Richard was born in Stoke-on-Trent and lived in the Tunstall area all his life. His best friends were twins and they told him about this Ju Jitsu club they had started going to. Wanting to get in on the action, he went to a club in Clough Hall and loved every moment of it. The training was hard and the instructors somewhat ‘old school’ but the effectiveness of the techniques shown were awe inspiring. Soon after joining the club, he started training a second evening in the church hall at Kidsgrove. Unfortunately, these clubs ceased training and so Richard started at the Ju Jitsu Academy in Biddulph (CKK Bu-Jitsu Kai). Throughout his teens, Richard would train under Sensei Billy Frickleton and Phil Blackburn in Biddulph, between the many other interests he had. One of which was the Sea Cadets which later led to joining the Armed Forces at 18.
He served in the Royal Navy, for over 16 years. During which time, he was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to the Type 45 Propulsion Systems. When not deployed on operations, Richard would seek out places to train on the South Coast. Unfortunately, some of the clubs he attended were disappointing and did not have the authenticity he found in Biddulph.
That was until he crossed paths with Shihan Martin Rogers 8th Dan, Zen Ha Kenpo Ju Jitsu Ryu. Martin ran many clubs and seminars on the south coast. His classes vibrant and high tempo. His students, warm and welcoming. It was under Martin that Sensei found his ‘new martial arts home’. When not at sea, Richard would often train up to 6 times a week. Mostly in Portsmouth but also back home.
The expectations Martin placed on his students were high and it was not until 2003 that Richard was presented with his Black Belt. All the blood, sweat and tears finally paid off. Having been congratulated on his achievement, Richard recalls how one of his instructors, a senior student of Martins and good friend Renshi Dennis Ward (5th Dan), telling him, “You have done the basics, now you have arrived at the start line”. He was not wrong! Gaining the highly coveted black belt, only meant one thing. A gear shift in the intensity of the classes, greater pain and so much more to learn. Martins’ students would affectionately refer to his classes as “Entering the Tiger’s Lair”, though some of the sessions felt like fighting a tiger would have been far easier!
When not training with Martin, Richard would also teach Ju Jitsu to the Royal Navy at HMS Sultan and assist with the running of the dojo at HMS Collingwood. He achieved his Second Dan in 2008 and Third Dan in 2012, before leaving the Royal Navy. Richard commented when leaving the dojo, broken and almost on his knees that it was one of the hardest things he has ever had to do in his life and did not ever wish to do another Dan grade ever again! But the fighting spirit and obviously enjoyment of being pounded week in week out did not deter him.
Richard continued to train in Biddulph, when time permitted and coming back to his roots, requested that Renshi Billy Frickleton ratify his Dan grading. Although he was told it was not necessary, it was something he felt passionate about and on a Christmas Seminar in 2012 was put through his paces once again to earn the coveted black belt in his home club under Renshi Billy, Sensei Stuart Gower and the watchful eye of the Chief Instructor Shihan Ken Culshaw 9th Dan Ju Jitsu.
For many years, Richard wanted to run his own club and now that opportunity is here. “It is now time to “pass the baton” and give back to martial arts in the same way that all those mentioned here (and to many more to mention) have done in me.”
