History

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Otto VanDerGroen

Born in 1940 in Bandung, Indonesia, Tai Sifu Otto VanDerGroen would live to become a pioneer and ambassador of the Indonesian art of Kuntao. While serving in the United States Army, he would become a Green Beret as he toured Korea, Germany, and Vietnam. After retiring from the military, he died shortly after on May 14th, 1979.


Sifu Otto's father, Maha Guru Edgar VanDerGroen, known to some as Mr. Lie Gai and referred to by Sifu Abrescy as "Pop," would serve as one of his top advisers and supporters, helping him to eventually form the "Imua Kuntao Kai Karate-Doh" system. Maha Guru Lie Gai held a reputation for being a legendary ringleader as a Shantung Kuntao fighter in Jakarta, Indonesia.

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Sifu Otto's Influence on KSD

Kuntao is a fighting art form that originated in China's Fukien Province. Based on physics, practitioners of the art explore how to effectively blend static and dynamic properties to maximize force. Imua Kuntao's movements revolve around the "Vortex Principle" believing that the shortest distance between two points can also be an arch. The torque and power gained through the revolutions and rotation is believed to be to the advantage of the Kuntao artist.

When Sifu Glenn Abrescy began training under Sifu Otto in 1967, he was a United States Green Beret Soldier preparing for overseas assignments in the Vietnam War. As such, he re-tooled his Kuntao system to be more effective in "The Drop Zone"; today, it is referred to by Sifu Abrescy as "Kuntao Reloaded." While taking a no-nonsense approach in training, his military prowess and aggressive mind-set was second to none. 

While Kemscrima-Doh is predominantly composed of Chinese Kempo and Filipino Escrima, the key influence that tie the two together is Sifu Otto's system and art of "Imua Kuntao," translating to "The Way of the Aggressive Fist." 

Other systems and instructors that have played a key role in the development of Kemscrima-Doh can be found here under the Circle of Influence.


Korean Influence

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While stationed in Korea, Sifu Otto studied the art of Tae Kwon Do under the Korean Military General Choi, eventually becoming a part of the elite White Horse Division. He would earn his Blackbelt in both Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. Various Tae Kwon Do principles can be found throughout the lineage of the progression of Imua Kuntao. Kuntao influenced forms such as Harimau is an interpretation of the Tae Kwon Do form Kooryo.  

Meaning of "Imua"

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"Imua" stems from the ancient Hawaiian war cry meaning "Move Forward" or "To Go Forward." Today it is more commonly used within the surf community when taking on the biggest waves. For Sifu Otto, "Imua," encompassed the driving force found in the art of Kuntao. As such, the term "Imua Kuntao" could mean "The Way of the Aggressive Fist."