Tuhon Harley Elmore
Tuhon Harley Elmore is Mr. Strickland’s coach, mentor and master instructor. Tuhon Harley has has been training and teaching martial arts for over 38 years. He owns and operates Warriors Way International Academy in Wichita Falls, Texas. He travels the world teaching individuals, special interest groups, Texas Rangers, various police forces and some of America's most elite military special groups including the Navy SEALS. Tuhon has made it a lifelong goal to study the best martial arts in the world and this has led him to being certified under some of the most elite martial artists of our time.
Tuhon became interested in martial arts while living in Arkansas because he wanted to defend his family members from domestic abuse. Over the years, he trained in and achieved instructor level in TaeKwonDo, Shinjutsu Kempo Karate, Kuai Shou Pai Gung Fu, Vo Lum Vietnam Kung Fu, and Wing Chun. He soon started traveling to Tulsa, OK to train with Sifu Terry Gibson and eventually moved there to work as the program director for Gibson’s Martial Arts. It was through Sifu Gibson that Tuhon had a direct link to legendary martial artists like Guro Dan Inosanto (Sifu Bruce Lee's protege), Pendekar Herman Suwanda, a Silat Master and Ajarn Chai Sirisute, a Muay Thai Master.
Tuhon Harley soon became one of only a few martial artists to have achieved the rank of Full Instructor certification under Sifu Gibson and Guro Dan Inosanto, to teach Filipino Martial Arts, Lee’s Jun Fan Gung Fu & Jeet Kune Do Concepts, Muay Thai Kickboxing, western boxing, as well as Indonesian Pentjak Silat, Maphilindo Silat, Majapahit Martial Arts and grappling/ground fighting, just to round out a few of the martial art disciplines.
He has trained both in Bahala Na and Sayoc Kali. Both family systems run by world class martial artists. Bahala Na is a battle proven sword based Arnis system led by Grand Master Tony Somera. Sayoc Kali is the “Art of The Blade” headed by Pamana Tuhon Chris Sayoc and is one of the most sought after blade systems for self defense in the world. After years of training Harley was promoted to the rank of Tuhon or “Sayoc Master” by the late Pamana Tuhon Chris Sayoc.
Tuhon Harley is the Director of Training for Sayoc Tactical Group, a leader in mission-relevant integrated combatives training for the DoD, Naval Special Warfare, and U.S. Army Special Forces. STG has decades of experience in empty hand fighting, edged weapons, impact weapons, improvised weapons, low-visibility / reduced signature operations, vehicle combatives, team tactics, firearms, and Logical Order of Thinking (LOT).
Tuhon has taught courses with STG and began designing blades for military special forces. Yes, Tuhon designs and manufactures his own military blades-HeadHunter Blades (But that’s another story!). He has also worked with Tuhon Rafael Kayanan doing stunt choreography and making blades for several TV movie and shows!
Tuhon Harley is the first person to ever hold master level instructor certifications under both Guro Dan Inosanto and Pamana Tuhon Chris Sayoc. Having these two systems to draw from gives him a unique perspective on martial arts, especially weapons training.
It is with immense pride that Mr. Strickland and his instructor team are affiliate members of Warriors Way International. Mr Strickland has been training with Tuhon Harley and the instructor cadre at Warriors Way for over 7 years now. Mr. Strickland is an apprentice level two instructor with Warriors Way, and both he and his own instructor team have all been earning rank with Tuhon Harley, all while training in some of the most applicable martial arts skills in the world.
It is through Tuhon’s mentorship that Strickland’s Martial Arts has transformed itself from being a Taekwondo only based school, to offering some of the best martial arts and self defense concepts available to our students.
