Guru Besar Herman Suwanda

Pak Herman was the second leader of Pencak Silat Mande Muda.He was first son in Suwanda Family. He began to study pencak silat from Pak Uyuh in 1960. In 1965, he began to also study with pendekars from other traditional pencak silat schools, and he continued to study until his death. He began teaching in Indonesia in 1974, and in 1980, he traveled to the US to begin teaching there. In addition to supervising the schools in Indonesia, he traveled extensively, teaching Pencak Silat Mande Muda seminars around the world. Pak Herman hoped to fulfill his father's dream of building a school for pencak silat students so that they would not have to practice outside or in the living room.

Pak Herman worked to create our father's dream, as step by step, Mande Muda expanded around the world, first in America and then Europe. Besides teaching pencak silat, Pak Herman also taught about Indonesia's culture, especially the culture of Sunda (West Java).
Due to his hard work, Pak Herman was successful in building a Padepokan (School), called the Padepokan Pencak Silat Suwanda Academy, located in Kampungdago, Suntenjaya, Lembang, West Java. His senior student, Steve Hunting, assisted him in making this project come true.

The Suwanda Academy Padepokan has become the training center for members of Mande Muda both in Indonesia and worldwide. Each year, Pak Herman held "camps" in Indonesia so that his students from around the world could learn pencak silat and experience the culture of Java. Not only did he teach silat but also guided tours to historical places, including some in Central Java, plays, puppet shows, and other cultural events.

Almost all plans and dreams can be created, but not only humans have a plan, and God's will determined that Pak Herman was to be killed in a car accident in Germany on the 21st of March 2000, just as Pak Herman was expanding Pencak Silat Mande Muda in Europe.

Mande Muda has been guided by two generations, and both have succeeded in their mission to develop and expand the fighting arts and culture of Indonesia, particularly that of Pencak Silat Mande Muda.