Tiger Martial Arts History
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| Chief Master Viani was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and his family moved to Kamloops when he was a small child. He grew up always interested in Martial Arts and took some martial arts courses in Kamloops as a child. His family then moved to Vancouver where he officially started his formal martial arts training. He first started in Kung-Fu and then found his home at Divine Winds Martial Arts (Tae Kwon-Do / Multi-Style Martial Arts) headed by Grandmaster Mark Gildemeester and his wife Chief Master Robyn Gildemeester. Grandmaster Gildemeester trained under the International Tae Kwon-Do Federation system under Grandmaster Jong Kim and also trained in Grandmaster Kim's own system of martial arts :Tukido (full contact Taekwondo similar to modern Kickboxing). Grandmaster Gildemeester constantly improved his system by learning several other arts including: Hapkido, Aikido and several other systems. He invited several Masters to train his instructors on a regular basis including: Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, Grandmaster Jose Santamaria, Bill "Superfoot" Wallace, Grandmaster Professor Wally Jay (Small Circle Jujitsu), Joe Lewis, Grandmaster Will Maier (Modern Ninjutsu) and many more. Grandmaster Gildemeester continues today traveling around the world to constantly and never endingly improve his systems and customer services to provide his students with the most cutting edge martial arts system available today. Master Viani has the greatest respect for his first teachers that give him the gift of martial arts and taught him the art of being a professional martial artist. Master Viani still to this day stays in contact with his teacher and mentor Grandmaster Gildemeester. | |
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| Chief Master Viani attended the Expo in 1986 and was very facasinated with the Korean Pavilion and especially the Taekwondo. A movie played showing some of the world's best Taekwondo skills. Some of the skills were very different then he had learned. The style was WTF World Taekwond Federation style. The kicks were different and very exciting and Taekwondo was in the process of becoming a new Olympic Sport. Later in his martial arts career he seeked out the best WTF Olympic Taekwondo Master, he searched several schools and came across Grandmaster Kee Ha. Grandmaster Ha took him in and gave him a white belt. It was a great feeling starting again as a beginner and wearing a white belt again. One day Grandmaster Ha asked him to teach a class as a white belt, which the students were all looking at Master Viani quite funny, but soon learned he had some great teaching skills. Grandmaster Ha soon gave Master Viani a Red Belt and then finally a Black Belt in his WTF system of Taekwondo Han Moo Kwan. Grandmaster Ha mentored Master Viani for several years and gave him an opportunity of a life time to became a staff instructor at his school. He then became the Chief Instructor of Kee's Taekwondo and helped it grow to one of the largest Taekwondo centres in British Columbia. Grandmaster Ha was one of the most talented Master Instructors and Olympic Taekwondo coaches in Canada. He has produced many champions over his career and helped Master Viani to become a British Columbia Provincial Middle Weight Champion and even took him to the Canadian National Championship. Master Viani credits all of his Olympic Taekwondo skills to the expert teaching of Grandmaster Kee Ha. | |
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| Chief Master Viani also trained in Kodakan Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu while running Kee's Taekwondo in Vancouver. Grandmaster Kee Ha always encouraged Master Viani to try new things. While teaching at Kee's Taekwondo one of Master Viani's students was an instructor at the Vancouver Judo Club, he was Sensei Michael Gentleman a great person and one of the hardest working people Master Viani has ever met. Sensei Gentleman was learning Taekwondo with his two boys and offered to teach Master Viani Judo privately. Sensei Gentle provided the Judo mats along with hard training. Through this training Master Viani's Judo and grappling skills soared at this time. And while the Judo training was going on Professor Bob McRoberts a lawyer from Winnipeg brought in two of Brazil's top Jiu-Jitsu Professors Joao and Marco VasConcellos. It was at this time Master Viani learned the art of BJJ Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Behring Jiu-Jitsu). The team lost there daytime mat space and Master Viani asked Grandmaster Ha if they could use Kee's Taekwondo for space during the day for BJJ and he said it was okay. After that it was five days a week and some weekends. Masters of all arts were coming in to the famous BJJ day class. It was crazy at that time, because this was the only place you could learn BJJ in Canada! Master Viani was very sore at times with the hard training and even one day tried to work in the office because he was so sore! But Professor VasConcellos wouldn't have any of that and in his own unique way, got Master Viani back on the mat. The Professor litterally beat the tar out of Master Viani on a regular basis, but at the same time taught him the true art of BJJ. Professor McRoberts moved to Brazil to train in BJJ full-time, he has also become a BJJ world champion. Professor McRoberts comes back to Canada from time to time and usually drops into Chief Master Viani's school for a visit and a brush-up on the mat to show some of his new aquired skills. | |
