About Us

About PUSAMADA

Recording the struggle, achievements, and togetherness of the PUSAMADA family.

Preserving Culture,
Building Character

Pusaka Mande Muda Indonesia (PUSAMADA) exists as a home for preserving the martial art of Pencak Silat, an ancestral heritage rich in philosophical values and good character.

We are committed not only to producing fighters who are physically strong, but also mentally tough, of noble character, and who uphold the values of honor and brotherhood.

Philosophy

“Élmu Luhung Jembar Kabisa, Budi Suci Gede Bakti.”

A guiding principle and way of life for every member of the PUSAMADA family.

Our History

History of the Pusaka Mande Muda Pencak Silat School

The history of the Pusaka Mande Muda pencak silat school is inseparable from, and closely tied to, the history of the Mande Muda pencak silat school.

In 1951 the Mande Muda pencak silat school was founded in Bandung by Bapak Uyuh Suwanda.

Bapak Uyuh Suwanda studied pencak silat from several styles found in West Java such as Cimande, Cikalong, Sahbandar, Madi, Sera, Kari, Nampon, Timbangan, Kampung Baru, ulin tanjakan and others. From all the styles he studied, he united them into a single body of pencak silat teaching: Mande Muda. At first the development of pencak silat focused more on its artistic side, but as technology advanced and Kendang penca music became available on cassette, live performance bookings declined. So he began to teach pencak silat as a martial art more openly.

In 1977 a member of the intellectual community, a doctor from Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Dr. Tatang Bisri, became interested in pencak silat because it contains elements of art, self-defense and sport, as well as a mental-spiritual dimension and healing — highly relevant to his profession. Because the pencak silat he learned at Mande Muda was so vast and never-ending, he took the initiative to create a pencak silat curriculum with a more structured method of development. A curriculum was created spanning 5 years, divided into 5 levels, each level completed within 1 year, and each level marked by a belt:

Level 1 wears a black belt
Level 2 wears a green belt
Level 3 wears a red belt
Level 4 wears a white belt
Level 5 wears a yellow belt

Within each belt level there are smaller stages called trisula, consisting of trisula 1, 2 and 3, each completed within 4 months.

In 1979 the curriculum began to be accepted within education. It was first applied in schools at SMA Pasundan 1 Bandung; then, in cooperation with Paguyuban Pasundan, Mande Muda was asked to teach pencak silat in schools under Paguyuban Pasundan from junior high and high school to university, until eventually state schools also requested it. The teaching of pencak silat focused more on schools than on the general public. In 1981 alumni of SMA Pasundan 1 Bandung began to help teach and develop Mande Muda pencak silat, among them: Enjang Tholib, Djudjun Djumhana, and Edi Karyawan.

In 1982 Herman Suwanda, the eldest son of Pak Uyuh Suwanda, developed pencak silat in the United States together with his wife Suzane, an American from San Francisco.

In 1983 Pak Uyuh Suwanda and his group traveled to the Netherlands to inaugurate a branch in the city of Den Bosch, led by Hendrik Tulalesy.

In 1984 Mande Muda, led by Pak Uyuh together with his daughter Ike Ineke Suwanda, Dadang Gunawan (son-in-law), Eneng Ratna and Didi, traveled to America to introduce pencak silat and to inaugurate the branch in the United States led by Herman Suwanda.

Thanks to Herman Suwanda's persistence and tenacity, pencak silat developed across the United States, established in several cities such as: San Francisco, New York, Berkeley, California, Indiana, Texas, Dallas, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Denver, and Canada.

Its development in America was very rapid, especially after meeting the American martial arts figure Dan Inosanto, of Filipino origin — an actor, student and friend of Bruce Lee.

The development of pencak silat in the United States did not follow classical instruction, as that system was less accepted by Americans who want everything fast; so through seminars and workshops pencak silat was spread, and the martial art became the chosen focus.

Pencak silat was well received by American martial arts enthusiasts, who called it “Deadly Fighting” — a deadly martial art.

In Indonesia pencak silat was developed through a belt-level system based on the Mande Muda curriculum, which comprises the teaching of martial art, self-defense, sport, mental-spiritual practice, healing, general knowledge, and pencak silat knowledge.

The branch in the Netherlands also uses the curriculum system, except for the one in America which uses a different system: the family system.

