of Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil by Guru Besar Frank den Daas

Following Guru Besar Frank den Daas's passing in April 2021, Guru Jim Brown assumed responsibility as Head of Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil.

The organizational succession of the Ratu Adil system in the United States is therefore preserved as:

Bapak Guru Besar Rudy TerLinden

↓

Guru Besar Frank den Daas

↓

Guru Jim Brown

Guru Tua and the Responsibility of Lineage

In 2020, after 26 years of training within Pentjak Silat USA and Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil, Jim Brown received the title of Guru Tua (Master Teacher) in both systems.

As the designated lineage holder and current Head of Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil, the traditional progression of responsibility would ultimately carry the title Guru Besar.

However, out of respect for his teacher, Guru Besar Frank den Daas, Jim has chosen not to assume or publicly use that title for a period of years following his teacher's passing.

He therefore continues to use the title Guru Tua Jim Brown, a title he holds in both Pentjak Silat USA and Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil.

This choice reflects an important principle within the lineage: succession is not simply the assumption of a title. It is the acceptance of responsibility for preserving what one's teacher entrusted to the next generation.

Rudy's Legacy in Holland

Rudy's martial legacy also continued through his family and students in Holland.

Leo TerLinden, Rudy's son, is recognized as Head of TerLinden Martial Arts in Holland, preserving his father's family and martial heritage there.

Another important student is Guru Larry Rudd, who returned to Holland and continued his relationship and training with Rudy.

Larry received the rank of Guru Muda directly from Bapak Guru Besar Rudy TerLinden during this later period.

Pentjak Silat USA and Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil recognize Larry Rudd's Guru status and his place within Rudy TerLinden's martial legacy.

The exact date of Larry's Guru Muda recognition will be added to the final historical chronology once confirmed from the archival record.

Preserving the Historical Record

The history presented here is not based upon a single recollection.

It has been assembled over many years from period publications, historical photographs, original 8mm film, video, eyewitness testimony, certificates, correspondence, handwritten records, and the experiences of individuals who trained directly within these generations of the lineage.

The privately maintained historical archive also contains original handwritten material associated with individuals including Maurice de Thouars and Adolf de Vries, together with additional records documenting portions of this history.

These private materials will not be published or distributed on the internet.

They have been preserved as lineage and historical records, and their privacy will continue to be respected.

Publicly available period publications can provide researchers with portions of the history. The private archive provides an additional record for the custodians charged with preserving the lineage.

This distinction is intentional.

Preservation does not require public disclosure of everything entrusted to a lineage.

The Legacy of Bapak Guru Besar Rudy TerLinden

Rudy TerLinden's martial history cannot adequately be understood through a single certificate, interview, student, organization, or period of his life.

It was a journey of more than half a century.

It began with a young boy training in East Java and continued through the traditional Indonesian martial arts, war and political upheaval, New Guinea, Holland, the de Vries family Sera tradition, immigration to America, his friendship and martial exchange with Paul de Thouars, his training with Jimmy Woo, Kung-Fu San Soo, Pentjak ADE, his private transmission of Sera, and ultimately the refinement of Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil.

Fortunately, portions of that journey were preserved.

The publications remain.

The photographs remain.

The original films remain.

The documents remain.

Most importantly, the martial knowledge itself remains.

It survived because Rudy entrusted different responsibilities to students whom he believed capable of carrying portions of his life's work forward.

The purpose of preserving this history today is not to diminish anyone who trained with Rudy or anyone who remembers him differently.

It is to honor the teachers who came before us and to preserve, as accurately and respectfully as possible, the history entrusted to the generations that followed them.

That responsibility is part of Adat.

The manner in which we carry it is part of Hormat.

And at the center of Rudy TerLinden's martial legacy remains the principle that explains the relationship between the foundation he received and the system he ultimately left behind:

There is all of Sera in Ratu Adil, but not all of Ratu Adil is Sera.

Hormat,

Guru Tua Jim Brown
Head & Lineage Holder — Pukulan Pentjak Silat Ratu Adil USA
Pentjak Silat USA