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| Chief Master Viani moved to Kamloops in 1997 and opened his first martial arts dojang. The school grew to be the number one martial arts centre in Kamloops. Master Viani has had many mentors and instructors, which is the real secret to his success. Along with all the above instructors and mentors others have also helped including: Chief Master Darren Clarke, Chief Master Robert Deane, Grandmaster Kelly Yuen and Master Helen Yuen. The Canadian Martial Arts Federation was established to connect many talented Master Instructors and Martial Arts Styles it continues to grow. He continued his training in other arts and through a martial arts friend Grandmaster Daniel Witt (Pacific Coast Taekwondo) met Grandmaster Ronald Suggs. Grandmaster Suggs has trained in several martial arts including: Karate, Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo Jidokwan, Kodokan Judo and Hapkido. He served in the U.S. military which allowed him to travel throughout the orient and learn some of the most exciting martial arts styles. Grandmaster Suggs has shared his martial arts with Master Viani and has certified him in his United Taekwondo Jidokwan Federation (6th Dan UTJF & Master Instructor) & United Hapkido Federation (4th Dan UHF). Grandmaster Suggs continues to support and share ideas and concepts with Master Viani. |
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| Master Viani had the trip of a lifetime when he had the opportunity to travel to the birthplace of martial arts, Korea. He visited many martial arts schools and the Kukkiwon - World Taekwondo Headquarters. And the World Headquarters and founder of Teuk-Gong Moo Sul. Korea's most elite martial arts system. It was first developed for the military but is now one of Korea's fastest growing martial arts. It combines many of martial arts top systems including: Taekwondo, Hapkido, Judo, Kickboxing and so much more. Grandmaster Chang took Master Viani in and trained him in his art. He became the first non-korean master ever to be certified in Teuk-Gong Moo Sul and is now a 6th Dan Black Belt and the Chief Master of Teuk-Gong Moo Sul in North America. Grandmaster Chang has sent many Masters to Canada to help teach and promote Teuk-Gong Moo Sul in Canada. Master Viani is very proud and honoured to be part of this special martial arts. | |
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Grandmaster Chang, Soo Ok Founder of Teuk-Gong Moo Sul 10th Dan Black Belt |
Teuk-Gong Worldwide Korea Teuk-Gong Moo Sul Association |
Teuk-Gong Martial Arts (Teuk-Gong Moo Sul aka Tukkong, Tukong & Tuk Gong) is a complete martial art, founded in 1978. Teuk-Gong is a fusion of the world's most dynamic martial arts. Formed in the mecca of martial arts, Korea. It was first designed to be a "super martial arts" for the korean army and special forces. President Park had a tryout of about 300 of the top masters of Korea to see who would head the task of designing the best martial arts. He chose Grandmaster Chang, Soo Ok. He worked with a team of the countries top martial artists of various disciplines and then formed Teuk-Gong Martial Arts. It was at the final demonstration in front of President Park that the name "Teuk-Gong Moo Sul" was coined.
The style combines the best disciplines of: Hapkido, Taekwondo, Judo, Kung-Fu, Kickboxing, jujitsu and many more. It is now considered the most Elite Martial Art of Korea. In 1986 the Korea Teuk-Gong Moo Sul Association was formed allowing the general public to learn this Elite Martial Art. It is now the fastest growing martial art in the Country.
Master Jeff Viani was the first non-korean that Grandmaster Chang, Soo Ok certified to Master Instructor of Teuk-Gong. He was the first Canadian to teach Teuk-Gong to his country. Master Viani is a 6th Dan Black Belt and the Chief Master of Teuk-Gong Moo Sul in North America.
Teuk-Gong Martial Arts is very exciting to learn. As most people have learned in the recent years through MMA demonstrations, you cannot learn only one range of martial arts self-defense. You must be a complete martial artists to learn how to protect yourself. Teuk-Gong martial arts teaches punching, kicking, grappling and throwing techniques as well as a complete structure of traditional martial arts forms, self-defense techniques as well as weapons training. Proper etiquette and discipline training as well as life skills are also part of the training of Teuk-Gong.
Children love the techniques of Teuk-Gong as they are natural movements and very exciting for children to learn. Parents like it because it teaches their children discipline and character development at the same time teaching real self-defense techniques. Adults get a great workout and are challenged with different workouts each day, as they learn one of the world's most exciting martial arts.
