The martial arts journey of Professor Francisco Díaz García began in 1984 with Tae Kwon Do, Moo Duk Kwon style. As a young fighter, he achieved notable accomplishments, including being selected to participate in the 1986 National Tournament in Querétaro, Querétaro. His training during this period was under Professor Gabriel Díaz Rodríguez, a European Champion in this discipline.

At the age of 14, in 1990, he joined Karate Studio Azcapotzalco under Shidoshi Enrique Flores Tovar. Between 1991 and 1995, Sensei Díaz participated in various courses, camps, and seminars organized by this institution, which complemented his training. Among the most significant were the 1991 Instructor Seminar and, in 1993, the Special Camp for Brown and Black Belts, during which he debuted one of the commemorative rings of his instructor generation. Around this time, he began developing what would become his thesis project and joined Professor Flores’ active instructional staff.

In 1994, he decided to leave the Koga Warrior Society following a serious organizational crisis that nearly devastated the representation of Dux Ryu Ninjutsu in Mexico. In early 1996, together with other Dux Ryu Ninjutsu instructors, he began forming a new organization focused on the dissemination and preservation of Frank W. Dux’s original vision of the system. This new association was named the Ninjutsu Traditional System Association (NTSA).

In December of that same year, he was promoted to Black Belt by Sensei Noé Ernesto Cruz Vargas, 3rd Dan Black Belt in Dux Ryu – Koga Yamabushi Ryu. He officially received the Bugo (martial name) “Nightwolf” and presented his thesis titled “A Practical Guide for Ninjutsu Instructors.”

Sensei Díaz assumed the role of General Director of the NTSA and, between 2001 and 2005, consolidated it as a serious, professional organization with a strong growth orientation. In 2002, he launched the informational bulletin “Okami Dewa: The Call of the Wolf,” and later introduced the NTSA’s first official website. Over the years, this bulletin evolved into Dux Ryu Magazine, launched in 2014. After suffering cowardly cyberattacks by the former leadership of Dux Ryu Mexico, the original website evolved into the current www.ntsa.com.mx.

In 2006, Hanshi Frank Dux evaluated and promoted the first generation of NTSA Black Belts and formally recognized Sensei Francisco Díaz and his organization as the legitimate heirs to the legacy of Dux Ryu Ninjutsu. Sensei Díaz was invited to become part of the Frank Dux Fellowship, an ambitious project by Hanshi Dux aimed at “promoting, recognizing, and honoring leadership, quality, and professionalism in the martial arts,” and he eventually assumed the role of National Director of this initiative.

In mid-2007, Professor Díaz extended another invitation to Hanshi Frank W. Dux to visit Mexico, this time with a dual purpose: to attend the 1st Frank Dux Cup and to conduct a new Ninjutsu Seminar, both of which were highly successful. At the conclusion of this major event, Hanshi Dux publicly announced that, after a trial period and careful observation of his work, he had decided to promote Professor Díaz to 4th Dan in Dux Ryu Ninjutsu.

Sensei Díaz received the title of Shihan, assumed leadership of the Frank Dux Fellowship, and during a meeting with the newly formed Iron Circle of the FDF, received the Bugo “Timberwolf,” which the Grandmaster described as “a wolf who looks first to his group rather than to himself.”

In March 2009, the promotion of the 2nd Generation of Black Belts took place, and by the end of that year, the NTSA was officially designated the Mexico Chapter of Dux Ryu Ninjutsu, with all the rights and responsibilities this designation entails. Dux Ryu – NTSA then experienced exponential growth, opening multiple schools in various states of the Mexican Republic and even abroad, beginning with Dux Ryu – NTSA Puerto Rico.

In May 2010, a large-scale project known as Expo Artes Marciales México took place at the World Trade Center in Mexico City, bringing together more than 4,500 martial artists from diverse systems and styles in a non-competitive event. Hanshi Frank W. Dux and Dux Ryu – NTSA achieved outstanding participation in this event, which also featured the 3rd Black Belt Promotion Examination, evaluated by Hanshi Frank W. Dux, Shihan Sky Benson, and Shihan Michael Alcava.

Only a few months later, bringing to life Hanshi Frank Dux’s vision of fraternity, Professor Francisco Díaz created the AIAM (International Academy of Martial Arts) concept. The AIAM staff works around a shared mission: “To spread the martial arts in all their visions and styles.”

At the end of 2010, Sensei Francisco Díaz was appointed by Hanshi Frank W. Dux as Director of Dux Ryu Ninjutsu for Mexico and Latin America. Two years later, on July 12, 2012, he was promoted to 5th Dan Black Belt, and in recognition of his work, he was authorized to use the title Shihan, becoming the youngest instructor worldwide to receive this distinction within Dux Ryu.

In 2012, under Shihan Díaz’s leadership and through the DR-NTSA platform, the divisions of Kickboxing, Kenjutsu, MMA, Urban FASST, and Ninja Kids were established within Dux Ryu Systems, all under the concept: “Dux Ryu: Many Paths, One Vision.”

In 2013, he organized the 1st Mexican Seminar Tour of Hanshi Frank W. Dux, which visited several states across the country and culminated in the largest seminar ever held in Mexico, with nearly 250 participants. At the conclusion of this event, in an unexpected gesture, Hanshi Dux presented Shihan Díaz with a beautiful gold watch bearing a plaque that read: “For acting above and beyond the call of duty.”

That same year, Shihan Díaz was appointed International Director of Dux Ryu Ninjutsu, receiving from Hanshi Frank W. Dux the distinctive Roji-Black Belt worn by Division Directors of Dux Ryu Systems.

In 2014, Shihan Francisco Díaz proposed a major event to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Dux Ryu, known as the World Congress of Dux Ryu. This event took place in Mexico City in March 2015 and brought together the principal global leaders of Dux Ryu. At the conclusion of the event, Kaiso Frank W. Dux made an official announcement appointing GM Sky Benson and Shihan Francisco Díaz as Soke Dai and Soke Dai Ni (First Heir and Second Heir, respectively) to the Dux Ryu legacy upon his death or retirement. This appointment was endorsed by WOMA (World Organization of Martial Arts), headquartered in Florida, USA.

In a historic milestone, on June 4, 2016, Shihan Francisco Díaz was honored and inducted into the Masters Hall of Fame in San Antonio, Texas. Notably, only three Mexican martial artists have received this distinction.

In 2019, Shihan Francisco Díaz was appointed President of the Frank Dux Fellowship, and in January 2020, in collaboration with the World Organization for Peace, he helped organize the first Frank Dux Fellowship Award ceremony. In February of that same year, Shihan Díaz received from Kaiso Frank Dux a recognition for 30 years of service in Dux Ryu and was promoted to 7th Dan in Dux Ryu Ninjutsu, the highest rank awarded in Mexico within Dux Ryu.

In March 2022, during the inauguration ceremony of the new International Academy of Martial Arts, Taisho Frank Dux publicly announced his decision to entrust Shihan Díaz with the responsibility of safeguarding the continuation of his legacy as Soke Dai (First Heir) of Dux Ryu. Two years later, on July 21, 2024, this appointment was made official with the public presentation of the legal document validating it. The document delivered by Kaiso Frank Dux bears the witness signatures of GM Sky Benson, GM David Silverman, and Shihan Christopher Myra.

Shihan Francisco Díaz is International Director of Dux Ryu Systems, Founder and General Director of Dux Ryu – NTSA, Founder and General Director of the International Academy of Martial Arts, and President of the Frank Dux Fellowship. He currently holds the rank of 7th Dan Black Belt in Dux Ryu Ninjutsu.