Instructor (YOUR GUIDE)
Ray Feliciano is a High-Level 6th Degree Aikido Black Belt with USAF and a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Roy Dean (BJJ 4th Degree Black Belt).
Background:
At an early age, Ray wanted to train in martial arts but his family did not have the financial means. When he turned the age of twenty-one, he stepped on the mat to learn Aikido. What would be a symbolic and literal first step in August of 1988 became the beginning of his continuing journey. The journey into the world of martial arts was so much more. As a young child, Ray grew up without a father. He did not have a father figure in his life. He leaned heavily on the etiquette and philosophy of Budo to guide him in his formative years.
Francis Takahashi Sensei (7th dan) was one of Ray's influential instructor. Equally important, Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei (8th dan) left an imprint in Ray's interpretation of aikido.
In 2005, Ray became Pasadena Aikikai's Chief Instructor. A few years later, Ray trained in Shorinji Kempo. He also holds a Black Belt in Shorinji Kempo from the San Francisco Branch headed by Harada Sensei. He also began his training in Filipino Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
In 2013, Ray opened Maru Dojo located in San Francisco, CA, a sister dojo to Pasadena Aikikai. Yamada Sensei awarded him the rank of Rokudan (6th degree black belt) in January 2021.
A milestone. In 2023, Roy Dean awarded Ray Feliciano a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is a coveted black belt in the world of martial arts which requires you to dig deep and when you think you can’t dig deep anymore, you dig deeper.