GM Timmerman Bio
Personal info:
Name: Rudy W. Timmerman
Address: 68 Pozzebon Crescent, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada P6C 6A6.
E-Mail: kwanjang@shaw.com
D O B: August 17, 1940
Birthplace: The Hague, Netherlands. Immigrated to Canada in 1958, and now a Canadian Citizen.
Styles Studied:
Jiu Jitsu 1950 – 1987; Rank 5th DAN — Hanshi Shinsaku Hogen – IMAF
Tae Kwon Do 1958 – 1962; Rank 1st DAN — Grandmaster Park Sung-Bok – ITF
Kong Shin Bup 1958 – 1984; Rank 8th DAN — Grandmaster Pak In-Suk – WKSBF
Kuk Sool 1985 – 1998; Rank 6th DAN — Grandmaster Suh In-Hyuk – WKSA
Kuk Sool HKD 1990 – 2011; Rank 9th DAN — Grandmaster Seo In-Sun – WKF
Martial Arts History:
Training since 1950 – 75 consecutive years – Teaching 54 years. Teaching in my own school from 1973 to 2012. Semi-retired in 2012 due to back problems from a job related injury at Sears.
Personal Note:
For all intent and purposes, the arts of Kong Shin Bup and Kuk·Sool ❮Hap Ki Do❯ are the same. They were called different names by their founders to avoid Trademark issues; hence, I basically studied Jiu-Jitsu, Tae Kwon Do (4 years), and Kuk·Sool Hap Ki Do. Since Jiu-Jitsu and Hap Ki Do come from the same root (i.e. Daito-Ryu Aiki Jiu-Jitsu), it was not difficult to study these arts at the same time.
When I studied Tae Kwon Do and Kong Shin Bup (Kuk·Sool Hap Ki Do) at the same time, it was due to the fact both of these schools were only open part time. That made it possible for me to attend TKD on Mondays and Wednesdays, and KSB on Tuesdays, and Thursdays. That left weekends open for travel to competitions. Alas, both of my instructors left for parts unknown, and it was not until 1984 that I found GM Pak again.
Short Bio:
In 1950, GM Rudy Timmerman began training in Holland, where he was born, and he continued to practise in Canada after his family moved there in 1958. Originally he studied Jiu-Jitsu and Catch-as-Catch-Can; however, when those arts were not available to him in Canada, he began to study the arts of Kuk·Sool Hap Ki Do and Tae Kwon Do under Grandmasters Pak In-Suk and Park Sung-Bok (respectively). Unfortunately, both of these Grandmasters left the city without leaving a forwarding address and therefore GM Timmerman trained without an instructor for several years. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, GM Timmerman traveled extensively; it was during these Golden Years of martial arts that he trained with many great Masters and competed against some of the best martial artists in the world. Many of these Grandmasters and Masters remain his good friends to this very day.
In 1984 he eventually located Grandmaster Pak in Edmonton, Alberta. He trained for many months with his old Instructor and assisted Grandmaster Pak to finalize the Kong Shin Bup curriculum. While there, he tested and was promoted to 8th DAN in Kong Shin Bup by Grandmaster Pak. Before he left Edmonton, and because GM Pak had founded a new martial art called Tae Geuk Do (Tae Geuk is Korean for “tai chi”), Grandmaster Timmerman was appointed as the Inheritor (SajaNim) of Kong Shin Bup. He immediately registered the name with the Canadian Government and trademarked the name in the USA.
GM Timmerman had no desire to study the new art GM Pak founded; subsequently after he left Edmonton, he set out to find GM Suh In-Hyuk in order to continue his training in the art of Kuk·Sool Hap Ki Do. He eventually became the Master in charge of Canada and the State of Michigan for the World Kuk Sool Association, Inc. (WKSA), and he worked diligently to spread the art of Kuk-Sool until 1998. In fact, GM Timmerman established no less than sixteen schools for the WKSA in Canada and Michigan. In 1998, GM Timmerman left the WKSA for reasons mainly dealing with operational logistics.
After he left the WKSA, and not until after Grandmaster Pak had passed away, Grandmaster Timmerman took over the leadership of Kong Shin Bup, and he began to further develop the National Korean Martial Arts Association he had founded in 1973. Since then he has assisted Korean style martial artists and school owners around the globe with training, testing, and certification. His main goals of expanding NKMAA are to offer these services without involving politics or any unreasonable rules or demands.
