Ray Dionaldo

Raised in the Martial Arts world since early childhood, Tuhon Ray Dionaldo is one of the most accredited and well respected practitioners on the Filipino Martial Arts scene. Tuhon Ray represents the next generation of martial arts masters. He is an innovator of the ancient Filipino arts, adapting them to the context of the modern tactical world. A lifetime of intense training with some of the most revered Filipino masters of the blade and stick over the span of two decades has imparted upon this young master of the blade a graceful deadliness which only a select few practitioners of the warrior arts ever achieve.

At the young age of 38, Ray has amassed an astounding fourteen Black Belts in several fighting systems. Each of which he is known to be quite proficient in. His background is diverse, beginning in early childhood in the traditional Japanese art of Wado Ryu Karate and in Kali under Grand Masters Balthazar Sayoc and Christopher Sayoc. Ray has achieved instructor ranks in several systems including Sayoc Kali, Sayoc Fighting Systems, Remy Presas' Modern Arnis, Shotokan Karate, Ryu Kyu Kempo, Kali Olympic Stick Fighting, Pekiti Tirsia Kali, Pambuan Arnis, Ancient Arts Academy, Strategic Knife Defense, and Wu Ming Tao Chuan Fa. He is a respected member of The Kun Tao Family of Florida under Bapak Wilem DeThouars . He has also trained in Muay Thai Kick Boxing, and was a member of the Pekiti Tirsia demo team as well as the Sayoc Fighting Systems demo team.

Tuhon Ray's approach to the Filipino arts is as multifaceted as his background, incorporating the best that each of his source systems has to offer into an organized, interlocking flow of techniques which form a natural progression of study. Most practitioners that emphasize weapons tend to de-emphasize the skills which are at the core of many unarmed arts, skills such as Jujitsu joint manipulation and balance disruption and leg attacks. These forms of combat are not neglected by Ray. On the contrary, they are an intricate part of his system, epitomizing the ancient concept that the blade (or any other weapon) is not merely a tool, but an extension of the body, an extension of the self.

Tuhon Ray's subsystem of the Filipino arts is as multifaceted as his background, incorporating the best that each of his source systems has to offer into an organized, interlocking flow of techniques which form a natural progression of study. This is perhaps the greatest achievement of this art, as it is no simple task to codify the diversity of techniques which are incorporated, without resorting to a disorganized conglomeration of movements which bear no relationship to each other. Filipino Combat Systems has successfully avoided this pitfall. It is more than the sum of its parts.

Most systems that emphasize weapons tend to de-emphasize the skills which are at the core of many unarmed arts, skills such as Jujitsu joint manipulation and balance disruption and leg attacks. These forms of combat are not neglected in Tuhon Ray's system. On the contrary, they are an intricate part of it, epitomizing the ancient concept that the blade (or any other weapon) is not merely a tool, but an extension of the body, an extension of the self.

Filipino Combat Systems is in its essence, an art of the blade, with particular emphasis on the double edged dagger. In the hands of a practitioner of this art, the blade is much more than a weapon for slashing and stabbing. It is utilized for parrying, disarming and joint and limb manipulation, all of which can be done (if appropriate) in a non-lethal manner. A distinct advantage of using a blade for limb manipulation is that it affords the option of, in effect, making any area of the body which it is used against a "pressure point". This compensates for the lesser degree of precision which many martial artists are often surprised to discover to be inherent in real life situations.

"Martial art systems" come and go every day. It is recognized that many overly ambitious practitioners have the desire but not the skill or knowledge to create their own system. It has only at the behest of acknowledged Filipino masters that this system has come into being. Filipino Combat Systems has been authorized and sanctioned, and has received the blessings of several Grand Masters. Tuhon Ray possessing the modesty which is unusual in those with his degree of skill, has only under the direct request of his instructors taken it upon himself to share his unique art with others. For those seeking an ancient art for modern times, Filipino Combat Systems is a method of self defense a personal growth whose time has come.

Each generation of martial artists produces a select few who do not merely imitate previous masters, but who expound upon what has been imparted to them. Tuhon Ray has synthesized the diversity of technique from the many systems he has studied and he has taken his art to the next level. Today he is considered one of the top instructors of the Filipino Martial Arts in the world.

Excerpt from Filipino Combat Systems: An Introduction to An Ancient Art For Modern Times, By Mark Edward Cody and Ray Dionaldo. Excerpt used by permission from Mark Edward Cody.