Reynaldo S. "Rey" Galang is a Filipino martial arts teacher and author. He is one of the chief founders and head instructors of

Bakbakan International Bakbakan International is a martial arts association headquartered in Manila, Philippines and founded by Christopher Ricketts. It has chapters in Australia, Canada, and the United States. It also promoted the Masters of Arnis tour in Australia ...

History and experience

Rey Galang was born in Manila. Losing his father at an early age, his uncles contributed greatly to his interest in the Martial Arts. His family had a history of career military and police officers. He was a student of the late

Antonio Ilustrisimo Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo (1904 in Bagong, Bantayan, Cebu – 1997) was the Grandmaster of Kalis Ilustrisimo (KI), a Filipino martial art bearing his family name. Early life As a boy, Ilustrisimo studied eskrima from his father. At the ...

, and he is the official designated heir of the knife fighting aspect of

Kalis Ilustrisimo Kalis Ilustrisimo is a style of Eskrima founded by Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo. Name ''Kalis Ilustrisimo'' means "The Bladed Art of Ilustrisimo": ''calis'' (or ''caris'') being another term for sword, blade and knife in Luzon and the Visayas ...

(which he has developed into a present-day form called "Tulisan"). He holds ranks in the arts of

karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...

Jujutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subd ...

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...

and

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that is split into many different styles, including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in a ...

Notoriety

Along with Christopher "Topher" Ricketts, Rey Galang was the founder and driving force behind the

Bakbakan {{Infobox television , caption = , image = , genre = Sports , creator = , director = , presenter = Dyan Castillejo , country = Philippines , language ...

organization or "Fraternal Brotherhood" of Filipino Martial Artists. In 1986, Rey formed a project called "Masters of Arnis" which featured Rey Galang,

Christopher Ricketts Christopher Naldo Ricketts (also "Topher" Ricketts; March 21, 1955–October 5, 2010 Edgar Sulite Edgar Sulite (September 25, 1957 – April 10, 1997) was a teacher of Filipino martial arts. He was the creator of Lameco Eskrima and trained such notables as Dan Inosanto, Ron Balicki, Larry Hartsell, Fred Degerberg, and Diana Lee Inosanto. ...

on an instructional tour of Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. This gave Rey and Bakbakan international exposure and triggered several articles in mainstream martial arts magazines. Since then, he has written four Martial Arts books and numerous magazine articles.

Lameco influence

The late Punong-Guro

Edgar Sulite Edgar Sulite (September 25, 1957 – April 10, 1997) was a teacher of Filipino martial arts. He was the creator of Lameco Eskrima and trained such notables as Dan Inosanto, Ron Balicki, Larry Hartsell, Fred Degerberg, and Diana Lee Inosanto. ...

sought Master Rey's support and advice in developing the final structure of the

Lameco Eskrima Lameco Eskrima is the system of Filipino martial arts founded by Edgar Sulite based on his training and experience with various Philippine Martial Arts masters, with heavy influence from Jose Caballero and Antonio Ilustrisimo. The word Lameco i ...

organization. Rey assisted with the setup of ranking structure and instructor certifications, and he designed and edited Lameco's newsletter "Vortex". Rey Galang is the second highest ranking (5th degree) Lameco instructor certified by Edgar Sulite. The highest ranking (with the exception of Edgar Sulite) is Christopher Ricketts.

Publications

* ''Masters of the Blade'' * ''Warrior Arts of the Philippines'' * ''Classic Arnis'' * ''Complete Sinawali: Filipino Double Weapon Fighting''

References

*''Filipino Fighting Arts:Theory and Practice'' by Mark V. Wiley,

External links

"Bakbakan International Website""Lameco Eskrima International""Bakbakan International - United Kingdom Website"
Filipino eskrimadors Filipino male karateka Filipino male judoka Filipino jujutsuka Filipino aikidoka Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Binondo Sportspeople from Manila {{Aikido-bio-stub