Liu Seong Kuntao

The Liu Seong System is one of the many styles of

Kuntao, which are hybrid martial arts systems derived
from the cultures of Chinese Indonesia. The Liu Seong
system was brought to America, from Indonesia, by
Willem A. Reeders (1917-1990).

view is that although a style may be a hybrid or combination, eventually it develops its own identity and is no
longer considered to be 'mixed'. Another view is that all
martial arts are indeed hybrids and are the result of a continual process of synthesis and renement, and any given
Willem Reeders was of mixed heritage, being of Dutch art in a generational span is, in fact, a 'phase' of its development.
and Chinese blood, but raised in Indonesia. He received
training in a variety of martial arts, no one knows how Another extremely valid point of view upon diering
many exactly. His primary teacher was his great uncle martial styles is they are more accurately identied as
Liu Seong, whose title he bore. His uncle taught him cultural/social representations. Karate is Okinawan or
his familys Kuntao system, a sophisticated form of ght- Japanese, gungfu is Chinese, and so on. Each culture
ing which focuses on close range technique. Reeders also tends to focus on a dierent approach to the ghting arts,
studied many silat systems, having over ten silat teachers. according to their mores.
His silat styles included Tjikalong (Cikalong), Tjimande In one sense, the 'real' dierence in arts, beyond cultural
(Cimande), Harimau, and Serak, among others. Reeders distinctions, lies in the strategies and tactics employed.
was an extremely accomplished martial artist who was
able to tie many focal elements of various arts together The Liu Seong system is culturally derived from the arts
into a cohesive whole. The result is an art that although of China and Indonesia, and accordingly has tactical elbearing many similarities to many well known arts still ements of both. The adopted cultural aspects, primarily
retains a distinctive identity with its own signature move- school etiquette, may vary between Chinese and Indonements, strategies, and tactics. It is based rmly in an sian terminology and practices, and may even include elobjective approach, based on the principles of physics, ements of both.
anatomy, and psychology. The patterns of movement are There is an axiom that states that for a system to be valid
designed to be extremely eective and one hallmark is the it must be based upon a greater system. Beyond the conability to throw a large volume of attacks very rapidly.
sideration of historical and cultural elements, what deToday, Reeders Kuntao / Liu Seong Gung Fu is thinly nes the Liu Seong system is a core of operation that is
spread throughout the United States, with instructors of- rmly rooted in the principles of physics, psychology and
fering variations of the art in Arizona, California, Col- anatomy. This orientation is what allows the art to weave
orado, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New together two disparate cultural elements and blend difMexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Ten- fering strategies together into one whole, and in the end,
dene itself. It is a true synthesis.
nessee, Toronto, and Virginia.

2 Chinese hands and Indonesian

feet

Combination of styles

Many styles that are the result of combining dierent

methods are often termed extquotedbleclectic extquotedbl and often are lacking a core, instead relying upon
the continual addition of new strategies, tactics, and techniques. The Liu Seong system although hybridized is not
at all eclectic, and the basic movements are also the advanced. Understandings and applications change, but the
essential system does not. This allows for a much greater
depth in the development of skill owing to the continual
renement of a base that does not inherently change, but
instead becomes more advanced.

Being a synthesis, it has many tactics to draw upon. One

basic recognition of this is found in the expression, Chinese hands and Indonesian feet. This refers to the basic combination of Chinese-style (neijia) biomechanics
and Indonesian style footwork patterns. The China Hand
component teaches good body alignment for power. Indonesian Feet teaches mobility and positioning through
the use of footwork 'patterns.

Because it is greatly inuenced by silat, the Liu Seong

System is what is known as 'blade aware', and this
There are various view points espoused by martial artists is reected in many elements of the posture. Alabout the nature of systems and their development. One though weapons are rarely used in practice, except in ad1

4 FUNDAMENTAL STRATEGIES, TACTICS, AND TECHNIQUES

vanced training, movements are made 'as if' the opponent was wielding a knife, stick, or one of other numerous
weapons, gun defense techniques do exist, within the context of the system to address this modern concern. The
postures used tend to protect most major vital areas and
this protection is maintained at all times. This method
is known as 'closed body' movement. The closed body
movement also has the eect of 'winding up' the practitioners arms and legs so that he can strike out quickly
and 'close up' again so as not to unnecessarily expose the
vitals to attack. The guard shape and techniques used in
this 'closed body' system are very distinctive and tend to
constitute the 'signature' of the system. in great part this
'closed' condition is maintained by the continual position
of the back hand in a guard position. Whenever the basic
guard posture is changed or a strike is thrown the backup
will be in a 'guardian' position.
Often, it is taken to be a form of Pakuachang, although
seemingly more angular in nature. Many are of the impression that kuntao and Pakuachang are either the same
or highly related. Others cite parallel evolution. Given
Reeders history and circumstance, it is entirely likely he
knew both arts. Despite the origin, known or not, in the
Liu Seong system there is an inherent use of angulation
that tends to be very advantageous in a combat situation, coupled with continuous non-stop entry and penetration. The art doesn't, however, 'go around' to someone
to strike, it 'goes to' the target with the use of angles to
avoid the opponents attack. there are a large volume of
counter-attack techniques in the system. Counter-time or
interceptive techniques are also prevalent. The kuntaoer
is extremely dicult to strike because he or she will not
be where expected and the kuntaoer does not react to an
opponents strike. By the time an opponent has began his
or her movement, the kuntaoer will have realized it and
will have already struck the opponent, occasionally multiple times.

ters. Therefore their students have a strong model to emulate, and their teachers 'style' shows in their forms and
applications.
The range of these arts is also shown in a wide array of
forms (kata, quan, etc.) that are practiced. Dierent
lines of the art have dierent sets of forms. These forms
are often deconstructed and made into smaller patterns
of movement for ease of learning and for childrens programs, as well as being rearranged in dierent sequences.
These are the individualized training tools developed by
dierent instructors.
Additionally, some chapters have assimilated forms from
other sources into the Liu Seong system or teach it in concert with other methods.