In 1987 a student and also son-in-law of Bapak Uyuh Suwanda, Enjang Tholib, developed the school in Australia in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne together with Geofrey Comben and Victoria Cooper. Through Enjang Tholib, many students from abroad were trained, from: America, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, England, France, Switzerland, and Denmark.

Through Anton Baare and Jens Jakobsen, Mande Muda students who learned via Enjang Tholib, pencak silat was introduced in Denmark; and Ruth Fyer introduced pencak silat in England.

In 1990 Bapak Uyuh Suwanda passed away, and the school was led by his eldest son, Herman Suwanda, who was in America. Because Herman Suwanda was in America, the school in Indonesia was managed by Dadang Gunawan (Bapak Uyuh's son-in-law), Rita Senorita (Bapak Uyuh's 3rd child), Ike Ineke (Bapak Uyuh's 5th child), and Enjang Tholib (Uyuh Suwanda's son-in-law).

Not long after, Dadang Gunawan and Rita Senorita founded a new school, Mande Putra. The Mande Muda school in Indonesia was then managed by Ike Ineke Suwanda and Enjang Tholib, since Dadang Gunawan and Rita Senorita had founded a new school.

After Pak Uyuh passed away and the school was led by his son Herman Suwanda, the teaching system began to change and new material was added. Besides learning from his parents, Herman Suwanda also studied with pesilat from outside West Java, such as Javanese, Balinese, Sumatran and Southeast Asian pencak silat from Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines. He brought all he had learned into one system: the family system developed in the United States. The family system is a teaching model in which levels no longer use belt colors but family kinship, such as grandfather, father, uncle, child, grandchild and great-grandchild. The lessons are grouped into clusters such as Jaga Baya, Satria and Pendekar: Jaga Baya is the kinship group named for the child, Satria for the father, and Pendekar for the grandfather.

Seminars are one method of development abroad, but in Indonesia seminars are also held regularly, with participants from branches abroad, in order to bring Indonesia closer. The seminars are assisted by Ike Ineke, Bambang Herlambang (Herman Suwanda's younger brother) and Enjang Tholib.

In 1997 Herman Suwanda built a pencak silat training compound in the Lembang area to train and develop pencak silat in Indonesia and the world. This compound was named Suwanda Academy.

In 2000 Herman Suwanda passed away in a vehicle accident in Germany while returning from inaugurating a branch in Germany.

At that time a family representative was needed to handle the affairs, so Rita, as the eldest, was appointed to represent the family because she was the eldest child who had studied pencak silat.

After Herman Suwanda passed away, Rita Senorita Suwanda, who had founded her own school, wished to merge back into Mande Muda. Thus there were two schools under one roof: Mande Muda and Mande Putra.

The Founding of Pusaka Mande Muda

After Pak Herman passed away, each of his younger siblings wished to develop their own school according to what they had learned, and all of these were still Mande Muda. But to distinguish region, method, and teaching material — each with its own characteristics — in 2000 Ike Ineke and Enjang Tholib created the name Pusaka Mande Muda, with a spread across Indonesia, Europe and Australia; Dadang Gunawan and Rita Senorita in Indonesia and the United States; Bambang Herlambang in Indonesia and the United States.

Pusaka Mande Muda was founded not as a new school but as a continuation and development of Mande Muda, pioneered and developed by Bapak Uyuh Suwanda and Herman Suwanda.

Pencak Silat Teaching Material

The pencak silat teaching material was developed by Bapak Uyuh Suwanda and Herman Suwanda together with other teachers brought to Mande Muda, as well as the personal experience of Enjang Tholib and Ike Ineke while studying with teachers outside the family or Mande Muda.

The Pusaka Mande Muda Curriculum

The Pusaka Mande Muda curriculum is a combination of the curricula applied by Bapak Uyuh Suwanda and Herman Suwanda, called the Pusaka Mande Muda curriculum, consisting of 5 levels each completed within one year. The material covers the psychomotor, affective and cognitive aspects.

The development of pencak silat in Indonesia is focused more within education, from primary school, junior high, high school to university. The teaching method is an integrated approach to pencak silat: art, self-defense, competitive sport, mental-spiritual practice, general pencak silat knowledge, knowledge of the archipelago (Nusantara), national defense, traditional healing and didactics.

Among those who have contributed to the body of teaching material are: