01/12/2026
To all my WEKAF brothers and sisters,
I’ve been holding off on making any announcements because I wanted to take care of things personally first, before saying anything publicly.
Over the past year, I’ve had the honor of serving as the WEKAF Director for the Great Lakes Region, as well as the U.S. Secretary. During that time, I’ve fulfilled all of my commitments to the League - hosting my event, ensuring competitors were properly qualified, and submitting the complete list for the national event. With all of that now complete, it’s time for me to step away from those administrative roles.
I want to be very clear: this is not a negative decision, and it’s not political in nature at all. I have a great deal of respect for WEKAF and the work the organization does. I truly believe that administrative positions should be held by people who have the time and availability to fully commit and help move the organization forward. Unfortunately, my current schedule just doesn’t allow me to do that at the level the role deserves.
From October through December of 2025, I was only home three weekends. I had multiple overseas trips, teaching seminars around the world and sharing Filipino Martial Arts with people who are passionate about learning it. That work - teaching, traveling, and spreading the art - is really my forte.
I do feel good about what I was able to accomplish during my time in the role. But this past month at home has also made me realize how many things I’ve been unintentionally neglecting. I run a martial arts organization. I operate a full-time Filipino Martial Arts school. I serve my community as a member of the Board of Directors for our Chamber of Commerce. And there are several other responsibilities that deserve my time and attention.
This decision is about taking an honest look at where I’ve been overcommitting myself and making the first step toward refocusing on my family, my business, and my own organization.
That said, I’m not stepping away from WEKAF. I’ll continue to help and support the organization in my own way. As a social influencer, there’s a lot I can do to help promote WEKAF - and the bonus is, I don’t even have to leave my house to do it 😄.
I also want to be very clear that I’ve communicated to the administrative group that if they would like my future tournaments to continue serving as qualifying events for Nationals, I am more than willing to continue doing that. I fully support the League and its mission. It simply deserves administrators who can consistently be present and hands-on, and right now my schedule doesn’t allow me to serve in that capacity.
I will absolutely still be competing at tournaments. I’ll be in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the night before the upcoming event, where Grandmaster Bobby Taboada and I will be teaching a joint seminar. I’ll also be there to help G**o David run the tournament.
It’s been a blast serving, and I’m truly looking forward to seeing everyone again soon.
Respectfully,
Datu Tim Hartman
World Modern Arnis Alliance
Horizon Martial Arts
Buffalo Niagara Laban Laro
