Now already 65, time has been kind to him. He looks younger and his moves still
have the flowing and at the same time forcefulness so characteristic of Pencak Silat.
As one of the members of the 'Council Of Elders' he still occupies a prominent
position in Pencak. He himself, modest as he is, won't know of it.
"To me, it is a great privilege to be allowed to be a part of the Council and to
cooperate with the other Paatjes.

FIRST LESSONS

John D. Nelson was born in Asembagus in the northeast of Java. As was the
custom in those days, he was raised by his grandmother in Mojowarno (on Java)
while his paternal uncles oversaw his education. They were also responsible for
his initiation into the art of self-defense. "My uncle took on my training, I was six
years old then. The style he taught me was called Ngudi Krawuh. I received
private tuition 3 times a week. It was boring, training alone that way. As I
progressed in my training, it came to my uncle that I should be tested more.
On the way home from school I was ordered to bully and challenge some
classmates until they had had enough and started to fight. My uncle was
usually hidden in the bushes to see how I would do. I was only allowed
to fend of attacks. Yes, I got hit a few times, but if I dared wallop them
back, I didn't get any pocket money, so I didn't do that!"

TRAINING METHODS

There were other unorthodox training methods which were intended to
get the then still Raden Panji Setiosoeprapto to a higher level of self-defense
skill. What to think of the power exercises for the little fellow (then 7 to 8 years
old!) which put him shoulder high in the river Konto after which he had to
kick and punch. Or the method for learning how to keep your balance
under all circumstances. He had to run as fast as he could across the
slick paths of the sawah, without falling. To bring up his legwork, the
following was thought out. When the soy beans had been harvested,
and these plants had been cut as short as possible, he had to run back
and forth between the sharp stumps as quickly as possible. Without shoes!

STYLES

To honor the family's traditions, the little Panji would spend three months
in a buddhist monastery in Thailand. There, he came into contact with
the Thai form of fighting we now call Thai Boxing. This hard style from
Siam would come to help him really well in later years. When he returned
to Indonesia, his education was expanded with an exposure to the basics
of Pa Kua and Tai Chi, by way of an acquaintance of his father.

"Looking back to it, it may seem a little exaggerated, all the attention being
placed on the martial arts while in the mean time other children would go
out flying their kites.
But, I didn't know better and above all, I liked it too. To me, it was often a game.
I was introduced to ever different styles and forms. One of the chauffeurs
of my father, Bapak Nitigunung, taught me Setia Hati. And another chauffeur
showed me what Pukulan Betawi was all about, while my father's coachman
taught me the style Bawean.

In 1942, Japan invaded Indonesia and many things changed. The little Panji
was sent to a boarding school and had to follow the Japanese school there.

Besides the usual education, he was subjected to a harsh regime Judo, Kendo
and even Sumo.

However, the real tests only came to pass with the so-called "Suruan Games".
With these, illegally organized, tournaments everything was allowed and it
even come to pass that fights came down to life or death...

SURUAN - ULTIMATE FIGHTING

"I participated in two of those games. You only get in on invitation. I remember
we had to walk six to eight hours before we came to the secret spot in the
mountains of Java. I had told my grandmother that I was going to eat at
a friend's place and would stay the night.

"There were no rules or weight divisions. The resident Grand Master decided
who you were to fight.

"Everything was allowed. Jabbing the eyes. Breaking the neck, name it.
The match only lasted for ten minutes. Fortunately I was in such a good
condition and my enemies usually done after that time. The many exercises
my uncle had put me through now showed their use. Also the kicks I had
perfected while at the Thai monks came in handy. Still, my uncle had
impressed it on me not to fight to kill. I tried to fend off and deflect as
much as possible.
I was young, and looking at it from hindsight, barely aware of what
dangerous games I was playing. Both times, I won because my opponents
gave up and couldn't breach my defenses.
Of course, there were fights that ended worse. There usually
were serious injuries and of one fight I know the results were lethal.
How they covered that up? Well, the story was put out that the deceased
fighter had had an accident collecting firewood. The report at that time
was written by the head of the kampong, so it didn't go as officially then
as it does now. You didn't talk about it to third parties. You accepted
it as a code of honor to remain silent if you participated with these things."
 

PAMUR BADAI

And then his present style. John Nelson tells of the story how his uncle
once found a wandering woman on his land and sent her off. Instead,
he was attacked by her "like a gail". He had to throw in everything to defend
himself. Impressed by her techniques, he allowed her to remain and guard
his land, on condition that she taught him her fighting style. Pamur
means "face".
In the fighting style of John Nelson, one can discern the "face" of the first
style he learned from his uncle, the Ngudi Krawuh. That, blended together
with the style his uncle learned from the mysterious woman has become the
Pamur Badai. Since 1962 John Nelson is in the Netherlands and in
1973 he started teaching Pencak Silat.
 

THE PRESENT DAY

Especially in the beginning, many martial artists of other styles came to
learn from him because his techniques were mainly aimed at the real fight,
which sounded a cord among martial artists.

At this moment, John Nelson is still teaching a group of 78 strong in Diemen.

"My goal isn't a commercial one. I also want, as much as possible, to create
order out of the chaos of all the different styles, and that's why I'm working
closely with the organization in Indonesia (IPSI or Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia).
The Persilat accepts me, and I find that an honor. I give my pupils a quarter
of my techniques as basis. After 8 years training I hook this up with a style
from Indonesia.
This way, I can live up to my promises and agreements with the Indonesian
organization, mainly the agreement that we'll try to stop people with coming
out with self made styles. It's time that the Indonesian cultural heritage
in Holland also remains in it's pure form.