The Sault’s Rudy Timmerman has been involved in martial arts for many years and has many stories to tell.
Now 81, Timmerman, a ninth degree black belt and Grandmaster of the Legion Hap Ki Do Club, has written and released a book entitled Hap Ki Do - My Journey.
Timmerman was signing copies of the book at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25 Friday afternoon, preparing for the Legion Hap Ki Do Club’s annual Warrior Weekend.
Though Hap Ki Do - My Journey isn’t his first book, Timmerman told SooToday “with this one, I wanted to write a history of martial arts in the Sault.”
“It’s also basically an autobiography, of what I’ve been doing, my travels, places where martial arts took me, a summary of my experiences in martial arts.”
Previously, Timmerman wrote a ‘who’s who’ in martial arts and a training manual.
“I started this one years ago. I just kept writing a page here and a page there as things were happening. Over this past little while with COVID locking us down I thought I’d finish it off and put it all together, in order.”
“I wanted to get back into some kind of normalcy,” Timmerman said, eager to enjoy this year’s Warrior Weekend after three COVID-19 lockdowns.
The three day gathering at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25, where Timmerman’s Legion Hap Ki Do Club meets, trains and competes (with all funds collected through club membership fees going to support the local Legion branch), included a competition Friday evening.
“We of course are limited to what we can do because of COVID. We’re not going to have any self defence techniques or sparring,” Timmerman said.
Instead, members from four local clubs, including Timmerman’s, will be demonstrating their skills individually throughout the weekend.
Traditionally, clubs from other communities would visit the Sault’s Legion branch and compete, but Timmerman said members of those clubs have shown a reluctance to travel during the pandemic.
Warrior Weekend continues at Branch 25 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday with training and seminars, followed by cocktails and a dinner beginning at 5 p.m., year end awards (the Legion Hap Ki Do Club’s new season beginning in September), followed by more training from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Timmerman began studying martial arts in 1950 at the age of 10, then competed and taught around the world.
Previously, Timmerman was involved with other local martial arts schools, one located near the underpass from 1973 to 1983, another on Gore Street from 1985 to 2012.
He retired from teaching martial arts in 2012 before becoming Grandmaster of the Legion Hap Ki Do Club.
A copy of Hap Ki Do - My Journey may be purchased through Timmerman by contacting him via email.