Every Monday, while preparing to head home for the day, ETA Ryan Ulrich noticed a group of students practicing martial arts on the quad outside of the school. The group always caught Ryan’s eye, because they were practicing techniques he had never seen before. After a month of observation, Ryan decided to approach this group and ask what martial art style they were practicing. He also was interested in finding out whether or not he could participate in their sessions.

They told him the martial art in question was called Tapak Suci Putera Muhammadiyah, or Tapak Suci for short. Translated, it means Sacred Palms, sons of Muhammadiyah. Muhammadiyah was a follower of Muhammad, and his followers went on to found the second largest Muslim organization in Indonesia. Tapak Suci was developed as a means for practitioners of Muhammadiyah to defend themselves.
The group was happy to allow Ryan to participate in their sessions, but sadly, he found out he would be unable to join due to new duties occurring at the same time. Regardless, Ryan always watches the group practice whenever he gets the chance.

Ryan Ulrich is currently teaching at SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Gresik, East Java