A while ago, an instructor I knew passed away unexpectedly.
Tim Bown was an amazing man who managed to pull off an impressive feat: he was a good man, a good traditionally trained martial artist, a very good instructor and an amazing RBSD instructor who excelled at scenario training. That’s a very rare combination.
Tim was one of the best Bulletmen out there. He put on the suit and then was able to not just take the beatings but also act convincingly to elicit the adrenal response in people. He was good, real good.
This is the last clip I saw of him in action:
I was floored when I heard Tim died. We’d been mailing back and forth a while before, when he asked me to take a look at the manuscript for his book. I quickly scanned it, liked it and the last words I wrote to him were:
Got it, thanks. I’ll read it and get back to you.
I never got to do that. Tim literally dropped dead, his body riddled with cancer, before I got back to him. This is one of the big regrets in my life.
He left behind a wife and a little girl, whose world was shattered.
Rory Miller took up the task to make sure this book would be published as a means to support his family now that Tim no longer can. And now that day is here: Leading the Way by Tim Bown was just released on Amazon.
If you’re a martial arts instructor, you’ll want to read this book: it’s bound to give you new ideas to help you both teach better and increase enrollment in your school.
If you’re a practitioner, you’ll definitely learn something: how to learn faster and make progress in your art.
I’d like to ask all of you to help out a bit, it’s not difficult and won’t take up much time. Here’s how:
- Please buy the book. It’s not expensive.
- Please share this post far and wide. The more people set eyes on it, the more chances of it selling well.
If you can help out just a little, we can make sure his wife and daughter can have a better future now that Tim is no longer with us.
Thank you.
Ruben says
It’s the right message Wim.
I’ll appreciate it very much.
It’s also a great Christmas gift.
I”ll support it and bought the book.
Wim says
Thanks Ruben!
Iain says
Thanks for making me aware of this. Happy to help the family of a great martial artist, and get the gift of his wisdom.
Wim says
Thanks Iain!
Steve says
“If you’re a practitioner, you’ll definitely learn something: how to learn faster and make progress in your art.”
Good point. Early on it didnt seem applicable to me. Thank you for the perspective. Bought it and plan to write review next week.
/Steve
Wim says
Hope you like it Steve.
Lynne Rene says
Thank you Wim et al… Tim is my son. The hardcopy of this book just became available today on Amazon.com. One of Tim’s passions in life was teaching the martial arts & I was fortunate to be one of his students, Imagine learning a martial art in your 50’s from your son. It was truly one of the best experiences of my life! He was a young man… wise beyond his years and from my perspective the learnings in this book can be applied in many areas of life such as parenting & coaching. I can’t tell you how many parents have thanked me for the role Tim played in helping to raise their children. Your support & reviews warm my heart & I am sincerely grateful!
Wim says
Hi Lynne,
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment here. Tim left us too soon, to put it with the understatement of the century. He is greatly missed, which goes way beyond his skill as a martial artist but just for the great person he was. I’ll post an update about the hardcover in a follow-up post, hopefully driving to some additional sales. I hope this can help Rachelle and Maddy a bit. Please give them my best.
Thanks again for stopping by.
Wim
Charles James says
To Tim I would say, “Job well done.” I didn’t know him, I know of him simply from posts like yours. I purchased the book as soon as I found it on Amazon. It reminded me that many of the leading exponents in the genre are getting up in their winter years so hope they can pass it along before the suddenness experienced by the Brown family and be extension his martial family as well.
Sigh …..
Wim says
Thanks for supporting Tim’s family Charles. Much appreciated.