4 Fundamental strategies, tactics,

and techniques
The origin of many tactics and techniques in the system is
unknown. Speculation of where a particular tactic comes
from, in terms of root style, is often a point of discussion
amongst practitioners. Because of the hybrid nature of
the art, many techniques taken from other arts may very
well have been transformed by its absorption in the system to the extent that they no longer resemble their parent
art. It is often stated by those that knew Willem Reeders,
that he was primarily concerned with the technique applications and ghting tactics of the arts that he studied,
not with ritual elements, like forms, or juru-juru (prearranged sequences of movement).

This fact plays out in the many dierent methods of engagement that can be found within the system. Due to
this variety, the art cannot be rigorously classied. The
common thread found running through all the schools
are the principles of operation. Although Liu Seong enThese are a few of the basic characteristics of the syscompasses many techniques, its true denition is found
tem which is a unique combination of the Chinese and
in the tactical transitions of the distinctive postures of
Indonesian elements from which is it created.
the style, and the syncopated rhythm of attack which are
used to enter, strike and achieve a wide variety of locking
and throwing techniques, culminating in nishing attacks
3 Standardization and diversity
upon the downed opponent.
There is no standardized curriculum, nor is there a central organization to represent the art, to which all chapters
subscribe. Each school has its own individualized program of training. Despite the variety of expression found
in the art, and the independent nature of the schools, there
are more similarities than dierences, and often it takes
one who is familiar with the system to identify the difference in methods, as they are, in most cases, quite subtle. Experts in the system can often identify who a student trains with just by watching them move. This is
due in great part to the fact the many of Reeders original (rst generation American) students are, for the most
part, alive and well and heading up their respective chap-

4.1 Strategy
Liu Seong is not an art of self-defense, and not meant for
sport competition. Reeders Kuntao is an extreme art of
close-quarters combat. Practitioners spar at less than full
speed and strength, and many attacks are not used due
to their inherently dangerous nature. This concession is
considered a necessity in order to prevent injury to the
students. The Liu Seong system, in great part, has not
undergone modernization, as have many other disciplines.
Willem Reeders system of martial arts relies heavily on
explosive movement. All strikes and movements must

5.2

Published articles

be performed explosively to cause maximum damage and

has an unknown relationship to more widely
minimize any advantage an opponent may have. Because
known branches of T'ai chi ch'uan.
of the explosive, continuous and uid movement of the
Michael G. Schmitt, M.P.T - GUNG FU: The Natukuntaoer, if an opponent is not incapacitated by the rst
ral Way of Health and Self Defense, Volume 1, The
or second strike, the opponent will often be reacting to
Fundamentals (1995) ISBN 1-56167-213-0
strikes that have already been delivered. An opponent
may be up to ve or six strikes behind. Reeders Kuntao
still retains its old school combat orientation with tech5.2 Published articles
niques that are designed to seriously injure or kill an attacker. The essential premise of the art is that for self Maria Army - Master of Ancient Discipline Retains
defense to be adequate it must take into account the worst
Youthful Vigor - Albuquerque Journal (Sunday, June
possible scenario in which you could nd yourself, in a
1, 1986)
ghting context. Accordingly, this would be having to
face multiple, armed attackers who are versed in the mar Master Lu - The Teaching of Traditions - Asian
tial arts as well. This assumption lays the theoretical basis
SUNews on-line
for the art.
Liu Seong history - http://www.tibetantaichi.com/
The Liu Seong system is a 'blade aware' or weapons based
LiuSeong.htm
system which is generally trained without weaponry.
Weapons are added to the training at advanced levels
as an extension of the hand technique which is considered paramount. This is a departure from the method of
many other styles of weapons combat which begin training with weapons rst and take up 'empty hand' methods
after basic baton, knife, or sta skills have been learned.
Reeders Kuntao has been known to be deadly, dangerous, and eective against virtually any other style of martial arts including boxing, wrestling, jujitsu, wing-chun,
mixed-martial arts, and other styles because of the explosive and powerful movements. While other martial arts
are considered self-defense or sport, Reeders Kuntao is a
combat art designed to defeat all other arts, including the
most advanced arts. The Liu Seong Kuntao or Reeders
Kuntao is considered to be the deadliest, fastest, and most
brutal martial art as it was developed as an answer to every other style of combat. By making Reeders Kuntao
secretive, it is hard to nd instructors in the art; therefore,
a practitioner of Reeders Kuntao not only has the advantage of knowing a way to defeat every other system of
combat but also has the advantage that most do not know
about Reeders Kuntao. By defeating and countering every other style of combat and very few people knowing
Reeders Kuntao, the ghting system is the system to beat,
making the practitioner a virtually unbeatable ghter.

Reference and further reading

5.1

Books

Joe Salomone - INDONESIAN TAI-CHI EXERCISE

(An Alternative for Health and Well Being) Volume
1, A Guide to the Science, Principles & Fundamentals of TAI-CHI Exercise (1996), AISDA Publishing,
Phoenix AZ (No ISBN)
--- A reference for the T'ai chi ch'uan-like exercise found within Liu Seongs teachings, which

6 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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JubalHarshaw, NawlinWiki, Nate1481, Kungfuadam, PRehse, SmackBot, Reedy, Bluebot, Colonies Chris, Kuntaokid, Tawkerbot2,
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