Willem "Uncle
Bill" de Thouars is a perfect example of living Budo. He is one of the greatest practitioners of Kuntao the world has
given us. Uncle Bill uses the word “Struggle” in class, he will demonstrate a concept then say “struggle
with it”. This is a reminder that all things are not handed on a silver platter, you must fight (or in this case struggle)
to achieve victory, whether it’s mental or physical. Words to live by very much like Hatsumi Sensei’s yelling
of “Play” after his sharing of a concept.
At I.C.S.,
the most common phrase you will hear throughout class is “struggle with it” from Henry, our instructor. He believes
so much in these words that he has made it a way of life and training for students.