Organizations Served:
CKYA - Canadian Karate Yudansha Alliance, Co-Founder with Hanshi Bob Dalgleish
YKKF - Yudansha Kobujitsu Kempo Federation, Territorial Commander
Butokukai Day Nippon - Butokukai Regional Director
IMAF - International Martial Arts Federation, Regional Director
WKSBF - World Kong Shin Bup Federation, Director of Canada
WKSA - World Kuk Sool Association, Director of Canada and Michigan
KSB - Kong Shin Bup, First Inheritor (SajaNim)
KKH - Korea Kido Hae, Regional Director
WKF - World Kido Federation, Canadian Director
Canadian Black Belt Hall Of Fame, Ambassador & Inductee
Accomplishments:
Founder: National Korean Martial Arts Association (NKMAA) – 1973
Inventor: of the Ugly Stick – 1998
Founder: StickMasters International – 1998
Co-Founder: Korean Martial Arts Brotherhood – 2010 (Co-Founded with GM Michael DeAlba)
Founder: Korean Martial Arts Masters Hall Of Fame – 2014
Halls Of Fame:
WHFS Hall Of Fame – 1998
Pioneers and Legends Hall Of Fame – 2000
Canadian Black Belt Hall Of Fame – 2012
Listed in Who's Who of martial arts – 2017
Sault Ste. Marie Sports Hall Of Fame – 2022
Side Note:
Disappointed by a number of Halls Of Fame that essentially “sell” inductions via high priced dinners, GM Timmerman decided to found the Korean Martial Arts Masters Hall Of Fame in 2014. This Hall Of Fame is modelled after the CBBHOF, in that inductees are not charged for their awards or the banquet. In fact, one can NOT pay to be inducted at ANY price
The “Movers and Shakers” of Korean martial arts are selected from nominations gathered on our facebook page and group, and a team of carefully selected Ambassadors help the organizer select a small group (usually about a dozen) of inductees each year. The event is a traveling event, so that less ambulatory martial artists have access to our event. So far, the event has been offered in Ontario, Canada (2014); Philadelphia, PA (2015); Crestview, FL (2016); Ontario, Canada (2017)., and subsequently in Atlanta, GA (2018), Dallas, TX (2019), & Marion, IN (2022).
Categories offered by the HOF are:
Legends (Grandmasters who have passed away)
Living Legends (60 plus years in the arts)
Pioneers (50 plus years in the arts)
Trailblazers (35 plus years in the arts)
Competitors (Olympic or World Champions)
Contributors (Authors, Founders, etc.).
Some of THE highest ranked and most respected Korean style martial artists alive today have been inducted, and the event has grown by leaps and bounds since its inaugural production in 2014. Unfortunately, health issues forced GM Timmerman to sell this Hall-of-Fame in 2017, and he no longer controls how the organization is run (note however, that it continues to honor the “no inductee has to pay to be inducted” policy as well as never allowing inductees to “buy their way into” this Hall-of-Fame).
Magazines:
Black Belt Magazine Article (the article covers a full contact fight GM Timmerman had with Canadian Golden Gloves Champ, Frank Nolan)
Front Cover of Tae Kwon Do Times; 1992 & 2010
Accolades:
Grandmaster Timmerman’s skills have been recognized by, and he received numerous awards from, all levels of the Canadian Government, including, but not limited to: Prime Ministers Jean Chretien and Steven Harper, Canadian Ambassador to the UK, as well as several Mayors and high-ranking Military Officials of the USA and Canada. GM Timmerman also received keys to several U.S. cities and accolades from high-ranking Martial Artists around the globe. Over the years, GM Timmerman received many requests to conduct seminars in all parts of the world.
Coaching:
GM Timmerman is very proud that a number of his students became World Champions, and some achieved this as many as four consecutive times. His most prized accolades have come from his students and their parents. There simply is nothing better than receiving a letter from a student or a parent to let you know that you made a difference in his or her life, and Grandmaster Timmerman has received many such letters. Today, in order to pass on all he has learned, GM Timmerman conducts monthly workshops with the Black Belts who still wish to study with him.
CREDENTIALS
Founder: NKMAA – 1973
Founder: StickMasters International
Founder: Korean Martial Arts Masters Hall Of Fame
Founder: KMACollege (Online Training)
Co-Founder: KMABrotherhood (with GM Michael DeAlba)
Jiu-Jitsu: (certificate #3377)
Master Timmerman earned a fifth degree Black Belt in Nihon Jiu Jitsu by the International Martial Arts Federation (IMAF) signed by the late Shinsaku Hogen Hanshi. Master Timmerman also received fifth degree Black Belt recognition signed by Professor Richard Morris, Hanshi, from the Jiu Jitsu International organization.
Kuk-Sool Hap·Ki·Do: (certificate # A-6011)
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Master Timmerman received his first, second, third and fourth degrees in Kuk·Sool Hap Ki Do. These certificates were sent from Korea, signed by GM Suh In-Hyuk and countersigned by Master Pak In-Shyuk. Shortly after, GM Pak switched to teach the art of Kong Shin Bup™.
Kong Shin Bup™ Hap·Ki·Do: (certificate # 106)
GM Timmerman continued to study hard and legitimately earned his fifth, sixth, & seventh DAN in KSB and in 1984, Master Timmerman was promoted to 8th DAN in Kong Shin Bup™. At this same promotion, GM Pak asked him to take charge of Kong Shin Bup™ and bestowed him with the seals to the art. Due to sharp insight, Kong Shin Bup™ was made a registered trademark owned by GM Timmerman.
Out of respect for his Grandmaster, KJN Timmerman did not assume his rank and position as Grandmaster of Kong Shin Bup™ until after its original founder, Grandmaster Pak, passed away in 1995. Shortly after, Grandmaster Timmerman’s rank and position as inheritor of Kong Shin Bup™ were recognized by several organizations, including the Korea Kido Association, World Kido Federation, and the WHFS Grandmasters Council.
In 2017, at the Korean Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame banquet dinner, Grand Master Timmerman passed the leadership of Kong Shin Bup to Master Kevin Janisse, and he promoted him to 9th DAN. In the art of Kong Shin Bup, this rank is automatically awarded to its leader.
Kuk Sool Won: (certificate # A-6011)
As noted above, Master Timmerman received his first through fouth degrees in the art of Kuk·Sool Hap Ki Do, under Grandmaster Pak In-Shyuk.
After joining the WKSA, GM Timmerman was demoted to 4th DAN in Kuk-Sool (as they did not recognize his higher DAN rank issued in the art of Kong Shin Bup™); accordingly, he retained his original DAN registration number. Since he was not a rank chaser to begin with, this demotion did not bother GM Timmerman at all. In fact, he was proud to become the classmate of Masters Sung-Jin Su, Marlin Sims, and Jay Lee. The four of them were promoted to 5th DAN in San Francisco, and years later they were promoted together to 6th DAN at the World Kuk-Sool Championships in Houston, Texas.
In 1998, GM Timmerman left the WKSA to focus on promoting the art of KSB and the NKMAA. As he took charge of KSB, he also began using the rank (8th DAN) he had earned earlier under the founder of that art. Since GM Pak had passed away, he became comfortable with the idea that 8th DAN would be his highest rank.
Han Min Jok Hap·Ki·Do: (certificate # 4-9-7)
Always eager to be a student, GM Timmerman sought closer relationships with GM Seo In-Sun, who had earlier appointed him as Canadian Director of the Korea Kido Hae. During a visit to Korea in 2004, Grandmaster Seo totally surprised KJN Timmerman by promoting him to 9th DAN. GM Timmerman actually had planned not to attend that year but unbeknownst to him, his student KJN Kevin Janisse, who was already aware of the pending promotion, organized a fundraiser so the trip could be made. NKMAA members often traveled to Korea to participate in the bi-annual World Hap·Ki·Do Championships, and our last group totaled more than 50 participants.
Pictured Below: GM Timmerman receives his 9th DAN from GM Seo In-Sun during the World HKD Championships in Busan, Korea
KJN Timmerman’s skills have been recognized by, and he received numerous awards from, all levels of Government, including, but not limited to: Prime Ministers Jean Chretien and Steven Harper, as well as the Canadian Ambassador to the UK, several Mayors, and the Military of the USA and Canada. He also received keys to several cities and accolades from high-ranking Martial Artists around the globe, and he has been featured on the cover of several Martial Arts Magazines. That his peers value his knowledge is amply demonstrated by their many requests for him to conduct seminars in all parts of the world.
